Resurgence of Chikungunya virus: rising global threat and challenges in its mitigation

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an arthropod-borne viral disease which spreads to humans by mosquito bites, inducing musculoskeletal pain and fever. CHIKV was endemic to the Indian Ocean region till 2004 that affected millions. It has been expanding its existence to non-endemic regions in Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific regions since 2004. Current fast CHIKV transmission scenario highlights the necessity of innovating control methods and devising novel diagnostic techniques. Conventional vector control measures lack efficacy as CHIKV vector evolves. Also, the existing assays used to detect CHIKV vary on sensitivity and specificity. This leads to mis-reporting or under-reporting of CHIKV cases especially in the endemic regions. This review discusses the CHIKV pathogenesis, an overview of various existing detection and the mitigation measures. Later, the challenges and limitations posed by these and how they can be subjugated by employing various simple and sustainable measures are emphasised. This review also suggests strategies to deploy novel systems in resource-limited settings to effectively address the infection and transmission of CHIKV disease.