A chikungunya outbreak has been reported from two barangays (villages) in Sta. Lucia town in Ilocos Sur province in the northern Philippines, according to a report in the Philippine news source, Tempo Tuesday.

Dave Zaragoza, monitoring officer of PHTO-Ilocos Sur, said yesterday that at least 62 suspected cases of Chikungunya infection were recorded in Barangays Paoc Norte and San Pedro, both in Santa Lucia town.

Image/CDC
Image/CDC

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease first described during an outbreak in southern Tanzania in 1952. It is an RNA virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae. The name ‘chikungunya’ derives from a word in the Kimakonde language, meaning “to become contorted” and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain (arthralgia).

Chikungunya is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by joint pain. Other common signs and symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. The joint pain is often very debilitating, but usually lasts for a few days or may be prolonged to weeks.

Most patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years, according to the World Health Organization. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page

The virus is transmitted from human to human by the bites of infected female mosquitoes. Most commonly, the mosquitoes involved are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, two species which can also transmit other mosquito-borne viruses, including dengue.

According to a Wikipedia entry, Ilocos Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Vigan City, located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the provincial capital. Ilocos Sur is bordered by Ilocos Norte and Abra to the north, Mountain Province to the east, La Union and Benguet to the south, and the South China Sea to the west. Looking for a job in health care? Check here to see what’s available