A study from a Tertiary Health Centre on prevalence of Chikungunya Infection in the North-Eastern Region, India

Chikungunya Virus causes chikungunya infection. It belongs to the family Togaviridae. Typical symptoms of chikungunya infection are fever, headache, fatigue, rashes and arthralgia. It is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. Diagnosis is by ELISA and RT-PCR. The study was done in a tertiary health centre, NEIGRIHMS, located in Meghalaya. In this study 401 blood samples were collected. 58 samples were IgM positive and 3 were RT-PCR. This gives a prevalence rate of 14.4%. Proper diagnosis of viral diseases is important to avoid misdiagnosis. This is achieved with improvement in laboratoiry techniques and awareness on its challenges.