Chikungunya
About this Reportable Disease
Infectious agent: Chikungunya Virus
Description of illness: The most common symptoms of chikungunya virus infection are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. Outbreaks have occurred in countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. In late 2013, chikungunya virus was found for the first time in the Americas on islands in the Caribbean. There is a risk that the virus will be imported to new areas by infected travelers. There is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat chikungunya virus infection. Travelers can protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites. When traveling to countries with chikungunya virus, use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and pants, and stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens.
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Laboratory Reporting
Reporting requirements apply to all laboratories located within Tennessee, as well as laboratories outside of Tennessee that test residents of Tennessee, including laboratories located within healthcare facilities. Healthcare providers and laboratories in the same healthcare facility both have a duty to report. The type of organisms and analytes laboratories must report to TDH for 2026 are indicated, and there are several ways laboratories can report results to TDH.
- Manually report results to TDH by faxing or mailing a completed PH-1600 form to your local health department, or faxing to the state health office at (615) 741-3857
- Automatically submit results to TDH via electronic laboratory reporting (ELR), which automates the process of sharing data with TDH using interoperability standards.
- See the ELR Onboarding Handbook for details on the onboarding process, checklist, frequently asked questions, business rules, message format, and vocabulary.
- To initiate the ELR onboarding process with TDH, register in the Trading Partner Registration (TPR) system TPR provides documentation for Promoting Interoperability (PI) attestation and milestone letters to document onboarding progress. Contact MU.Health@tn.gov for assistance.
- Submit online via NBS. NBS is TDH's reportable disease system. To request an NBS account for reporting Complete this user survey to request an NBS account for reporting.
- Blood lead levels can be sent via fax ( (615) 741-3857), entered online, or reported using the instructions at this link.
Information about this Reportable Disease for Healthcare Providers
Clinical Summary
- Chikungunya is a viral illness caused by the chikungunya virus, which is transmitted to people by the bite of infected mosquitoes.
- While there isn’t a strict “two-phase” classification like some other diseases, the illness may run an acute period with onset of symptoms shortly after infection (typically 3-7 days) and in some people joint pain may persist for weeks to months.
- The most common symptoms are sudden-onset high fever and intense joint pain. Others include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling and rash.
- There is no specific antiviral treatment for chikungunya. Care is supportive: rest, fluids, pain and fever medicines, and measures to relieve joint pain.
- Most people recover within a week, but joint pain may linger for months; newborns, older adults and people with underlying conditions may have more severe illness.
Healthcare Provider Reporting
Healthcare reporting requirements apply to all providers located within Tennessee, as well as providers whose patients reside in Tennessee.
Providers must report cases of all diseases and conditions listed through one of these methods:
• Mail or fax a completed PH-1600 form to your local health department or fax to the state health office at (615) 741-3857
• Send automatically via electronic case reporting (eCR). See this TDH webpage for more information on eCR, register at the Trader Partner Registration website, or contact MU.Health@tn.gov for assistance.
• Submit online via NBS. NBS is TDH's reportable disease system. To request an NBS account for reporting Complete this user survey to request an NBS account for reporting.
• Blood lead levels can be sent via fax ( (615) 741-3857), entered online, or reported using the instructions at this link.
Information about this Reportable Disease for the Public
What it is
Chikungunya is a viral illness caused by the chikungunya virus transmitted to people via the bite of infected mosquitoes.
It occurs in tropical and subtropical regions, with outbreaks documented in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Types
There is not a rigid two-phase classification like some other diseases, but the illness typically has:
An acute phase: symptoms typically begin 3–7 days after a mosquito bite.
A prolonged/post-acute phase in some cases: while most people recover within a week, joint pain and other symptoms may persist for weeks or months.
Signs and Symptoms
Most common: sudden onset of high fever and severe joint pain.
Other frequent findings: headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, rash.
While most recover quickly, joint pain can persist for a longer time in some patients; severe disease is rare but risk is higher for newborns, older adults and those with underlying conditions.
Treatment
There is no specific antiviral drug for chikungunya virus infection.
Supportive care is recommended: rest, adequate fluids, use of analgesics/antipyretics (e.g., acetaminophen) to relieve fever and pain.
In settings where dengue cannot be ruled out (another mosquito-borne virus with bleeding risk), non-NSAIDs such as acetaminophen are preferred initially.
This Page Last Updated: March 25, 2026 at 8:53 PM