Introduction
The monsoon season brings relief from the scorching heat and brings along diseases like Chikungunya, Dengue, Malaria, Typhoid, Cholera, and many others. For example, vector-borne diseases or Mosquito-borne diseases are prime during the monsoon season. However, there are cases of Chikungunya, Dengue, and Malaria outbreaks in urban and rural areas. Spiraling cases of Chikungunya and Dengue have raised concerns across the healthcare authorities across endemic mosquito regions of the world.
Chikungunya can be easily confused with Dengue and thus misdiagnosed. This is because the symptoms of Chikungunya are similar to the acute phase of Dengue, and both the diseases are spread by the same mosquito, i.e., Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. One cannot confirm Dengue and Chikungunya just by looking at the physical symptoms. Enhanced laboratory diagnostic tests in the present days confirm the disease and thus help physicians provide the necessary care and treatment for faster recovery of patients. Both Dengue and Chikungunya do not have a drug for permanent cure. Keeping the body hydrated, drinking coconut water, eating the right food, and taking preventive measures to prevent mosquito bites help faster patient recovery and further transmission.
In this article, we have discussed how Chikungunya differs from Dengue. Also, we have highlighted the similarities that both of these diseases possess. Understanding the differences between these diseases is essential to reduce late-stage diagnosis and complications of Chikungunya and Dengue.
Differences between
| Characteristics | Dengue | Chikungunya |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Type of Virus | Dengue is a flavivirus that belongs to the Flaviviridae family. | Chikungunya is an alphavirus that belongs to the Togaviridae family. |
| 2. Incubation Period | The incubation period for dengue is five to seven days. | The incubation period for Chikungunya is three days to a week (ranging between one to twelve days). |
| 3. Swelling of joints and pain in the muscles & joints | Comparatively less painful than Chikungunya | Pain in the muscles and joints is higher than dengue, and pain worsens during the morning. |
| 4. Rashes | Rashes in dengue are limited to the face and limbs. | Rashes in chikungunya are widespread and affect the palms, feet, face, and limbs. |
| 5. Health Complications | In severe dengue cases, the patient may have respiratory problems, hemorrhagic conditions, shock, or organ failure. Arthritis is absent. | In severe cases of chikungunya, the patient may have arthritis and rare neurological problems. |
| 6. General Symptoms |
The general symptoms of dengue include:
|
The general symptoms of Chikungunya include: Sudden onset of fever Chills Nausea Vomiting Dizziness and Constipation Sore throat Severe Headache Severe pain in the muscles and joints. Joint pain is persistent and lasts for 3-10 days. Swelling of the joint Cramps in the abdomen Sensitivity to light The appearance of big and flat skin rashes between two and five days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. |
| 7. Diagnosis |
Dengue can be diagnosed using the following methods:
|
Chikungunya can be diagnosed using the following methods:
|
Similarities between Dengue and Chikungunya
The similarities between Chikungunya and Dengue for which many of the times Chikungunya was misdiagnosed in the past include:
- Both are mosquito-borne viral diseases with their vectors as female Aedes Species, either Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus.
- Both Chikungunya and dengue are tropical fevers.
- Most of the symptoms like high fever, headache, severe muscle, joint pain, and rashes are common to both diseases.
REFERENCES
- Is it Chikungunya or Dengue? Accessed at
https://www.cdc.gov/grand-rounds/pp/2015/20150519-pdf-dengue-chikungunya-508.pdf - Clinical Presentation of Dengue. Accessed at
https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/healthcare-providers/clinical-presentation.html - Similarities between Dengue and Chikungunya. Accessed at
https://www.godrejhit.com/blogs/similarities-between-dengue-and-chikungunya#:~:text=2.,species%20of%20the%20Aedes%20mosquito. - Differentiate between Dengue and Chikungunya. Accessed at
https://www.godrejhit.com/blogs/differentiate-between-dengue-and-chikungunya
