ABSTRACT

Chikungunya fever, an emerging mosquito-borne viral disease, has affected Mauritius with two recent outbreaks in 2005 and 2006 respectively. A study was carried out in 2007 to describe the clinical complications post-Chikungunya infection. Ethical clearance was obtained for this study. Data collection was carried out in February and March 2007 on a sample of people who had suffered from Chikungunya fever by means of a comprehensive questionnaire. Participants comprised 77 people; there were 41 males and 36 females. Participants ranged from 6 to 69 years. 70 participants experienced persisting joint pains for at least 6 months following the acute phase. Of these, 35 had residual joint complaints after 6 months. 44 participants suffered from psychological sequelae. 10 participants had dermatological sequelae, 6 had iatrogenic complications due to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced gastritis, and 3 participants with serologically confirmed Chikungunya fever had neurological manifestations and changes on CT/MRI which could correspond to demyelination. Statistical analysis demonstrated that there was a weak linear relationship between the number of complications and increasing age; there was a significant difference in the number of complications according to gender, females being more affected than males; participants with co-morbidities had more complications and psychological sequelae than previously healthy participants. This study highlights that Chikungunya fever, which causes a significant impact on health in the acute phase, can have significant sequelae months afterwards and this includes psychological sequelae.

KEY WORDS: Chikungunya fever; Complications; Residual joint symptoms; Psychological sequelae