Medical specialist	Internal medicine specialist
Symptom	Fever, headache, chills, nausea, vomiting, weakness, joint pain, reddish spots on the skin
risk factor	Newborns, aged 65 years and over, comorbid hypertension, diabetes, heart disease
How to diagnose	Medical interview, blood work, ELISA test
Treatment	Drink plenty, get enough rest, take medication, increase nutritional intake
Drug	The anti-inflammatory drug, analgesic, antipyretic
Complications	Inflammation of the uvea of ​​the eye, inflammation of the retina of the eye, inflammation of the heart muscle, inflammation of the kidneys, inflammation of the liver, inflammation of the brain, inflammation of the joints, Guillain-Barre syndrome
When to see a doctor?	If you find the symptoms that have been mentioned or after visiting an endemic area

Understanding 

Chikungunya is a viral disease that is transmitted through the bite of the Aedes mosquito. Chikungunya disease is often called bone flu.

Even so, actually bone flu is not a medical term, just a term that is often used to describe chikungunya.

Chikungunya or bone flu is often described as a fever accompanied by severe and sometimes persistent joint pain. Although rarely life-threatening, this disease can affect anyone.

Currently, almost all provinces in Indonesia have the potential to experience Chikungunya Extraordinary Events (KLB). In general, high cases of chikungunya often occur at the beginning and end of the rainy season.

Reason

Chikungunya or bone flu is a virus that is transmitted through the bite of Aedes mosquitoes, especially  Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

In general, these mosquitoes attack during the day, although it is also possible to bite at night.

Symptom

The symptoms of chikungunya or bone flu are similar to those of dengue fever, such as:

• Fever
• Headache
• feverish
• Nauseous
• Vomit
• Weak
• Joint pain
• Red spots on the skin

The thing that distinguishes the symptoms of chikungunya from dengue fever is the intense pain in the joints so that sometimes it is difficult to move the hands and feet.

However, joint pain is most commonly found in adults. Oftentimes in children do not cause any symptoms.

Risk Factors

Chikungunya disease can affect anyone. However, the most common risk of bone flu is found in:

• Elderly (age over 65 years)
• Newborn baby
• History of diabetes,  hypertension, and heart disease

Diagnosis

To make a diagnosis of chikungunya, the doctor will first conduct a medical interview and physical examination.

For patients suspected of having bone flu, doctors also do blood tests, for example, the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).

In addition, the clinical symptoms of chikungunya or bone flu are similar to dengue fever. Therefore, laboratory tests are very important.

Treatment

There is no specific way to treat chikungunya or bone flu. In general, treatment is only aimed at reducing symptoms.

Fever symptoms are treated with antipyretic drugs, while non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to treat joint pain.

Doctors will also encourage sufferers to get plenty of rest and increase nutritional intake in order to speed up the healing process.

If you suspect that you have chikungunya, immediately seek help at the nearest health center, clinic or hospital.

Prevention

Currently, there is no vaccine available against the viral infection that causes bone flu.

However, you can prevent chikungunya by avoiding mosquito bites and controlling mosquito breeding sites in the following ways:

1. Maintain cleanliness

You can keep the environment clean by draining and cleaning water containers to kill mosquito larvae.

You can also raise fish in water reservoirs to eat mosquito larvae.

2. Using abate powder 

Use abate powder for places where water is impossible or difficult to drain. Sprinkle abate powder into the stagnant water to kill mosquito larvae. Repeat this every 2-3 months.

The dosage for using abate powder is for 10 liters of water, 1 gram of abate powder is enough, or 10 grams for 100 liters, and so on.

If you don’t have a measuring tool, use a tablespoon. One tablespoon flattened on top equals 10 grams of abate.

You just divide it or add it according to the amount of water that will be used.

Complications

Chikungunya disease or bone flu that is not treated properly can cause dangerous complications such as:

• Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis)
• Inflammation of the kidney organs (nephritis)
• Inflammation of the liver (hepatitis)
• Brain inflammation (encephalitis)
• Inflammation of the uvea of ​​the eye (uveitis)
• Inflammation of the retina of the eye (retinitis)
• Joint inflammation
• Guillain–Barre syndrome

When to See a Doctor? 

Immediately consult a doctor if you find some of the characteristics of chikungunya above. Or, if you recently visited an area where chikungunya is common.