New Delhi, Oct 2 || More than 34.9 million people worldwide are at risk of chikungunya infections every year, with South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, and Indonesia, as well as Brazil, sharing the highest burden, according to a large global study on Thursday.
Chikungunya virus is an arbovirus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and causes epidemics in tropical regions with potential risk in higher latitudes.
The study, conducted by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK, Nagasaki University in Japan, and the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, South Korea, showed that the burden was primarily attributed to chronic disability, with significant burden among both the youngest (less than 10 years old) and the elderly (over 60 years old).