Dilemma in Dengue fever and Chikungunya diagnosis and treatment - an editorial

Open Access

Abstract

Dengue fever and chikungunya are both mosquito-borne viral diseases. The earliest descriptions of a dengue outbreak date from 1779; its viral cause and spread were understood by the early 20th century ^[1]. Dengue fever is caused by the Dengue virus. Dengue has become a global concern since the commencement of the Second World War. In 2025, as per dashboard of WHO worldwide total dengue cases are 3661680, severe cases 12667, confirmed cases 1505828 and total deaths are 2244, and in Bangladesh, upto 4th August total cases are 22,065 and total death is 86.

Historically, Chikungunya was referred to as Dengue. It was only after an outbreak of Chikungunya in Makonde Plateau, somewhere near Tanzania, that it was identified as a separate disease. Chikungunya is caused by the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) which was first isolated by RW Ross in 1953 ^{[2] [3][4]}. In June 2025, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research in Bangladesh reported an outbreak of chikungunya in Dhaka city, with 337 cases reported between January and May 28, 2025.

Both dengue fever and chikungunya are mosquito-borne viral diseases with similar...