text: what are symptoms of chickengunia diesease?   do you mean chikungunya? chikungunya is a relatively rare form of viral fever caused by an alphavirus that is spread by mosquito bites from the aedes aegypti mosquito. the name is derived from the makonde word meaning "that which bends up" in reference to the stooped posture developed as a result of the arthritic symptoms of the disease. the disease was first described by marion robinson[1] and w.h.r. lumsden[2] in 1955, following an outbreak on the makonde plateau, along the border between tanganyika and mozambique, in 1952. chikungunya is closely related to o'nyong'nyong virus[3].  chikungunya is not considered to be fatal. however, in 2005-2006, 77 deaths have been associated with chikungunya on réunion island.  symptoms the symptoms of chikungunya include fever which can reach 39 °c, a petechial or maculopapular rash usually involving the limbs and trunk, and arthralgia or arthritis affecting multiple joints which can be debilitating. there can also be headache, conjunctival injection and slight photophobia.