Cases of chikungunya fever are rising in southern China, prompting local authorities to take measures to curb its spread.

Here is what you need to know about the disease:

What is chikungunya?

Chikungunya is caused by a virus that can be passed to humans by infected mosquitoes, with most cases occurring in Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Symptoms include fever and joint pain, which may persist for some time but are rarely fatal.

Because the symptoms of chikungunya resemble other mosquito-borne diseases like dengue and Zika, it can sometimes be hard to determine the extent of an outbreak.

Two vaccines for chikungunya have been approved in some countries but are not yet widely used.

Infected people are typically given medicines like paracetamol to ease their symptoms.

How serious

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