Chikungunya (or chikungunya fever) is an illness caused by a virus. The virus gets into your system when you are bitten by a particular type of mosquito. The type of mosquito which transmits the chikungunya virus is called an Aedes mosquito. These mosquitoes tend to bite in the daytime rather than at night.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://patient.info/travel-and-vaccinations/chikungunya-fever-leaflet