--- title: How To Stop Chikungunya description: A new study from Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) scientists suggests a strategy for squashing the disease. canonical: https://time.com/3659432/how-to-stop-chikungunya/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-08T19:00:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T03:24:05.949Z article:section: Health og:title: How To Stop Chikungunya og:description: A new study from Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) scientists suggests a strategy for squashing the disease. og:url: https://time.com/3659432/how-to-stop-chikungunya/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta69edbfbe15751d0/698778cf2dce0173669dcd53/150950849-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 150950849 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How To Stop Chikungunya twitter:description: A new study from Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) scientists suggests a strategy for squashing the disease. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta69edbfbe15751d0/698778cf2dce0173669dcd53/150950849-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How To Stop Chikungunya by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jan 8, 2015 7:00 PM UTC  Asian Tiger Mosquito biting, Spain Asian Tiger Mosquito biting, SpainGetty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jan 8, 2015 7:00 PM UTC The mosquito-borne disease [chikungunya](http://time.com/3631711/chikungunya-epidemic-2014/) infected more than one million people in 2014 ([including actress Lindsay Lohan](http://time.com/3651313/lindsay-lohan-chikungunya-virus/)), and is continuing to spread across the globe. But a [new study](http://dx.PLOS.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003383) from scientists at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) suggests a strategy for squashing the disease. Eradicating mosquito-borne diseases is notoriously tricky. Countries around the world are home to the same types of mosquitos, which means that if someone is bitten and infected with a disease while on vacation, they might return home and be bitten by native mosquitos. Those mosquitos may mate or bite someone else, spreading the disease. That’s how chikungunya, which causes debilitating joint pain, appears to have hopped around the globe in recent years. **MORE:** [Chikungunya: 1 Million People Have a Disease You’ve Never Heard Of](http://time.com/3631711/chikungunya-epidemic-2014/) In their new study, the researchers looked specifically at the spread of chikungunya in Panama. They observe that it started in Panama when people got the disease on vacation and brought it into the country, but now the disease is now spreading across Panama via roadways. To combat this, the scientists say vehicles should be fumigated at check points to prevent mosquito transport and stop the disease from reaching areas in Panama that haven’t seen cases yet. Other strategies need to be implemented delicately, the researchers say. Chikungunya spreads with the help of two types of mosquitos: _Aedes aegypti_ and _Aedes albopictus_, the same mosquitos that spread dengue fever. Many countries, Panama included, have fought dengue in ways that could unintentionally complicate chikungunya efforts. For example, in May 2014, Panama [allowed](http://www.oxitec.com/panama-trial-begins/) the company [Oxitec to release genetically modified sterile male mosquitos](http://www.oxitec.com/health/our-solution/). When the mosquitos mate, offspring do not survive into adulthood and [mosquito populations will die out](http://healthland.time.com/2012/11/09/how-mutant-mosquitoes-are-fighting-dengue-fever/). The worry is that when the genetically modified mosquitos lower the populations of _Aedes aegypti_, _Aedes albopictus_ mosquito populations could grow because of the lack of competition. It hasn’t happened yet, but the researchers worry it’s a potential consequence. While understanding the full spectrum of mosquito-borne diseases may lead to pathways for prevention, this study shows just how complicated that process can be. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3659432/how-to-stop-chikungunya/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3659432/how-to-stop-chikungunya/"},"headline":"How To Stop Chikungunya","datePublished":"2015-01-08T19:00:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:24:05.949Z","description":"A new study from Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) scientists suggests a strategy for squashing the disease.","url":"https://time.com/3659432/how-to-stop-chikungunya/","keywords":["global health","Infectious Disease","Panama","Insects","mosquitos"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta69edbfbe15751d0/698778cf2dce0173669dcd53/150950849-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta69edbfbe15751d0/698778cf2dce0173669dcd53/150950849-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"150950849","caption":"150950849","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/global-health/","name":"global health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3659432/how-to-stop-chikungunya/","name":"How To Stop Chikungunya"}}]}] ```