What Is Chikungunya? Lindsay Lohan Contracts Rare Virus In Bora-Bora

Troubled Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan cannot catch a break. After the “Mean Girls” star wrapped up her two-month run in the play “Speed-the-Plow” in London, the redheaded beauty headed to Bora-Bora in the South Pacific for some rest and relaxation over the holidays, but instead she caught Chikungunya, a rare virus. After living with the virus for several weeks, the star was rushed to a hospital in London, TMZ reported Wednesday.

Chikungunya is transmitted through mosquito bites, like West Nile virus, and its symptoms include fever, fatigue and joint pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other symptoms sometimes include muscle pain, joint swelling, rash or headache. It was discovered on the Caribbean islands in 2013, but since then, there have been outbreaks in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Indian and Pacific oceans. There is no vaccine or any medicine to treat the virus.

Lohan reportedly fell ill before the new year. When she flew to Los Angeles to film an Esurance commercial, she was apparently so sick she could not walk. The actress flew back to London, where she has been staying since “Speed-the-Plow,” and was hospitalized at King Edward VII's Hospital, the same place where Queen Elizabeth gets treated, TMZ reported. Lohan reportedly is suffering unbearable pain, which could last for months. She has since been released from the hospital and is waiting for her mother to arrive in London to take care of her.

“She could hardly stand up, she was in so much pain,” a source told the New York Daily News. “But she’s in a great hospital now. It’s the one recommended by the queen.”

Lohan posted about the virus on Instagram weeks ago. “I refuse to let a virus effect my peaceful vacation. … be safe and happy on the new year all #wildfox and a positive, healthy new year,” she wrote three weeks ago. “Still with chikungunya but feeling better on and off,” she wrote a few days later. Lohan has continued to post on Instagram and Twitter, but did not mention anything about her alleged hospital stay.

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