Entertainment

Did Lindsay Lohan Contract Chikungunya?

by Emma Goddard

Whenever a celebrity is sick, we often read about it through their various social media platforms. Photos of them in bed with captions like, “Resting during this cold,” or post-recovery images so good-looking you wouldn’t believe they were ever sick to begin with. Freddie Prinze Jr. recently had spinal surgery and kept his fans updated throughout the process, while Kaley Cuoco posted a picture of herself with husband Ryan Sweeting after she awoke from her sinus surgery. These images of celebs dealing with illnesses have appeared to become pretty standard lately, so I guess it wasn’t unusual when Lindsay Lohan appeared to confess to having Chikungunya on Twitter on Saturday.

Oh wait, it is weird because her tweet was so freakin’ cryptic! You can’t just tell all your fans that you have a virus like that and then leave us hanging like it’s no big deal, LiLo. Lohan, who posted an image of herself jet skiing on the beautiful waters in the South Pacific, captioned her latest photo with, “Before I got Chikungunya” along with three sad emojis and “use bug spray please. God bless.” Totally casual.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Chikungunya is a virus transmitted from mosquitoes to people, and that its symptoms include fever, joint paint, headache, muscle pain, joint swelling or rash. The CDC also says that, “there is a risk that the virus will be imported to new areas by infected travelers” and that “there is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat Chikungunya virus infection.”

Though Chikungunya is rarely fatal, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), “in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years.” However, WHO also states that the majority of patients fully recover, which is great news for Lohan. Hopefully her case is one that only lasts for a few days and that she’s feeling better! Oh yeah, and don't forget to heed LiLo's warning and use bug spray when you travel, people. Seriously though.

Image: lindsaylohan/Instagram