US CDC considers travel notice for China as chikungunya cases rise, Bloomberg News reports
"CDC is aware of the reported chikungunya outbreak in Guangdong Province in China and is currently assessing the size and extent of the outbreak," a CDC spokesperson told Bloomberg News.
The U.S. CDC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
According to the Global Times newspaper, South China's Guangdong Province reported a total of 4,824 chikungunya cases as of July 26.
Chikungunya, which is spread primarily by Aedes mosquito species and has no specific treatment, can cause rapid and large outbreaks. As the mosquitoes bite in the daytime, prevention is key, through the use of insect repellent and long-sleeved clothing.
Earlier this month, the World Health Organization issued an urgent call for action to prevent a repeat of the 2004-2005 epidemic of chikungunya as new outbreaks linked to the Indian Ocean region spread to Europe and other continents.
The current surge began in early 2025, with major outbreaks in the same Indian Ocean islands which were previously hit, including La Reunion, Mayotte and Mauritius.
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The current global surge began in early 2025, with major outbreaks in the Indian Ocean islands of La Reunion, Mayotte and Mauritius. According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, there have been about 240,000 Chikungunya virus cases and 90 related deaths in 16 countries since the beginning of 2025 as of August 4. The virus has also spread to Madagascar, Somalia, Kenya and India and is making its way to Europe. Case counts have also been increasing in Samoa, Tonga, French Polynesia, Fiji and Kiribati. As of August 5, the CDC reports there have been 46 cases of chikungunya infections in the US that were contracted while traveling to high-risk areas. No deaths have yet been reported. While it remains unclear where patients contracted the virus, the federal agency has issued an elevated risk of exposure notice for Brazil, Colombia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand and now China. Approximately 200 cases of the virus were reported in 2024 in the US. There are no reports on deaths. According to the CDC, chikungunya was rarely identified in American travelers before 2006. However, between 2006 and 2013, nearly 30 people tested positive for the infection every year in the US. All were travelers visiting or returning to the US from affected areas in Asia, Africa, or the Indian Ocean. In 2014, 2,799 cases, out of which 12 were locally acquired, were reported in various US states, including Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, marking the year as the highest ever. Though not fatal, chikungunya can cause a range of effects, which are primarily marked by a sudden onset of fever and severe joint pain, while other common symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rashes. While the acute phase of the illness usually resolves within a week or two, the joint pain can persist for weeks, months or even years in some individuals. However, in some cases, infections can progress to severe dengue, which can cause potentially life-threatening complications such as internal bleeding and organ damage, and death. In extreme cases, eye, heart and neurological complications have also been reported in people suffering from a chikungunya infection. Newborns, adults aged 65 and older and people with certain health conditions are also at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure due to an infection. While the virus cannot be transmitted directly from person to person, people can become infected with chikungunya when mosquitoes feed on an infected person and then bite them. If a pregnant woman is infected around the time of delivery, the baby can also be infected at birth, which often results in severe disease in the baby. While there is no medication to treat a chikungunya infection, its symptoms can be managed by taking acetaminophen for pain and drinking lots of fluids.
