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2h ago

Chikungunya Upswing Hits UK Travelers as France Logs Earliest Local Spread

France’s early-season clusters trace to viraemic arrivals from Réunion, highlighting Europe’s growing vulnerability to Aedes-borne disease.

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The ECDC recommended mosquito repellent, long sleeves and trousers, window screens and bed nets for protection

Overview

  • UKHSA reports 73 travel-associated chikungunya cases in England from January to June, up from 27 a year earlier, with most linked to trips to Sri Lanka, India and Mauritius.
  • UK officials advise bite prevention for travelers and assess no current risk of local UK transmission because the Aedes vectors are not established domestically.
  • France identified 10 autochthonous outbreaks totaling 27 cases by July 10, with the first symptoms on May 27—the earliest arbovirus transmission recorded there—and over 86% of Réunion-linked imports were viraemic while in France.
  • ECDC data cited this week list 111 locally acquired chikungunya cases in France across 22 clusters since January, with Italy reporting new multi-cluster cases.
  • More than 240,000 cases have been reported globally in 2025, including roughly 8,000 in China, as WHO warns patterns resemble a broad outbreak; two UK-available vaccines have age limits, with IXCHIQ use suspended for people 65 and over.