Overview
- The RKI reports a larger Chikungunya outbreak in Cuba, possibly favored by Hurricane Melissa’s late-October impacts.
- Germany has logged 171 imported cases by early December, including 33 linked to recent travel to Cuba mainly in November and December.
- The institute flags a markedly higher infection risk for travelers since October and urges clinicians to test febrile returnees with joint pain or rash.
- Two EU-approved vaccines are available and STIKO recommends vaccination for travelers aged 12 and over, though Vimkunya faces supply shortages.
- The virus is spread by day-active Aedes mosquitoes with no human-to-human transmission, as ECDC tracks a decade-long expansion of tiger mosquitoes across Europe.