Overview

• State lab testing at the Wadsworth Center confirmed the infection in a Nassau County resident who developed symptoms in August.
• Authorities say this is the first locally acquired chikungunya case ever reported in New York and the first reported in the United States since 2019.
• Investigators believe an infected Aedes mosquito likely transmitted the virus, and the patient reported travel outside the county but no international travel during the incubation period.
• Chikungunya has not been detected in county or statewide mosquito pools, and health departments report no evidence of ongoing transmission as cooler weather reduces mosquito activity.
• The illness is rarely fatal and cannot spread person to person; officials urge EPA-registered repellents, long clothing, removing standing water, and repairing window and door screens, noting higher risk for newborns, older adults, and those with chronic conditions.