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This week, the World Well being Group (WHO) raised considerations a couple of surge within the variety of circumstances of a mosquito-borne viral an infection known as chikungunya.
Diana Rojas Alvarez, a medical officer on the WHO, highlighted an outbreak occurring throughout La Réunion and Mayotte. These small islands within the Indian Ocean have been beforehand hit throughout an epidemic of the virus in 2004–05.
Between August 2024 and Might 2025, greater than 47,500 confirmed circumstances and 12 deaths from chikungunya have been reported in La Réunion. Some 116 circumstances have been reported in Mayotte between March and Might this 12 months.
However greater than 100 international locations have seen native transmission of this virus thus far, and the WHO has additionally flagged latest circumstances in Africa, Asia and Europe.
So what’s chikungunya, how does it unfold, and may we be apprehensive right here in Australia?
What are the signs?
The primary signs of chikungunya embody fever, joint ache and joint swelling. Nonetheless, different signs could embody headache, rash, muscle ache, nausea and tiredness. On uncommon events, chikungunya may be deadly.
Some individuals are extra liable to having worse signs, together with infants, older adults, and folks with pre-existing medical situations.
Signs can take as much as 12 days to seem, however most individuals begin to expertise signs three to seven days after being bitten by an contaminated mosquito.
There is not any particular therapy for chikungunya apart from managing the ache with drugs, comparable to paracetamol.
Most individuals recuperate after a couple of weeks, however some individuals can expertise ongoing tiredness and joint pains for a lot of months, and even years.
How does it unfold?
Contaminated feminine mosquitoes unfold chikungunya. The mosquitoes turn out to be contaminated once they feed on an individual carrying the virus of their blood. As soon as contaminated, the virus reproduces within the mosquito, after which they’ll transmit it to different individuals when the mosquitoes chunk them.
There are greater than 3,000 several types of mosquitoes on Earth, however solely two are generally concerned in transmitting chikungunya: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.
A. aegypti and A. albopictus look related and may be simply confused. Each are about 4–7 millimeters in measurement and have related black and white markings on their thorax and legs.
Each are day-time biters, not like different mosquitoes that sometimes chunk at daybreak or nightfall. They’re often called “ankle biters” as a result of they primarily chunk uncovered legs and ankles. These aggressive mosquitoes chunk a number of occasions and are identified to comply with individuals indoors to get their meal of human blood.
These species additionally transmit dengue virus, yellow fever virus and Zika virus.
The place does chikungunya happen?
Chikungunya was first documented in Tanzania in 1952. Whereas outbreaks initially occurred throughout Africa and Asia, over time the virus has unfold world wide. As of December 2024, native transmission of chikungunya had been reported in 119 international locations and territories.
The 2004–05 epidemic was the biggest to date, with a whole bunch of hundreds of individuals contaminated. The epidemic began within the Indian Ocean islands, however ultimately unfold throughout to India. Since then, outbreaks have turn out to be extra frequent and widespread.
A key contributor to the proliferation of chikungunya is local weather change. Hotter temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and elevated humidity are creating ultimate situations for mosquito breeding. This permits the mosquitoes to adapt to new environments and subsequently develop into new habitats.
The rise can be partly as a result of chikungunya has advanced and been launched into new populations, whose immune techniques haven’t beforehand been uncovered to the virus.
So ought to we be apprehensive?
Whereas proof suggests A. aegypti has been current in northern Queensland for the reason that 1800s (outbreaks of dengue occurred in Townsville in 1879 and Rockhampton in 1885), A. albopictus is a newer arrival, first documented within the Torres Strait in 2005.
A. aegypti mosquitoes at the moment are present in areas throughout north, central and southern Queensland, whereas A. albopictus is at the moment nonetheless solely discovered within the Torres Strait.
Nonetheless, thus far, there have been no recorded circumstances of chikungunya transmission inside Australia.
However circumstances do happen in individuals who have just lately traveled abroad, most frequently to South and Southeast Asia, or the Pacific Islands.
In 2023 there have been 42 circumstances of chikungunya recorded in Australia, 70 in 2024, and 90 to date in 2025. Earlier years have seen figures above 100, nonetheless numbers lately could have been decrease attributable to COVID impacting journey.
As local weather change continues to assist the unfold of A. aegypti and A. albopictus, the danger of transmission inside Australia will increase.
That mentioned, there may be some proof we is likely to be fortunate in Australia, with potential immune safety from a associated native virus, Ross River virus.
I am touring, what ought to I do?
Two vaccines are accepted to be used in the US towards chikungunya, however there’s at the moment no vaccine accepted in Australia. The one strategy to cut back your danger of an infection is to keep away from being bitten by mosquitoes.
Individuals touring to locations the place chikungunya is thought to happen ought to put on loose-fitting and light-colored clothes with enclosed footwear, use insect repellent, shut home windows and think about using mosquito mattress nets. Taking these steps additionally reduces the danger of different mosquito-borne infections, comparable to dengue fever.
Should you journey to a spot the place chikungunya happens and also you get bitten by mosquitoes, monitor your self for indicators and signs.
Should you turn out to be unwell, see a physician instantly.
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