Attention travelers! If you’re planning to go international soon, here’s an important travel alert for you! The Center for Disease Control (CDC), an official body of the United States, has issued an chikungunya travel warning 2025 for 16 nations.
The CDC has issued a chikungunya outbreak in the Guangdong Province in China, with 7000 cases reported since June 2025.
Now, the outbreak is spreading in many parts of Asia, Africa, South America, and the Indian Ocean.
Chikungunya Travel Warning 2025: Things To Know About The Chikungunya Virus Outbreak
CDC Issues Travel Warnings; Flags India And Other Countries
Health authorities in the United States have issued travel advisories to international travelers as chikungunya cases are surging across the globe.
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), there have been 2,40,000 global cases of chikungunya and at least 90 confirmed deaths related to the virus.
Most virus outbreaks have been reported in parts of Asia, South America, Africa, and island nations in the Indian Ocean.
CDC has issued a Level 2 travel notice in China’s Guangdong Province on August 1, 2025. There are 4 levels of warning, with a Level 2 warning being about practicing enhanced precautions.
The CDC has flagged other countries like Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Nigeria, even though no active outbreaks have not been reported in these countries. These countries are where exposure to the Aedes mosquito – a virus carrier – remains high.
In China’s Guangdong Province, there have been about 7,000 cases since June 2025, largely in the city of Foshan. Other high-risk regions across the globe include the following countries:
- Kenya
- Bolivia
- Madagascar
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Réunion Island
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka
Chikungunya: Symptoms, Prevention, And More
Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne infection that is spread through bites of infected mosquitoes. It causes fever and severe joint pain, however, as per World Health Organization, deaths are rare.
It is caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an RNA virus in the alphavirus genus of the Togaviridae family.
WHO has estimated that 5.6 billion people worldwide are at risk from arboviral diseases like chikungunya, dengue, and yellow fever.
The virus was first identified in Tanzania in 1952, and it has since spread to 119 countries. Cases exploded in India and the islands in the Indian Ocean in the 2000s, with China’s Guangdong Province seeing a spike in 2025.
Here are major symptoms of the chikungunya virus:
- Fever
- Joint pain
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Swelling
- Rash
Symptoms usually begin 3 to 7 days after an infected mosquito has bit you. And while most cases resolve in 2 to 12 days, the infection can be more severe or even fatal for the elderly, infants, and those with pre-existing medical conditions.
While there are no medications to cure chikungunya, there are vaccinations to prevent the virus from contracting your body.
Doctors also use pain relievers and fever-reducing medication to dampen the effects of chikungunya on your body.
However, the best way to safeguard yourself from the virus outbreak is preventing mosquito bites in the first place.
Chikungunya, Malaria See 500% Spike In Mumbai
Mumbai is reporting a massive surge in reported cases of dengue, malaria, and chikungunya. Compared to June, July saw malaria cases jump from 884 to 1294 (46.38% increase), dengue cases jumped from 105 to 708 (over 500% increase), and chikungunya cases jumped from 21 to 129 (over 500% increase).
In July 2024, the city reported 797 cases of malaria, 535 cases of dengue, and only 25 cases of chikungunya. Both dengue and malaria have been on the rise, however, no deaths have been reported so far.
In response, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has stated that the early onset of rain has created favorable conditions for water-borne and vector-borne diseases.
Tips To Prevent Contracting Chikungunya
- Use mosquito repellent and apply it to all exposed parts of your body.
- Wear clothes with long sleeves and prefer wearing pants instead of shorts to cover your legs.
- Install mosquito screens on windows and doors, and make sure not to keep windows completely open in the evenings.
- Use mosquito repellent coils and electric devices like mosquito repellent machines, lamps, and racquets to drive away mosquitoes.
- Do not let water stagnate in your surroundings.
- Contact a doctor immediately if you experience any of the above-mentioned symptoms.
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Summing Up
Did you take note of the Chikungunya travel warnings 2025?
With the CDC issuing travel warnings in several countries and cases in China’s Guangdong region seeing an upward spike, we recommend taking necessary precautions.
While you need not avoid or postpone travel plans, we highly recommend being careful and following the precautionary measures mentioned above.
