FILE – This 2014 photo made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a feeding female Anopheles funestus mosquito. (James Gathany/CDC via AP, File)
LOS ANGELES – US health officials have warned travelers about the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus being transmitted in Southeast China and parts of Asia, South America, Africa and the Indian Ocean.
Urging travelers to practice enhanced precautions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued notices for countries where outbreaks have been reported, including China’s Guangdong Province, Bolivia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Réunion, Somalia and Sri Lanka.
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The agency is also asking US residents to exercise caution when visiting the following countries, which have not yet reported an outbreak but are at elevated risk of exposure: Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand and Nigeria.
Symptoms, which usually begin three to seven days after a person has been bitten by an infected mosquito, include fever, joint pain, headache, muscle pain, rash and joint swelling, the CDC said in an advisory.
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There have been 240,000 cases and 90 deaths in 2025, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
The CDC said there is an outbreak of chikungunya in Guangdong Province, China, with most cases reported in Foshan city
The agency provided the following safety tips.
- You can protect yourself by preventing mosquito bites, which includes using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants and staying in places with air conditioning or that have screens on the windows and doors.
- Vaccination is recommended for travelers who are visiting an area with a chikungunya outbreak. Two chikungunya vaccines are approved for use in the United States.
- If you are pregnant, reconsider travel to the affected areas, particularly if you are close to delivering your baby. Mothers infected around the time of delivery can pass the virus to their baby before or during delivery.
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