Transmitted by mosquitoes: WHO warns of a global epidemic caused by Chikungunya

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of a global epidemic of the mosquito-borne viral disease chikungunya. The disease has already been detected in 119 countries, “putting 5.6 billion people at risk,” said WHO spokeswoman Diana Rojas Alvarez. “We are sounding the alarm early so that countries can prepare in time.”

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral infection that is prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. The disease causes high fever and severe joint pain, which can last for weeks or months in many affected individuals. Severe cases are rare, but do occur, particularly in older people or those with underlying health conditions.

Mortality rate less than one percent

According to Rojas Alvarez, the mortality rate is less than one percent, but “with millions of cases, that one percent can mean thousands of deaths.” In 2004 and 2005, there was already a major epidemic in island nations in the Indian Ocean, with around half a million people falling ill. “Today, the WHO is observing the same pattern,” explained the WHO spokeswoman. The virus is spreading in the Indian Ocean, as well as in Madagascar, Somalia, Kenya, and South Asia.

Imported cases linked to the outbreak on the Indian Ocean islands have also been reported in Europe. “As these transmission patterns were already observed during the 2004 outbreak, the WHO is calling for urgent measures to prevent history from repeating itself,” said Rojas Alvarez.

Tiger mosquito transmits the disease

Most recently, the Robert Koch Institute reported a case of chikungunya in France, near the German-French border, where a person was infected directly by the bite of an infected mosquito, i.e., they did not contract the disease while travelling.

According to experts, similar conditions also exist in Germany, for example, due to high temperatures and the presence of the Asian tiger mosquito, a potential carrier of chikungunya. At the beginning of July, the Standing Committee on Vaccination (Stiko) recommended a travel vaccination against chikungunya for the first time.