China’s Chikungunya Outbreak Surpasses 10,000 Cases, Spreads to Taiwan as Experts Warn US Could Be Next
A mosquito-borne virus outbreak in China has passed 10,000 cases and is now spreading beyond its borders, with Taiwan confirming its first case Friday, according to the country’s CDC. The patient, a Taiwanese woman, had…
A mosquito-borne virus outbreak in China has passed 10,000 cases and is now spreading beyond its borders, with Taiwan confirming its first case Friday, according to the country’s CDC.
The patient, a Taiwanese woman, had traveled from Foshan — the epicenter of the outbreak in Guangdong Province — and returned on July 30. Officials say at least 12 other cities in Guangdong have reported infections, with around 3,000 cases recorded in the past week alone, according to the Daily Mail.
The U.S. CDC has issued a Level 2 travel advisory for Guangdong, urging Americans to take extra precautions. But some experts warn the virus could already be stateside.
“This outbreak in China is very concerning. It could already be here in the US; and really it’s just one plane flight away,” said Dr. Louisa Messenger, a mosquito researcher in Nevada, to Daily Mail.
The disease, chikungunya, is carried by the same Aedes mosquitoes that spread dengue and Zika. While rarely fatal, it can cause fever, severe joint pain, and in extreme cases life-threatening heart or brain complications.
Roger Hewson, virus surveillance lead at the UK’s Wellcome Sanger Institute, told Al Jazeera the current outbreak in China is the largest ever recorded there.
The surge began globally in early 2025, hitting La Réunion, Mayotte, and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean before spreading to Madagascar, Somalia, Kenya, India, and into the Pacific. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reports 240,000 cases and 90 deaths in 16 countries this year.