Chikungunya
Mosquito-borne virus that causes fever and long-lasting joint pain.
France had reported 124 locally acquired Chikungunya cases in 19 clusters by the end of September 2026, 34 of them added in the month's final week alone.
Last refreshed: 4 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Chikungunya
Europe's West Nile cases reach 1,765
Pandemics and BiosecurityBackground
Aedes mosquitoes, chiefly Aedes aegypti, spread Chikungunya virus. Infection brings fever and joint pain that can last long after the fever goes. The same mosquito also carries Dengue, Zika and yellow fever.
For Europe the measure that matters is local transmission: a mosquito on the continent bites an infected person and then someone else, so the whole cycle runs in Europe rather than on a trip abroad. France counted 124 such Chikungunya cases, grouped in 19 clusters, by the end of September 2026.
Aedes aegypti has also turned up in Britain. After a member of the public sent a report through the Mosquito Watch scheme, UKHSA confirmed in August 2026 that the species was breeding at a site in east London. UKHSA Teams have treated the site with larvicide to wipe the colony out. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, nobody yet knows whether Aedes aegypti could survive the current UK climate.
What is chikungunya?
How many local chikungunya cases has France had in 2026?
What mosquito spreads chikungunya?
