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Health officials and travellers are on high alert as chikungunya, a fast-spreading mosquito-borne disease, surges across southern China, with over 16,000 confirmed cases reported in Guangdong Province alone — more than double the total from two months ago.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the current wave as the largest recorded chikungunya outbreak in China, warning that 5.6 billion people across 119 countries are at potential risk.
The virus, transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, has spread across 21 Chinese cities, including Foshan (10,032 cases), Jiangmen (5,209), Guangzhou (590), Shenzhen (128), Zhanjiang (112), and Zhuhai (60).
Hospitals in China are experiencing Covid-like scenes, with patients placed under mosquito nets and isolated until they test negative for the virus. Authorities have also launched insecticide spraying drives across major cities and ordered residents to remove standing water to prevent mosquito breeding.
While fatalities are rare, chikungunya causes high fever, severe joint pain, muscle pain, rashes, and fatigue, symptoms that can last weeks or even months. The virus cannot spread directly between humans but can be transmitted if a mosquito bites an infected person and then another human.
WHO medical officer Diana Rojas Alvarez compared the outbreak to the early 2000s epidemic that infected over 500,000 people in the Indian Ocean region.
Globally, from January to September 2025, more than 445,000 suspected and confirmed cases and 155 deaths have been reported across 40 countries, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cuba, Kenya, and Madagascar.
Travel warnings issued
Health experts have advised Australian and international travellers to closely monitor for symptoms, especially those returning from China, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
Professor Catherine Bennett of Deakin University urged travellers to seek medical attention immediately if symptoms develop. “If diagnosed, protecting yourself from further mosquito bites is crucial to prevent transmission,” she said.
Although no cases have been reported in Australia, mosquito species capable of carrying chikungunya have been detected in northern Queensland, raising concerns about potential local transmission.
Elsewhere, the United States CDC has issued travel advisories for countries including India, Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, and Thailand, where infections continue to rise. Even France and Italy have reported new outbreaks, prompting insecticide spraying in coastal cities such as Nice.
As experts warn of a potential global health emergency, climate change and rising temperatures are creating ideal conditions for mosquito-borne viruses to spread faster and farther than ever before.
Dr. Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious disease expert, said that while the outbreak struck during China’s winter — a period with fewer mosquitoes — future spread depends heavily on eliminating all infected mosquito populations.
With the world already on alert, public health officials stress that prevention remains the best protection: wear mosquito repellent, keep skin covered, and eliminate standing water sources to curb breeding grounds.
