In Foshan, a city in China’s Guangdong province, over 7,000 people have caught the chikungunya virus this summer. The outbreak started in mid-June and has now spread to more than 10 nearby cities. Hospitals are getting more patients every day—most of them in Foshan. The virus causes high fever and severe joint pain that can last for weeks or even months.
So, what’s different this time?
China hasn’t seen a chikungunya outbreak this big in almost 20 years. Experts think the reason could be a mix of a few infected people arriving from other places and recent heavy rains. The rainy weather and typhoons helped mosquitoes breed fast. The Aedes mosquitoes, which spread chikungunya, found the perfect time to grow in numbers.
Local health teams are now taking strong steps to fight the outbreak. They’re doing mass testing, setting up mosquito-net beds in hospitals, and even releasing “elephant mosquitoes” that don’t bite people but kill the ones that spread diseases. They’re also using fish that eat mosquito larvae in lakes to stop them from growing.
This outbreak isn’t just China’s problem. Chikungunya is common in South and Southeast Asia, Africa, and parts of the Americas. By early 2025, there were already 30,000 cases and 14 deaths reported across 14 countries. In India, searches for “chikungunya” on Google have gone up a lot. This means many people may be checking online before going to a doctor.
Right now, China doesn’t have a chikungunya vaccine for public use. The U.S. approved one in late 2023, and Europe followed in 2024. But health officials in the U.S., EU, and UK have paused it for older people after some safety concerns. They are still looking into it.
How can you stay safe?
Avoid mosquito bites. Use mosquito spray, sleep under nets, and make sure there’s no standing water near your home. Health officers in Guangdong are asking everyone to follow these tips—especially in areas with more cases.
The fast spread of chikungunya in South China and the new ways to stop it are raising big questions. Will this virus come back every year? Can China get vaccines in time? Other countries are keeping a close eye on what happens next.
