Travel-associated chikungunya acquired in Myanmar in 2019
Marta Díaz‐Menéndez, Elena Trigo Esteban, Mugen Ujiie, Guido Calleri, Camilla Rothe, Denis Malvy, Emanuele Nicastri, Alfred Lennart Bissinger, Marc Grandadam, Jonathan D. Alpern, Federico Gobbi, Patricia Schlagenhauf, Alexandre Duvignaud, Émilie Javelle, Takato Nakamoto, Spinello Antinori, Davidson H. Hamer
Abstract
Eighteen cases of chikungunya virus infection in travellers returning from Myanmar were reported to the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network, its subnetwork EuroTravNet and TropNet in 2019, reflecting an ongoing local outbreak. This report reinforces the importance of travellers as sentinels of emerging arboviral outbreaks and highlights the importance of vigilance for imported cases, due to the potential for dissemination of the virus into areas with competent local vectors and conducive environmental conditions.