The chikungunya virus outbreak in Foshan, China: A rising public health threat in tropical and subtropical regions

Abstract

The chikungunya virus outbreak in Foshan, China: A rising public health threat in tropical and subtropical regions Dear editor, In this Journal, Li et al. recently described a new cluster of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) West Africa genotype isolated from Aedes albopictus in China. 1 The rapid spread of CHIKV has attracted significant attention, especially since its resurgence in 2025.Although chikungunya fever (CHIKF) has a long epidemiological history, first identified in Tanzania in 1952, 2 it has seen notable outbreaks across Asia and Africa from the 1960s to the 2000s, 3 posing substantial threats to public health and property safety.The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning on July 22, 2025, indicating that billions of people are now at risk due to the virus's rapid transmission.Recent imported cases in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China, have resulted in widespread transmission of CHIKV (Figs. 1A and1B), highlighting that tropical and subtropical regions are once again facing an increased risk of outbreaks.Currently, numerous regions are at risk of an epidemic, including Asia, North and South America, and parts of Europe such as Italy and France (Fig. 1C).Among these, Africa and South America have reported the highest numbers of confirmed cases, followed by Asia (Fig. 1D).In Foshan, over 7000 confirmed cases have been reported in the past month, indicating a clear upward trend (Figs.1A and1B).Statistical data reveal that South American countries, particularly Brazil, not only show a high number of confirmed cases but also the longest duration of the epidemic, exceeding six months (Figs.1E and1F).In other regions experiencing widespread CHIKV transmission, the epidemic duration is relatively consistent, averaging around six months (Fig. 1E).This suggests that CHIKV possesses robust transmission capabilities.Its spread may be facilitated by the similar climates in tropical and subtropical regions, which provide the appropriate temperature and humidity for mosquito reproduction, aiding the proliferation of Aedes mosquitoes.Given the previous transmission history, we speculate that the current outbreak in Foshan will persist for several months.

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