Who raises concern about the spread of chikungunya cauliflower

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued an emergency call for action on Tuesday to prevent the repetition of the Chikungunya cauliflower epidemic that swept the planet two decades ago, as new homes associated with the Indian Ocean region spread to Europe.

It is estimated that 5.6 billion people live in areas in 119 countries at risk of virus, which can cause high fever, joint pain and long -term disability, Diana Rojas Alvarez, a WHO medical employee, told reporters in Geneva.

“We see the story repeated,” he said, drawing on parallels in the 2004-2005 epidemic, which affected almost half a million people, mainly in small island territories, before spreading around the world.

Today’s increase began in early 2025, with large outbreaks on the same island of the Indian Ocean, which had previously hit, such as La Reunion, Mayotte and Mauritius.

It is estimated that one -third of the La Reunion population has already been infected, Rojas Alvarez said. The virus is now spreading to countries such as Madagascar, Somalia and Kenya and has shown epidemic transmission to Southeast Asia, including India.

Particular concern is the increasing number of imported cases and recent local broadcasting in Europe.

There have been about 800 imported cases of chikungunya in continental France since May 1, Rojas Alvarez said.

Twelve local broadcast episodes have been detected in several southern French areas, which means that individuals were infected with local mosquitoes without traveling to endemic areas. A case was also found last week in Italy.

Chikungunya, for which there is no special treatment and spread mainly by Aedes mosquito species, including “Tiger Mosquito”, which also transmits Dengue and Zika, can cause rapid and large outbreaks. As mosquitoes bite the day, prevention is the key through the use of repellent insect costumes and with a long sleeve.