NYT Chikungunya, which can disable victims for years, is spreading rapidly, including in China, France and other places that have not seen major outbreaks before.
A mosquito-borne virus that can leave infected people debilitated for years is spreading to more regions of the world, as climate change creates new habitats for the insects that carry it.
More than 240,000 cases of the virus, chikungunya, have been reported around the world so far this year, including 200,000 cases in Latin America and 8,000 in China. Chinese authorities have launched an urgent effort to try to stifle the virus with public health measures that evoke the response to Covid-19.
Chikungunya is not circulating in the United States or Canada, but cases have been reported in France and Italy. The disease is endemic in Mexico.
The World Health Organization is warning that current transmission patterns resemble a global outbreak that infected 500,000 people 20 years ago, contributing to a surge of new disabilities.