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University of Nebraska Medical Center

How a Réunion Island outbreak sparked France’s record chikungunya season

Medical News In a recent rapid communication in the journal Eurosurveillance, researchers from France’s public health agency detail the current scenario of the chikungunya disease within the country. Specifically, the aftermath of a large 2025 chikungunya outbreak on Réunion Island led to a surge of imported cases in mainland France, triggering an unusually early and widespread season of local transmission.

The report highlights how, by July 10, 2025, 10 local outbreaks involving 27 people had been identified across five French regions. The first local transmission occurring in May (with symptom onset May 27) is the earliest recorded for any arbovirus (chikungunya, dengue, or Zika). These events, driven by the Aedes albopictus (tiger) mosquito, signal an escalating threat from arboviral diseases in Europe and significantly strain surveillance and response systems.

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