CDC issues Level 2 chikungunya travel alerts
The CDC announced Friday that it has issued Level 2 travel advisories for Cuba, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China’s Guangdong Province due to chikungunya outbreaks, urging Americans to practice enhanced precautions and recommending vaccination for travelers to affected areas. The agency also flagged elevated risk in Brazil, Colombia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand, while WHO data show roughly 445,000 suspected/confirmed cases and 155 deaths globally through September, including about 16,000 locally transmitted cases in Guangdong, China.
📌 Key Facts
- CDC Level 2 advisories: Cuba, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Guangdong Province (China)
- CDC recommends chikungunya vaccination for travelers; no specific treatment exists
- WHO: ~445,000 suspected/confirmed cases and 155 deaths worldwide (Jan–Sep 2025); Guangdong has ~16,000 local cases, Cuba 34 confirmed, Bangladesh 700 suspected in Dhaka, Sri Lanka 150 confirmed (early 2025)
📊 Relevant Data
The 2025 chikungunya outbreak in Guangdong Province, China, was contributed to by excessive rainfall and the region's subtropical climate, creating favorable conditions for mosquito proliferation.
Transmission dynamics and response strategies for the chikungunya outbreak in Southern China — PMC
Frequent population mobility and climate change have contributed to the increase in imported chikungunya cases in Guangdong Province, China, leading to local outbreaks in 2025.
Practices and insights from chikungunya prevention and Control in Guangdong, China, 2025 — Tropical Medicine and Health
Bangladesh's climate, including excessive rainfall, flooding, waterlogging, rising temperatures, and changes in seasons, has become more favorable for chikungunya transmission in 2025.
The 2025 chikungunya outbreak in Sri Lanka is due to the Indian Ocean lineage of the virus with E1:K211E and E2:V264A mutations, enhancing viral fitness in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
The Re-emergence of Chikungunya in Sri Lanka: A Genomic investigation — medRxiv
The chikungunya outbreak in Cuba in 2025 is exacerbated by poor sanitation, water shortages, and limited mosquito control due to economic crisis.
Cuba fights to contain spread of mosquito-borne chikungunya virus — Reuters
Certain human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles, such as HLA-DRB1*04, are associated with increased susceptibility to chikungunya virus infection.