Alert Issued as Chikungunya Cases Rise Across the Americas

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has issued an epidemiological alert following a rise in chikungunya cases across the Americas, including areas that had not reported the virus for years.

The alert warns that environmental factors such as high temperatures are helping the mosquitoes that spread the virus, called Aedes aegypti, to breed and spread faster.

Sylvain Aldighieri, PAHO’s Director for Communicable Diseases, said, “The purpose of this alert is to ensure that health workers and governments are prepared for potential outbreaks and can plan public information campaigns.”

Chikungunya is a virus spread by the same mosquitoes that carry dengue and Zika. Symptoms include high fever, severe joint pain, headache, tiredness, muscle pain, rash, and nausea. In many cases, joint pain can last weeks or months. There is no specific medicine to treat the virus. People usually take painkillers and medicine to lower fever.

Children under one year, older adults, pregnant women, and people with other health problems are at higher risk of serious illness.

PAHO advises health workers to check patients with fever and rash for chikungunya and make sure clinics are ready to treat cases. The public is encouraged to use mosquito repellent, wear long clothing, sleep under bed nets, and remove standing water from containers where mosquitoes breed.

In 2025, the Americas reported more than 313,000 chikungunya cases and 170 deaths. Countries such as Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname are seeing the virus return after years without cases.

While Belize has not reported a major outbreak this year, residents are advised to take precautions to prevent mosquito bites and limit the spread of the virus.