Prime Highlights
- China is hit by a record-breaking “chikungunya virus” infection of over 7,000 cases.
- UAE advises tourists traveling to Asia to watch out for mosquito bites as the disease affects the globe.
Key Fact
- Over 7,000 cases have been reported in the most affected Foshan city of China.
- Over 240,000 cases have been reported across the globe in 2025 and 90 deaths in 16 countries.
Key Background
An enigmatic outbreak of “chikungunya virus” cases throughout the densely populated southern Chinese belt has rung medical warning bells loudly across Asia and the Middle East. The epidemic, once confined to Foshan city, one of the most crowded, in Guangdong province, is China’s largest so far for the disease spread by mosquitoes. Over 7,000 cases have been reported, prompting regional health authorities to intensify vigil and demand tighter preventive measures.
The UAE, with expansive trip and trade with Asia, issued an premonitory asking residers traveling to the affected places to be conservative. Croakers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have advised citizens against the pitfalls of” chikungunya contagion” infection, especially during thunderstorm in certain corridor of Asia. The usual signs are high fever, pangs and pains in the joints, muscle pain, and rashes that generally appear within seven days after contagion infection.
Even without documented cases in the UAE, public health authorities are adamant that measures should be taken. These are the application of mosquito repellents, wearing long sleeves, and not going out when mosquitoes are most active. UAE authorities also cite the widespread mosquito control in the country, in the form of routine fogging and trapping, which is inhibiting local transmission.
Experts say that foreign visitors unconsciously carry the disease with them. When a new arrival gets bitten by an indigenous mosquito, it may form new transmission cycles. The threat is most acutely felt during Haj season and throughout the entire summer holiday period when tourist traffic between Asia and the Middle East is highest.
All over the globe, the “chikungunya virus” again made its appearance as a fresh global health hazard during the year 2025, infecting Asian, African, Latin American countries, and even some European regions. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the total cases this year are estimated at over 240,000 with deaths reported in various regions of the world, necessitating an urgent imposition of global mosquito control methods.
