New York Confirms Its 1st Locally Acquired Case of Chikungunya

The risk of virus transmission to the public remains low despite the reported case, according to state health officials.

A laboratory technician holds a mosquito at the World Mosquito Program factory in Medellín, Colombia, on June 4, 2024. Jaime Saldarriaga/AFP via Getty Images

The New York Department of Health on Oct. 14 confirmed the state’s first locally acquired case of the chikungunya virus, involving a resident in Long Island with no history of travel to other countries.

The person, identified as a Nassau County resident on Long Island, developed symptoms of the mosquito-borne virus in August after traveling outside the region, according to the county’s health department.

It remains unclear how the person contracted the virus, but the state health department said it was most likely transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.

“While the case is classified as locally acquired based on current information, the precise source of exposure is not known,” the department said in a statement.

The Aedes albopictus mosquito, which can transmit the virus, is present in parts of downstate New York, according to the department. It stated that the virus can spread locally when a mosquito bites an infected traveler and then bites someone else.

However, the department stated that routine mosquito testing has so far detected no presence of the virus in local mosquito samples.

State Health Commissioner James McDonald noted that the risk of transmission to the public remains low, as mosquitoes are less active during the cooler nighttime temperatures.

“Our Wadsworth Center has confirmed this test result, which is the first known case of locally acquired Chikungunya in New York State,” McDonald said, urging people to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

This marks the first locally acquired case of chikungunya in the United States in six years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country has not reported any such cases since 2019.

There were three additional chikungunya cases reported outside New York City this year, all of which were associated with international travel to regions with active infections of the virus, the department stated.

The chikungunya virus causes fever, joint pain, headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, and rash. In rare cases, it can be fatal. Those who are infected would develop symptoms within three to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito, according to the department’s fact sheet.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated on Oct. 3 that there has been a resurgence of the chikungunya virus in “a number of countries” this year, including nations that “had not reported substantial case numbers in recent years.”

As of Sept. 30, at least 445,271 suspected and confirmed chikungunya cases and 155 related deaths had been reported globally across 40 countries, according to the agency.

“Some WHO Regions are experiencing significant increases in case numbers compared to 2024, although others are currently reporting lower case numbers,” the agency stated.

The WHO said it would be difficult to characterize the situation as a global rise given the “uneven distribution of cases across regions,” but it warned that “the potential for further spread remains significant.”

According to the agency, the Americas region reported the highest number of viral cases, followed by the European region, which comprises “cases reported predominantly from French Overseas Departments in the Indian Ocean.”

In August, the CDC issued a Level 2 “practice enhanced precautions” travel advisory for China’s Guangdong Province due to a chikungunya outbreak, with most cases reported in Foshan City. Locals told The Epoch Times in July that Chinese authorities were forcing people into quarantine.

The Associated Press and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.