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.