There are fears of a chikungunya epidemic in the world. What you need to know

The outbreak of the chikungunya virus disease continues in China. More than 80 thousand people have already been infected with it, while in most patients it passes in a mild form, and mortality from it is minimal. The probability of chikungunya appearing in Russia is extremely low, as well as other similar tropical diseases. What you need to know about the new infection and its spread is in the Izvestia article.

What are the features of chikungunya

• Chikungunya is a viral disease that can be transmitted to humans through the bites of Aedes mosquitoes. These are the same insects that carry other dangerous tropical diseases. Diseases such as chikungunya usually occur as a focus in certain places and do not spread far beyond its borders, although randomly infected people can take the infection to other countries.

• Symptoms of chikungunya include fever, muscle and joint pain, nausea, and rash. In rare cases, symptoms may persist for months or even years. Fever is rarely fatal. Infants, the elderly, and people with underlying medical conditions are most at risk. It usually spreads in Africa and Asia.

• The current major outbreak of chikungunya originated in the Chinese province of Guangdong in the south of the country. Local authorities reported at least 8,000 infected people, and export cases of infection were also recorded in Hong Kong and Taiwan. At the same time, 95% of patients suffer from mild illness and are discharged within a week. No deaths have been recorded in China yet. At the same time, since the beginning of the year, 240 thousand chikungunya diseases have been recorded worldwide, which eventually killed 90 people in 16 countries.

• In Russia, the probability of contracting a new infection is extremely low. Transmission of chikungunya occurs through mosquitoes, and not all insects automatically become a transmission link. Only certain species are capable of this. In the south of Russia, there are only two species of such mosquitoes that can become carriers of chikungunya. At the same time, they are not pathogens of the disease, but only transmit it from sick wild animals. There is no pool of such animals in Russia, although theoretically mice and hedgehogs could be carriers of chikungunya.

Are other tropical diseases dangerous?

• The degree of danger of tropical diseases mainly depends on how the disease is transmitted. Most tropical infections are transmitted not from person to person, but from insects. To a large extent, this circumstance reduces the likelihood of an epidemic or even a severe outbreak after someone accidentally brought the disease to Russia.

• At the same time, with the increasing number of trips, including to exotic southern countries, cases of imported parasitic diseases are becoming more frequent. However, this is not so widespread that it is impossible to take the necessary measures to stop the disease, even if human-to-human transmission is possible.

• For example, in 2014, there was a massive outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. It is a serious disease that leads to high mortality among people. It can be transmitted from person to person, but not as easily as many diseases. For infection, it is necessary that there be contact with blood or any human secretions. In 2014, Ebola spared Russia, but in 1996 and 2004 there were cases of laboratory infection, which resulted in the death of three people.

• Limited transmission is also characteristic of severe Marburg fever. Her strain was introduced to Europe in 1967 (which is why she was named after a German city) along with a monkey from Uganda, but she never got any distribution outside of Africa. At the same time, as in the case of Ebola, in 1988, one death from Marburg fever was recorded in Russia due to an error in laboratory tests.

Annoying nightmare: deadly fever may break out in Russia

The disease is already widespread in more than 110 countries around the world.

• Another frequently discussed tropical disease is Dengue fever. Outbreaks usually occur in Southeast Asian countries, especially in Indonesia. In 2024, more than 14 million cases of infection were detected. However, no imported cases have been reported in Russia. The vectors of the disease are mosquitoes, which are not able to create an active circulation of the disease in the Russian Federation.

• West Nile fever infections are most common among tropical diseases in Russia. Its distributors may be mosquitoes living in the European part of Russia. In 2024, it was recorded in 36 regions of 436 people. For 18 adults, the disease has become fatal. At the same time, all cases of infection occurred during the hot season, when there was an increase in the mosquito population.

During the preparation of the material, Izvestia interviewed:

• Alexander Chepurnov, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Virology of the Federal Research Center for Fundamental and Translational Medicine.