Ten times more cases in 20 days than in the whole of 2024: chikungunya is on the rise in France
The number of cases exploded in France in 2025. In 2024 and 2023, only about thirty cases of chikungunya were reported in France. But since the beginning of 2025, more than 950 cases have already been recorded, even though the period of greatest risk of transmission has only just begun. This period occurs from May to November, when the tiger mosquito, the virus's vector, is active.
The figures reported in recent weeks are quite edifying: from May 1 to 20, 2025 alone, 225 cases were reported, almost 10 times more in 20 days than in the entire previous year, according to a report published by Public Health France. Certain regions are particularly affected: Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Occitanie, and Île-de-France. But how can we explain this significant increase in cases in mainland France? The answer lies more than 9,000 kilometers away: in Réunion.
The island has been affected by a major chikungunya epidemic for several months. More than 50,000 cases have been confirmed since the beginning of the year, and 12 people have died. Although the epidemic has been declining for several weeks, activity is still "significant," according to Public Health France. Due to this epidemic, the agency warns of the "particularly increased risk of importation and circulation of the chikungunya virus in mainland France."
Almost all of the cases reported in metropolitan France are imported cases from Réunion. No indigenous cases, i.e., those affecting people who have not traveled to high-risk areas in the previous months, have been reported so far.
Travelers returning to France after a trip to Réunion Island are advised to protect themselves from mosquito bites to avoid virus transmission, and to consult a doctor if symptoms suggestive of chikungunya appear: fever, rash, joint pain. The tiger mosquito, present in France for 20 years, is increasingly present in the country. Today, 84% of the territory is colonized by this insect, which can transmit chikungunya, as well as dengue fever and Zika.
L'Internaute
