The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier this month raised its travel alert for China’s Guangdong Province to Level 2 “Alert,” advising travelers to take enhanced precautions amid a chikungunya outbreak in the region. More than 8,000 cases have been reported in the province since June.
Chikungunya is caused by the chikungunya virus and transmitted to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes, most commonly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. These species thrive in warm, humid climates and are also major vectors for dengue, Zika and yellow fever.
The disease is characterized by high fever and severe, often incapacitating joint pain. Its name, derived from a verb in the Makonde language meaning “to be contorted,” referring to the posture of people experiencing intense pain. While most people recover within a week, some might experience symptoms for months, and in rare cases the illness can lead to serious complications or death.
The disease has not posed a direct threat to Taiwan, as all 17 cases reported this year were imported, with no locally acquired infections. However, experts said that China’s unprecedented outbreak reflects how mosquito-borne pathogens are increasingly thriving under favorable conditions created by climate change, urbanization and greater human mobility.
Experts in Taiwan have warned of Aedes aegypti appearing further north and Aedes albopictus moving to higher altitudes, largely due to rising temperatures.
Last month, the WHO issued a call to action to prevent a recurrence of the chikungunya epidemic that swept across the Indian Ocean region 20 years ago, warning that current outbreaks are following a similar trajectory and spreading to other areas.
A study published in Science Advances on July 23 assessed the risks posed by WHO-listed priority diseases with epidemic and pandemic potential. It produced a global risk map and epidemic risk index, highlighting the role of environmental and climate drivers — such as forest degradation, land-use changes, higher temperatures and increased rainfall — as well as sociodemographic pressures such as dense populations and unplanned urbanization.
The analysis found that 9.3 percent of the world’s land area falls into high (6.3 percent) or very high (3 percent) risk categories, with 17.3 percent at medium risk. Parts of southern Taiwan were marked as high or very high risk, likely due to its hot, humid climate.
The study highlighted the importance of sustained monitoring and the integration of climate adaptation into public health planning, and called for sustainable land-use and adaptive strategies to manage the growing threat of emerging infectious diseases.
As Taiwan’s first government-funded national climate change report released last year warned, the nation is likely to face longer periods of extreme heat as well as more frequent and intense heavy rainfall. The severe flooding in central and southern Taiwan last month, triggered by a typhoon and the southwest monsoon, along with reported cases of melioidosis and leptospirosis, is a vivid illustration of these risks.
As the Presidential Office has established three committees — on climate change, health promotion and whole-of-society defense resilience — to develop strategies for issues of national concern, public health threats linked to climate-related disasters should be a central part of these discussions.
Beyond national strategies, people can also take preventive measures: Using insect repellent and wearing long sleeves and trousers when traveling to areas with known outbreaks; eliminating standing water around homes to reduce mosquito breeding; and consulting a doctor or travel health clinic in advance for advice, travel medicine and, where relevant, vaccinations or preventive drugs such as malaria prophylaxis. These steps can help manage personal health risks in the face of a changing climate.
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