Taiwan has confirmed its first 2025 case of chikungunya fever linked to China’s largest recorded outbreak, where infections in southern Guangdong province have surged past 8,000. The virus, spread by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, has been concentrated in the manufacturing hub of Foshan on the Pearl River Delta.
Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said the case involved a woman who returned from Foshan on July 30. While Taiwan has previously detected imported cases from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, this marks the first linked to the ongoing China outbreak. The CDC has raised its travel advisory for Guangdong to level 2, urging travellers to adopt “enhanced precautions.”
Chikungunya causes high fever, rash, headache, nausea, and fatigue for up to a week, with joint and muscle pain sometimes persisting for weeks. According to UK virus surveillance experts, China’s limited population immunity and recent weather patterns, heavy monsoon rains and typhoons, have created ideal breeding conditions for virus-carrying mosquitoes.
Chinese authorities have launched containment measures ranging from household inspections and enforced bed nets to drone-based insecticide spraying and targeted quarantines. In Foshan, fines of up to 10,000 RMB ($1,400) can be imposed for leaving standing water outdoors.
The outbreak, which intensified after record August rainfall in Hong Kong and southern China, now shows signs of slowing. Foshan reported 2,892 local cases between July 27 and August 2, with no severe or fatal cases, and a downward trend in new infections.
