Seychelles and Suriname reported chikungunya virus disease cases for the first time in January 2026.
Chikungunya is a virus spread mainly by mosquitoes and can cause fever and joint pain, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a statement on Tuesday.
A total of 2,882 chikungunya cases and one associated death had been reported worldwide in 2026, with numbers down compared with the same period in 2025, it added.
Most of the reported cases were in the Americas, where 2,879 cases and one associated death were recorded in 2026, with South America the most affected sub-region.
Brazil recorded the highest number of cases in the Americas in 2026, with infections reported across all regions of the country.
In Argentina, confirmed cases recorded up to epidemiological week 4 (25–31 January) were linked to travel outside the country, with no confirmed locally acquired cases reported.
Bolivia reported increasing cases in 2026 across seven of its nine departments, with Santa Cruz the most affected department and reporting all associated deaths.
In Mexico, locally acquired cases were reported in 2026 from Chiapas and Quintana Roo, the ECDC said.
Imported cases and Europe’s overseas regions
Suriname reported cases in 2026 in Paramaribo, Nickerie, Wanica and Commewijne, and the first locally acquired case since 2016 was recorded in week 51 of 2025, the report said.
Between week 51 of 2025 and week 4 of 2026, Suriname logged 712 suspected cases, including 327 laboratory-confirmed cases and one death.
Seychelles reported an unconfirmed number of cases in 2026, and the ECDC said it was aware of reports in EU/EEA countries of imported cases linked to travel to the country since December 2025.
In the United States, one case was reported in Miami-Dade County, Florida, in December 2025, and most US cases are linked to travel rather than local transmission.
Within Europe, cases were reported from the French outermost regions of Mayotte (44), Réunion (8) and French Guiana (4), with French Guiana recording its first locally acquired cases since 2015.
