1st imported chikungunya case from China in 2025 reported

Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) A woman in her 40s has been confirmed as Taiwan's first chikungunya fever case imported from China in 2025, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Thursday.

In a news release, the CDC said that the woman visited friends in Guangdong Province's Foshan and Shenzhen in mid-July, returned to Taiwan on July 30. She developed a fever the next day and was admitted to the hospital on Aug. 1 with rashes and pain in her limbs and ankles.

Having heard chikungunya fever travel warnings on her flight back to Taiwan, the woman noted her travel history and that she was bitten by a mosquito during her trip when seeking medical treatment, and later tested positive for chikungunya fever, the CDC said.

She was discharged after four days of treatment and recovery, and will be monitored until Aug. 26, the statement said.

Local health authorities have completed vector mosquito density investigation, mosquito breeding source elimination and chemical pest control around the woman's residence, said the CDC.

The CDC raised its travel alert for Guangdong Province to Level 2 for chikungunya fever on Monday, noting a surge of 2,892 new cases in the region between July 27 and Aug. 2.

The CDC's travel note has three tiers, with Level 1 being "Watch," advising travelers to "practice usual precautions," Level 2 "Alert," which suggests "enhanced precautions," and Level 3 "Warning" urging to "avoid nonessential travel."

As of Aug. 6, there had been a total of 17 confirmed cases of chikungunya fever in Taiwan in 2025, the highest figure for the period in six years.

All of the cases have been imported from abroad, with 13 from Indonesia, two from the Philippines and one each from Sri Lanka and China, according to the CDC.

The CDC said that the fever is transmitted by Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the virus, reminding the public to take measures against mosquito bites when traveling to places where chikungunya fever is spreading, such as wearing light-colored clothing and using approved repellents.