Amidst the ongoing outbreaks of a mosquito-borne illness that currently lacks a definitive treatment, U.S. health authorities have issued travel advisories for certain tropical regions.
On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Level 2 travel alerts for travelers to Cuba, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Guangdong Province in southern China. The organization advises Americans to exercise “enhanced precautions” when visiting these destinations.
Though there is no treatment for chikungunya, health experts highlight that the disease can be prevented through vaccination, which is strongly recommended for those planning to travel to the affected regions.
Chikungunya typically manifests as fever and joint pain, though other symptoms such as headaches, muscle pain, joint swelling, or a rash can also occur. Symptoms generally appear three to seven days following a mosquito bite, and the majority of individuals recover within a week.
Tourists visit Varadero, Cuba, on Sept. 21, 2018. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto)
In more severe instances, victims may endure prolonged joint pain lasting months or even years. As reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), some cases might necessitate hospitalization due to the risk of organ damage and potential fatality.
According to an Oct. 3 notice from WHO, there have been 445,000 suspected and confirmed cases of chikungunya and 155 deaths worldwide between January and September 2025.
In Bangladesh, WHO reported 700 suspected chikungunya cases in the capital, Dhaka, between January and September 2025, citing the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research.
A worker sprays in a residential area to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne disease chikungunya on Oct. 14, 2025, in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province of China. (VCG)
As of late September, a total of 16,000 locally transmitted chikungunya cases have been confirmed in Guangdong Province, China, marking the largest documented outbreak of the disease in the country to date.
Between January and late September, 34 confirmed cases of chikungunya were reported in Cuba, and public health interventions have been implemented to contain the outbreak.
In Sri Lanka, a total of 150 confirmed chikungunya cases were reported between Jan. 1 and the second week of March 2025, WHO said, adding that cases reportedly peaked in June.
A picture of a mosquito taken on Aug. 23, 2016. (PHILIPPE HUGUEN / AFP)
The CDC warned that Americans traveling to Brazil, Colombia, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand may also face an increased risk of chikungunya infection, even if no outbreak is currently reported.
The U.S. has not seen any locally acquired chikungunya cases in its states or territories since 2019.
