The World Health Organization issued an urgent call for action on Tuesday to prevent a repeat of an epidemic of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus that swept the globe two decades ago, as new outbreaks linked to the Indian Ocean region spread to Europe and other continents.

World Health Organization. An unusually large outbreak of the Chikungunya virus has been spreading since early 2025, mirroring a similar spread that occurred in 2004 and 2005. The viral outbreak began

Chikungunya, for which there is no specific treatment, can cause rapid and large outbreaks as the mosquitoes bite in the daytime.