France Confirms 146 Local Chikungunya Cases Across 20 Outbreak Clusters

Santé Publique France's enhanced surveillance bulletin, highlighted around 10 October 2026, confirmed 146 locally acquired cases of chikungunya across 20 outbreak clusters in mainland France as of 5 October - a sharp increase from 125 cases a week earlier. Clusters have been identified in Tarn, Lot and Gard (Occitanie), Gironde and Landes (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), and Val-de-Marne in the Paris region, with cluster sizes ranging from 1 to 34 cases. From 1 May, when enhanced surveillance began, through 4 October, 156 imported cases were also recorded. Chikungunya, spread by Aedes mosquitoes, causes fever, severe joint pain and rashes; most patients recover within weeks but some develop prolonged arthralgia. Globally, more than 219,000 cases have been reported in 2026, prompting WHO warnings of expanding transmission into Europe. French authorities have intensified vector control, insecticide spraying and door-to-door surveillance in cluster areas, and are urging travellers returning from the Indian Ocean, South Asia and the Americas to protect themselves from mosquito bites. The season is expected to continue into late October given unusually warm autumn weather.