Chikungunya is not endemic in the EU/EEA and the majority of the cases are travellers infected outside of the EU/EEA. When the environmental conditions are favourable, in areas where Ae. albopictus is established, viraemic travel-related cases may generate a local transmission of the virus as demonstrated by the sporadic events of chikungunya virus transmission since 2007.
On 14-15 January 2015 an ECDC consultation gathered public health experts, entomologists and epidemiologists from Europe, as well as experts from WHO, CDC and PacNet, to review the EU preparedness to dengue and chikungunya importation and onwards transmission and produce a roadmap towards improved EU preparedness.
An outbreak of chikungunya in the Caribbean region was reported from the French part of the island of Saint Martin on 6 December 2013. Since then, autochthonous transmission of chikungunya has been reported from several islands in the Caribbean. For the first time, local cases of chikungunya were reported in South America (French Guiana).
Individuals living in or travelling to endemic regions should take the following protective measures against mosquito bites, especially during the day,when the mosquitos are active
The general objective of the expert consultation was to draft a proposal for case definition and case classification of dengue and chikungunya fever suitable for surveillance in continental Europe.