New York health officials confirm state's first locally acquired case of
chikungunya virus
[October 15, 2025]
MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A person living in New York has tested
positive for the chikungunya virus in what state health officials say is
the first reported transmission of the mosquito-borne illness within the
United States in six years
The state Department of Health said Tuesday that the virus, which has
been spreading in China and elsewhere, was identified in a person living
in Nassau County on Long Island.
The county's health department, in a separate statement, said the person
began experiencing symptoms in August after having traveled outside of
the region, but not out of the country.
It's not clear how exactly the person, whom authorities have not named,
contracted the virus.
Health officials say the person was likely bit by an infected mosquito,
but they also say the virus has not been detected in local mosquito
pools and there is no evidence of ongoing transmission.
The type of mosquito known to carry chikungunya is present in parts of
the New York City metropolitan area, including suburban Long Island. The
disease cannot be spread directly from one person to another.
Since mosquitoes are less active during the fall's cooler temperatures,
the current risk of transmission is “very low," said state Health
Commissioner James McDonald.
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 Chikungunya is found mostly in
tropical and subtropical regions, according to the state health
department. Its symptoms include fever and joint pain, headache,
muscle pain, joint swelling and rashes.
The illness is rarely fatal and most patients
recover within a week, though newborns, older adults and people with
chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes
are at higher risk, the agency said.
The U.S. and its territories have not seen a locally acquired case
of the virus since 2019.
New York state has had three other cases of the virus this year,
though all were linked to international travel to regions where the
virus is prevalent, state health officials said.
Local mosquitoes can transmit other dangerous viruses, such as West
Nile, Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Jamestown Canyon viruses.
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