WHO alert on Chikungunya sparks concern in Telangana

The WHO has issued a global alert on chikungunya resurgence, citing outbreaks in the Indian Ocean islands, Asia, and China. Telangana health officials warn of possible seasonal spikes, with 75 cases testing positive in the State till March 2025.

Hyderabad: In a significant alert for public health officials not only for Telangana but across the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an advisory, acknowledging the global resurgence of Chikungunya.

“There is a global resurgence of Chikungunya that started with increasing trends in Indian Ocean islands in March, with La Réunion, Mayotte and Mauritius having reported major chikungunya outbreaks. These outbreaks have spread further to countries in South and East Asia,” the WHO in its advisory said.

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The WHO alert could also indicate the potential for a large number of chikungunya cases during the ongoing monsoon season, similar to what was witnessed last year. Recent reports of a major outbreak in China are also a cause of concern.

The WHO alert on resurgence chikungunya mirrors the surge in cases observed in Telangana since last year. Previously, dengue and malaria were the two primary vector-borne ailments in Telangana . However, since last year, chikungunya cases have started to get reported in large numbers.

While the transmission of Chikungunya entirely depends on local conditions, we can learn from the current outbreak in China. Although we do not anticipate numbers similar to last year, chikungunya cases will still get reported in Telangana, a senior public health official said.

“We have already started seeing such cases; while the majority of them are testing negative, they present similar chikungunya symptoms,” the official said.

* In 2024, Telanganas had 13592 cases with Chikungunya symptoms

* A total of 452 have tested positive last year

* In 2925, till March, 795 persons had symptoms of Chikungunya

* 75 have tested positive this year by March