JONATHAN M. METSCH, DrPH – Tracking Emerging Public Health Challenges – March 25, 2026 – Chikungunya
According to a report from the Suriname Ministry of Health, local transmission of this mosquito-borne virus has resumed after nearly a decade without any reported autochthonous cases.
Local health authorities believe that the actual number of infections is likely much higher—potentially up to three times the confirmed figure, or around 4,000 cases—due to underreporting and typical health-seeking behaviors within the population.” (1)
“The French Agency for Medicines announced on Monday the registration of 62 side effect cases since the start of the vaccination campaign with the Ixchiq vaccine against the chikungunya virus in France, 21 of which were considered serious.
The Ixchiq vaccine from Valneva is one of the few available vaccines for the prevention of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral disease causing fever and joint pain. However, the vaccine has faced several challenges since 2025, both in France and internationally, according to the French TV station “BFM.”
In the United States, the vaccine’s approval was suspended at the end of August 2025 after four new cases of serious side effects were registered.” (2)
1.Smallest South America Country Confirms Significant Chikungunya Outbreak, by Don Hackett, https://www.vax-before-travel.com/2026/03/24/smallest-south-america-country-confirms-significant-chikungunya-outbreak
2.Chikungunya Vaccine.. More Than Twenty Serious Side Effects Cases Recorded in France,https://www.khaberni.com/news/792892-chikungunya-vaccine-more-than-twenty-serious-side-effects-cases-recorded-in-france
curated by Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai