Chikungunya's Return: Kerala's Unfinished Battle

Abstract

While the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a global alert regarding chikungunya in July 2025, the most direct recent warnings in Kerala were from the Kerala state health department. In April 2025, the state's health department issued a general alert in response to a medium-intensity chikungunya outbreak in the Reunion Islands, off the coast of Africa. Health officials cited a previous outbreak in Kerala in 2006-2007 that had been an extension of an outbreak in the Reunion Islands.