Mayotte chikungunya epidemic nears 1,000 cases
The island of Mayotte is one of the overseas departments of France. It is located in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel in the western Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeastern Africa.
Health officials report Mayotte has remained in the chikungunya epidemic phase since May 27, 2025. Since the beginning of the year, a total of 969 confirmed cases of chikungunya were recorded through June 20.
Chikungunya circulation remains active throughout the country with high intensity. But a declining trend has been reported since the end of May and has continued more markedly last week.
Apart from the three main transmission centers of Mamoudzou and the two municipalities of Petite-Terre, the municipalities with high epidemic dynamics in recent weeks are Koungou, which now has 45 cumulative cases, Mtsamboro (43 cases), Chiconi (31 cases), and Dembéni (26 cases). This trend reflects a more widespread spread of the virus throughout the country.
The distribution of confirmed chikungunya cases by age group remained generally stable in week 24, with a marked predominance among young and middle-aged adults. People aged 25–34 remain the most affected age group (214 cumulative cases), followed by those aged 45–54 (162 cases) and those aged 35–44 (147 cases). Those aged 15–24 (144 cases) and children aged 5–14 (93 cases) are also highly represented. Conversely, transmission remains more limited among children under 5 (26 cases) and people aged 65 and over (69 cases), who continue to represent a minority of reported cases.
Four new hospitalizations were recorded in week 24. Since the start of the chikungunya virus's circulation in Mayotte, 36 hospitalizations have been recorded.
Hospitalizations mainly involve vulnerable individuals: 14 infants under one year of age were admitted, as well as 18 pregnant women, primarily as a precautionary measure given the specific risks associated with the infection. To date, two admissions to neonatal intensive care have been reported (in weeks 22 and 24) and no deaths have been reported.
Chikungunya is an infectious disease caused by an arbovirus: this virus is transmitted to people primarily through the bites of Aedes mosquitoes, primarily Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (also known as the tiger mosquito). Chikungunya was first isolated in Uganda in 1953, during an epidemic in East Africa. The name chikungunya comes from the Makonde language and means "man who walks bent over." The disease generally manifests itself with fever and joint pain that resolves spontaneously after a few days.