Réunion chikungunya epidemic: Virus remains active though epidemic phase declines
Since the end of April, Réunion health authorities report a phase of epidemic decline, although the virus remains active throughout the island.
Confirmed chikungunya cases have fallen below 2,000 since Week 18, after peaking at over 7,500 in Week 13/2025.
Since the beginning of 2025, nearly 52,000 confirmed cases of indigenous chikungunya have been reported in Réunion.
Since the beginning of the year, 15 deaths (13 directly and 2 indirectly related) occurring between weeks 11 and 17 have been classified as chikungunya-related by the committee responsible for assessing causation.
These deaths occurred in people aged 65 and over (min-max: 71-95 years) with comorbidities (mainly chronic conditions).
Thirty-six other deaths are currently under investigation for chikungunya-related causes (mainly individuals aged 65 and over with comorbidities and two children under 6 months of age).
So far, 391 people with the disease have been hospitalized for more than 24 hours, including 342 for which chikungunya virus disease was the reason for admission. For the other cases, the diagnosis was confirmed incidentally during hospitalization.
To date, 71 severe cases (i.e. those with at least one organ failure) have been reported. These cases were in 39 adults over 65 years with comorbidities, nine people under 65 years (including six with co-morbidities) and 23 infants under three months.
In this epidemic context, the people of Réunion are called upon to be extremely vigilant and to implement essential preventive measures to limit the spread of the virus.
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It remains essential to protect yourself from mosquito bites and to continue to protect yourself, even when sick, to avoid contaminating those around you.
Apply these simple actions every day:
Protect yourself against bites (mosquito nets, sprays)
Eliminate standing water where mosquitoes can lay their eggs
Consult a doctor immediately if symptoms appear (headache with or without fever, joint or muscle pain, spots, etc.).
If you are infected with the disease, continue to protect yourself!