Painful tropical virus could become established in UK as temperatures rise
The debilitating and painful tropical disease, caused by infected mosquito bites, poses a greater threat to Europe and could become widespread in the UK in coming years.
In a new study, researchers discovered that Asian tiger mosquitoes can spread the chikungunya virus when air temperatures are as low as 13C, which is colder than previously believed.
The current outbreak of the virus has led the United States to issue an alert for people traveling to Seychelles, Bolivia and Suriname asking them to get vaccinated before traveling.
New data shows the virus can now infect much of Europe. Sandeep Tegar, who led the study, said: “Europe is warming rapidly and the tiger mosquito is slowly spreading northward across the continent.”
The strain, which has occasionally been spotted in south-east England, may become more common across Britain as climate change causes temperatures to rise.
“The lower temperature threshold we have therefore set will result in more areas and more months of the year being potentially susceptible to transmission,” Mr Tegar said.
A record number of local chikungunya outbreaks were seen in France and Italy in 2025. Mosquito species have also caused an increase in dengue fever cases in the country in recent years.
Researchers from the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology said mosquitoes started local outbreaks in Europe after biting people who caught the virus abroad.
New data shows the possibility of infection is present for two to three months of the year in much of Europe, and for up to six months in Spain and Portugal.
“Identifying specific locations and possible months of transmission will allow local authorities to decide when and where to take action to reduce the risk or scale of outbreaks,” Mr Tegar said. “Our research may also help predict how climate change may affect the future spread of chikungunya virus.”
Chikungunya is not typically a fatal disease, but it can cause long-term excruciating pain. The UK Health Safety Agency describes the virus as “a sudden onset of fever, often accompanied by joint pain”.
Joint pain can last for months or longer, but other symptoms, such as headaches, sensitivity to light, and skin rashes, usually subside within a few weeks.
In August, at a time when the number of people returning to the UK due to the virus was increasing, British travelers were urged to take precautions against mosquito bites.
Warmer weather creates better conditions for the mosquito to thrive and increases the rate at which the virus multiplies and transmits.
There is currently a low risk of contracting the virus during the summer months in south-east England. But researchers have warned that rising temperatures will make tiger mosquitoes more likely to establish themselves in the UK, as they have elsewhere in Europe.
Scientists found mosquito eggs trapped in a shipping warehouse near Heathrow airport in October. The country experienced its hottest summer on record last year and experts have warned that global warming will reach 2 degrees by 2050.
The senior author of the study, Dr. Steven White said: “It is important that sustained action is taken to prevent the tiger mosquito from becoming established in this country, as this highly invasive species has the capacity to transmit a variety of infections that can cause serious health problems, including chikungunya, dengue fever and Zika viruses.”
The first known outbreak of the virus was in Tanzania in 1952. It currently affects more than 110 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
As of November 2024, approximately 480,000 cases of chikungunya have been identified and caused 190 deaths.
The vaccine is available but can only be obtained privately in the UK through travel clinics or selected pharmacies.
