Chikungunya virus in france

I’d recommend asking your physician if she/he recommends this vaccine.

Where in France will you be traveling?

Here are a couple of helpful websites:

• www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/data-maps/

• cdc.gov/travel

Please note this from CDC:

Surveillance and laboratory testing practices for chikungunya vary greatly among countries. CDC does not always have information on the current risk in all geographic locations.

Edited to add…

Upon further research I found the following:

• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
• https://www.pasteur.fr/en/research-journal/news/summer-2025-early-emergence-chikungunya-mainland-france

We live n France and it’s not on the agenda for the general public. Are you going to Reunion Island?

Thanks to you both for your responses and the research links…..we will be in the Marseille area and northern Italy..reassuring to read France has had only 227 (reported) cases this year and Italy only 63.

@Elizabeth - I've actually had my eye on Reunion Island for a while now and have flirted with a trip there (not a small undertaking).

Are you suggesting it's a great spot to catch a disease whose name works as a punchline?

There is indeed a Chikungunya epidemic in La Reunion at the moment.
Cases in metropolitan France have been very sporadic, and out of the two vaccines:

• Ixchiq = significant side effects, there was a vaccination campaign with it in la Reunion but it has been withdrawn for people above 65
• Vimkunya = very new, barely any data for now, not actively recommended yet even in La Reunion

I find it alarming that a US doctor would even suggest this vaccine for someone visiting Marseille for a short period. Living in the south, only once have I ever seen a tiger mosquito, the carrier.

Right now thousands and thousands of sterilised male tiger mosquitoes are being released to stymie reproduction.

Thanks for responses from folks living in France. Good to get local perspective!