Data published by the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) showed that from epidemiological week one and 52 in 2023, as many as 410,754 chikungunya cases were reported, including 419 deaths.

This figure is higher than that observed in the same period in 2022 (273,841, including 87 deaths) and is the highest number of cases reported lately.

Meanwhile, in 2024 and up to epidemiological week 14 (first week of April), 186,274 cases were reported – 97% of them in Brazil – and 60 deaths, which has been declared as endemic in the Americas, except in Canada, Chile, the United States and Uruguay.

The upsurge in the number of chikungunya cases and deaths over and above those reported lately are in addition to the simultaneous spread of other arboviruses including dengue, Zika and oropouche, which has impacted on the overload of health care services.

Aheqad of such a situation, PAHO and WHO urged nations to continue strengthening health surveillance, triage, diagnosis and timely and appropriate treatment for chikungunya cases and other arboviruses.

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