In October, New York State Department of Health officials announced a case of locally acquired chikungunya infection in Nassau County, Long Island—the first documented instance of locally acquired chikungunya transmission in New York and the first in any U.S. state or territory since 2019. Chikungunya is a pathogenic alphavirus transmitted to humans by mosquitoes and while it is generally not considered a special pathogen or high-consequence infection, it is an important emerging viral disease and cause of febrile illness in travelers entering or returning to the U.S. The New York case coincides with a significant surge in chikungunya cases in the Americas over the past year, as noted in a recent World Health Organization global situation report.
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