Officials confirm 'deadly' virus that caused Covid-style restrictions in China now in New York
A deadly mosquito-borne virus that triggered quarantines and strict restrictions in China this summer has now been confirmed in the US.
According to New York health officials, a 60-year-old woman from Hempstead, Manhattan, was diagnosed with suspected chikungunya in August.
Although she claims she had not travelled off the island, she is now the first locally acquired case of chikungunya ever reported in the city.
"We urge everyone to take simple precautions to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites," said Dr. James McDonald, the state health commissioner.
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Spread through mosquitoes, chikungunya causes excruciating joint pain in the hands and feet and life-threatening complications related to the heart and brain. The pain can be so severe that sufferers are unable to move normally for months.
The name 'chikungunya' comes from a word in the Kimakonde language meaning 'to become contorted,' which refers to the stooped appearance of people suffering from the debilitating joint pain.
Since the beginning of 2025, more than 317,000 cases and 135 chikungunya-related deaths have been reported across 16 countries. More than 10,000 cases were reported in China, resulting in the CDC issuing a level 2 travel warning for Guangdong Province - the epicentre of the outbreak.
Similar to Covid-19, patients were quarantined in hospitals, and electricity was cut off to residents who didn't follow government health protocols.
While a handful of cases appear in the US every year from people travelling to high-risk areas, the US hasn't experienced local transmission of the virus since 2019.
"No locally acquired cases have ever been reported in New York State, and the risk to the public remains very low," a spokesman told NTD News.
Three other people in New York have also tested positive for chikungunya in 2025 after returning from countries where the virus is known to circulate, as per the city's Department of Health.
"An investigation suggests that the individual likely contracted the virus following a bite from an infected mosquito," explained the state health department. "While the case is classified as locally acquired based on current information, the precise source of exposure is not known."
The virus is spread primarily by the Aedes mosquito species, the same type that transmits dengue fever and Zika virus. Between 2004 and 2005, nearly half a million people became infected with chikungunya.
Regarding the new cases, Diana Rojas Alvarez, a medical officer at the World Health Organization, said: "We are seeing history repeating itself."