Federal health officials have issued another urgent travel warning for a highly infectious mosquito-borne illness spreading in the Americas.
The CDC this week has issued a level 2 travel advisory for Bolivia, which urges Americans traveling to the country to ‘practice enhanced precautions.’
The advisory is in response to the spread of chikungunya, a rare mosquito-borne virus that is seeing a concerning resurgence in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and the Indian and Pacific Oceans, according to the CDC.
In 2025, Bolivia reported about 5,000 cases of chikungunya and four deaths, and experts believe cases are still on the rise in 2026.
It comes just days after the CDC issued additional level 2 advisories for Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, and Suriname, a small country on the northeast coast of South America.
The warning advises travelers to prevent contracting and spreading chikungunya by using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants and staying in places with air conditioning or that have screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.
The agency also recommended vaccination ‘for travelers who are visiting an area with a chikungunya outbreak,’ a single-dose shot that is approved in the US for people over the age of 12.
Pregnant travelers, especially those near their due date, are also urged to ‘reconsider travel to the affected areas’ entirely because mothers can pass the virus on to their baby before or during delivery.
The CDC has issued a level 2 travel advisory for Bolivia over the spread of mosquito-borne chikungunya (file photo)
A worker attends a mosquito control sequence ordered by the Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur Regional Health Agency to prevent the spread of chikungunya in Nice, France
Chikungunya is transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, the same species that spreads dengue and Zika. Infection brings on a series of debilitating symptoms, including high fever and severe joint pain. Headaches, muscle aches, swelling and rashes are also common.
While most acute symptoms subside within a week, a portion of sufferers experience persistent and painful arthritis that can linger for months or even years. The onset of chikungunya symptoms typically occurs three to seven days following a bite from an infected mosquito.
The CDC specifically highlighted that certain groups face a much higher risk of severe complications, including older adults over 65, individuals with underlying medical conditions such as hypertension or heart disease and, most critically, newborns and pregnant people.
Bolivia sees nearly 1 million tourists every year, roughly 53,000 of whom are American, local travel data estimates.
Last year, a chikungunya virus outbreak began in China, when the country faced what was believed to be its largest outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease.
More than 16,000 cases were reported in China and the CDC issued a Level 2 travel advisory for the country, urging Americans to take extra precautions when visiting the region.
Further advisories followed for Kenya, Cuba, Madagascar, Somalia and Sri Lanka.
Deaths due to chikungunya in the US are extremely rare – less than one in 1,000 – with almost all reported cases being travelers returning from, or visiting, areas with outbreaks. Rare locally acquired cases due to infected mosquitoes have occurred in Florida in 2014, Texas in 2015 and most recently in New York last year.
A worker in Nice, France, is seen fumigating a park during a mosquito control sequence over fears of chikungunya
The above CDC map shows Bolivia, for which the CDC has issued a level 2 travel advisory due to the spread of chikungunya
IN 2025, Florida health officials confirmed more than 320 cases related to international travel, as well as a case of locally-acquired disease.
The first confirmed locally acquired case of chikungunya due to infected mosquitoes in the US was reported in June 2016 in a Cameron County resident who became ill in November 2015 without traveling.
Most recently, in September 2025, New York health officials reported that a 60-year-old Hempstead, Long Island woman was diagnosed with a suspected case the previous month.
Having not traveled off the island, lab tests have since confirmed she contracted the virus locally, marking the first locally acquired case ever recorded in New York City.
Three additional people in New York tested positive for chikungunya in 2025 after returning from countries where the virus is known to circulate, according to the the city’s Department of Health.
Federal health officials issued a similar travel warning in early December 2025 for Sri Lanka and another in August for Guangdong Province, China
Chikungunya brings on a series of debilitating symptoms, including high fever and severe joint pain. Headaches, muscle aches, swelling and rashes are also common
Globally, there were 229 deaths attributed to the virus as well as nearly 486,000 infections.
For a significant number of patients, around 40 percent, the severe joint pain evolves into a chronic, rheumatoid arthritis-like condition. This can persist for months, years or even become a lifelong disability.
The joint pain is often so intense that patients assume a stooped or contorted posture and have difficulty walking or performing basic tasks.
The pain often affects both sides of the body and commonly targets the hands, wrists, ankles and knees. This persistent inflammation can lead to joint stiffness, swelling and erosion visible on X-rays, profoundly impacting mobility, work ability and quality of life.
Although rarer, severe cases can involve the nervous system, leading to encephalitis, or brain inflammation, meningitis, seizures and Guillain-Barré syndrome, a serious autoimmune disorder in which the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks its peripheral nerves.
