Epidemiological and genomic features of chikungunya virus disease in travellers returning from Cuba, September 2025 to January 2026: a GeoSentinel analysis

Marta Diaz-Menendez; Concetta Castilletti; Kevin O'Laughlin; Oula Itani; Hilmir Asgeirsson; Ana Vazquez Gonzalez; Francesca F. Norman; Cecilia Perret; Camilla Rothe; Michela Deiana; Simone Malago; Victor Max Corman; Gabriela Equihua Martinez; Sami Alcedo; Eva Clark; Silvia Odolini; Daniel Camprubi Ferrer; Federico Giovanni Gobbi; Davidson H. Hamer; Carsten Schade Larsen; Claudia Beisel; Obinna Nnedu; Diana Pou Ciruelo; Giovanni Gobbi Sevilla; Fernando de la Calle-prieto; Hannah Emetulu; Michael Libman; Milan Trojanek; Stephen D. Vaughan; Ralph Huits

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.16.2600286

Epidemiological and genomic features of chikungunya virus disease in travellers returning from Cuba, September 2025 to January 2026: a GeoSentinel analysis

Marta Diaz-Menendez
, Concetta Castilletti
, Kevin O'Laughlin
, Oula Itani
, Hilmir Asgeirsson
, Ana Vazquez Gonzalez
, Francesca F. Norman
, Cecilia Perret
, Camilla Rothe
, Michela Deiana
, Simone Malago
, Victor Max Corman
, Gabriela Equihua Martinez
, Sami Alcedo
, Eva Clark
, Silvia Odolini
, Daniel Camprubi Ferrer
, Federico Giovanni Gobbi
, Davidson H. Hamer
, Carsten Schade Larsen

Claudia Beisel, Obinna Nnedu, Diana Pou Ciruelo, Giovanni Gobbi Sevilla, Fernando de la Calle-prieto, Hannah Emetulu, Michael Libman, Milan Trojanek, Stephen D. Vaughan, Ralph Huits

Clinical Nurses and Research Support

Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review

Abstract

During September 2025–January 2026, 111 travellers (61 female/50 male; median age: 53 years) who acquired chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in Cuba were reported to GeoSentinel. Upon return, 64.2% (70/109) were potentially viraemic. Only 8.2% (9/98) had received pre-travel consultations. The CHIKV was of East-Central-South Africa genotype, closely related to Brazilian strains. International travellers can serve as arboviral outbreak sentinels and, if viraemic, risk introducing CHIKV into areas with established Aedes spp. vectors. Their effective surveillance can trigger adequate public health responses.

Original language	English
Article number	2600286
Journal	Eurosurveillance
Volume	31
Issue number	16
Number of pages	8
ISSN	1560-7917
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.16.2600286
Publication status	Published - 23-Apr-2026

Keywords

Fever
Humans
Middle Aged
Chikungunya Fever/epidemiology
Child, Preschool
Cuba/epidemiology
Male
Chikungunya virus/genetics
Phylogeny
Young Adult
Travel
Disease Outbreaks
Adolescent
Female
Adult
Aged
Child
Sentinel Surveillance

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Diaz-Menendez, M., Castilletti, C., O'Laughlin, K., Itani, O., Asgeirsson, H., Gonzalez, A. V., Norman, F. F., Perret, C., Rothe, C., Deiana, M., Malago, S., Corman, V. M., Martinez, G. E., Alcedo, S., Clark, E., Odolini, S., Ferrer, D. C., Gobbi, F. G., Hamer, D. H., ... Huits, R. (2026). Epidemiological and genomic features of chikungunya virus disease in travellers returning from Cuba, September 2025 to January 2026: a GeoSentinel analysis. Eurosurveillance, 31(16), Article 2600286. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.16.2600286

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title = "Epidemiological and genomic features of chikungunya virus disease in travellers returning from Cuba, September 2025 to January 2026: a GeoSentinel analysis",

abstract = "During September 2025–January 2026, 111 travellers (61 female/50 male; median age: 53 years) who acquired chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in Cuba were reported to GeoSentinel. Upon return, 64.2\% (70/109) were potentially viraemic. Only 8.2\% (9/98) had received pre-travel consultations. The CHIKV was of East-Central-South Africa genotype, closely related to Brazilian strains. International travellers can serve as arboviral outbreak sentinels and, if viraemic, risk introducing CHIKV into areas with established Aedes spp. vectors. Their effective surveillance can trigger adequate public health responses.",

keywords = "Fever, Humans, Middle Aged, Chikungunya Fever/epidemiology, Child, Preschool, Cuba/epidemiology, Male, Chikungunya virus/genetics, Phylogeny, Young Adult, Travel, Disease Outbreaks, Adolescent, Female, Adult, Aged, Child, Sentinel Surveillance",

author = "Marta Diaz-Menendez and Concetta Castilletti and Kevin O'Laughlin and Oula Itani and Hilmir Asgeirsson and Gonzalez, \{Ana Vazquez\} and Norman, \{Francesca F.\} and Cecilia Perret and Camilla Rothe and Michela Deiana and Simone Malago and Corman, \{Victor Max\} and Martinez, \{Gabriela Equihua\} and Sami Alcedo and Eva Clark and Silvia Odolini and Ferrer, \{Daniel Camprubi\} and Gobbi, \{Federico Giovanni\} and Hamer, \{Davidson H.\} and Larsen, \{Carsten Schade\} and Claudia Beisel and Obinna Nnedu and Ciruelo, \{Diana Pou\} and Sevilla, \{Giovanni Gobbi\} and \{de la Calle-prieto\}, Fernando and Hannah Emetulu and Michael Libman and Milan Trojanek and Vaughan, \{Stephen D.\} and Ralph Huits",

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year = "2026",

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doi = "10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.16.2600286",

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journal = "Eurosurveillance",

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Diaz-Menendez, M, Castilletti, C, O'Laughlin, K, Itani, O, Asgeirsson, H, Gonzalez, AV, Norman, FF, Perret, C, Rothe, C, Deiana, M, Malago, S, Corman, VM, Martinez, GE, Alcedo, S, Clark, E, Odolini, S, Ferrer, DC, Gobbi, FG, Hamer, DH, Larsen, CS, Beisel, C, Nnedu, O, Ciruelo, DP, Sevilla, GG, de la Calle-prieto, F, Emetulu, H, Libman, M, Trojanek, M, Vaughan, SD & Huits, R 2026, 'Epidemiological and genomic features of chikungunya virus disease in travellers returning from Cuba, September 2025 to January 2026: a GeoSentinel analysis', Eurosurveillance, vol. 31, no. 16, 2600286. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.16.2600286

TY - JOUR

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AU - Diaz-Menendez, Marta

AU - Castilletti, Concetta

AU - O'Laughlin, Kevin

AU - Itani, Oula

AU - Asgeirsson, Hilmir

AU - Gonzalez, Ana Vazquez

AU - Norman, Francesca F.

AU - Perret, Cecilia

AU - Rothe, Camilla

AU - Deiana, Michela

AU - Malago, Simone

AU - Corman, Victor Max

AU - Martinez, Gabriela Equihua

AU - Alcedo, Sami

AU - Clark, Eva

AU - Odolini, Silvia

AU - Ferrer, Daniel Camprubi

AU - Gobbi, Federico Giovanni

AU - Hamer, Davidson H.

AU - Larsen, Carsten Schade

AU - Beisel, Claudia

AU - Nnedu, Obinna

AU - Ciruelo, Diana Pou

AU - Sevilla, Giovanni Gobbi

AU - de la Calle-prieto, Fernando

AU - Emetulu, Hannah

AU - Libman, Michael

AU - Trojanek, Milan

AU - Vaughan, Stephen D.

AU - Huits, Ralph

N1 - FTX: CC BY

PY - 2026/4/23

Y1 - 2026/4/23

N2 - During September 2025–January 2026, 111 travellers (61 female/50 male; median age: 53 years) who acquired chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in Cuba were reported to GeoSentinel. Upon return, 64.2% (70/109) were potentially viraemic. Only 8.2% (9/98) had received pre-travel consultations. The CHIKV was of East-Central-South Africa genotype, closely related to Brazilian strains. International travellers can serve as arboviral outbreak sentinels and, if viraemic, risk introducing CHIKV into areas with established Aedes spp. vectors. Their effective surveillance can trigger adequate public health responses.

AB - During September 2025–January 2026, 111 travellers (61 female/50 male; median age: 53 years) who acquired chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in Cuba were reported to GeoSentinel. Upon return, 64.2% (70/109) were potentially viraemic. Only 8.2% (9/98) had received pre-travel consultations. The CHIKV was of East-Central-South Africa genotype, closely related to Brazilian strains. International travellers can serve as arboviral outbreak sentinels and, if viraemic, risk introducing CHIKV into areas with established Aedes spp. vectors. Their effective surveillance can trigger adequate public health responses.

KW - Fever

KW - Humans

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Chikungunya Fever/epidemiology

KW - Child, Preschool

KW - Cuba/epidemiology

KW - Male

KW - Chikungunya virus/genetics

KW - Phylogeny

KW - Young Adult

KW - Travel

KW - Disease Outbreaks

KW - Adolescent

KW - Female

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Child

KW - Sentinel Surveillance

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U2 - 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.16.2600286

DO - 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.16.2600286

M3 - Editorial

C2 - 42141885

SN - 1560-7917

VL - 31

JO - Eurosurveillance

JF - Eurosurveillance

IS - 16

M1 - 2600286

ER -

Epidemiological and genomic features of chikungunya virus disease in travellers returning from Cuba, September 2025 to January 2026: a GeoSentinel analysis

Abstract

Keywords

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