Changes to the Country Information pages: chikungunya vaccine recommendations

NaTHNaC has reviewed and updated the chikungunya country-specific information and vaccine recommendations

NaTHNaC with UK Health Security Agency has recently reviewed the country-specific guidance for countries with a risk of chikungunya. Further information is available about this review.

Based on this review, chikungunya vaccination may be considered for some travellers to countries with ongoing outbreaks or where chikungunya has recently been reported.

Countries with localised clusters of cases, robust surveillance systems, and effective outbreak control measures do not have a vaccine recommendation for travellers.

Countries reporting chikungunya in the past or sharing land borders with countries reporting recent cases have a mosquito bite avoidance advice in the other risks section of the Country Information pages.

Country-specific information can be found on our Country Information pages and Outbreak Surveillance section.

Advice for travellers

Before you travel

All travellers visiting areas reporting chikungunya cases or anywhere chikungunya is thought to be present are at risk of infection. Risk for travellers is greater during outbreaks.

• See our Country Information to check the chikungunya risk at your destination and for specific advice about other health risks.
• Check Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) country advice for safety and security information for your destination.
• There are two chikungunya vaccines licensed in the United Kingdom (UK). See Chikungunya vaccine information.

While you are away

Reduce your risk of all insect spread illnesses, including chikungunya, by wearing long sleeved tops and long trousers and applying insect repellent regularly.

Follow insect and tick bite avoidance advice carefully day and night.

• As chikungunya is spread by day-biting mosquitoes, take particular care during the day, especially around dawn and dusk.
• Insect repellent should be applied after sunscreen and regularly reapplied after any activities, including swimming.
• 50% DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) based insect repellents are the most effective repellents currently available and can be used if you are pregnant or breastfeeding and for children from two months of age.
• If DEET is unsuitable, alternative insect repellents containing Icaridin (Picaridin); Eucalyptus citriodora oil, hydrated, cyclized; or 3-ethlyaminopropionate should be used.

If you are staying with friends or family, reduce mosquito breeding sites around the home by removing any pools of stagnant water in plant pots, gutters, drains and rubbish. Insecticide treated bed and cot nets offer good protection against mosquito bites when sleeping.

See Mosquito bite avoidance for travellers for more advice.

When you return

Fever and flu-like illness can occur due to a number of insect and tick-borne infections including malaria and dengue. Get urgent medical help and remember to tell your GP or nurse about every country you visited.

Advice for health professionals

Travellers with flu-like illness following recent travel abroad should be seen and assessed urgently for infections known to occur in the areas travelled.

Health professionals should consider the possibility of chikungunya in all returned UK travellers with a fever or flu-like illness who have recently visited chikungunya risk regions.

Health professionals who suspect a case of chikungunya in a returned traveller, should discuss this urgently with their local microbiology, virology or infectious diseases consultant, giving a full travel/clinical history. They may advise that appropriate samples are sent for testing to specialist laboratory facilities at the Rare and imported pathogens laboratory (RIPL) in the UK.