Vector-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika and West Nile fever account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases worldwide [1]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 5.6 billion people live in areas at risk of arboviral infections – that’s more than half of the global population [2].
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So far, chikungunya virus has been detected in 119 countries, especially in Africa, South-East Asia, South America, and increasingly also in Europe [3]. Since the beginning of 2025 there have been larger outbreaks in La Réunion, Mayotte and Mauritius [4]. In La Réunion, one-third of the population is estimated to have been infected. The virus continues to spread – for example in Madagascar, Somalia, Kenya as well as India and other parts of Southeast Asia [5]. Until now, China has reported 8000 cases in 2025, especially in the Guangdong province and the city of Foshan [6]. Facing these parallel developments, the WHO is warning of a global epidemic – comparable to that from 2004 to 2005, which had started in some smaller island states and then spread globally [7]. Europe is also increasingly affected, and not only due to imported cases: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has already registered 27 local chikungunya outbreaks this year, which is a new peak. Furthermore, an autochthonous chikungunya case was reported in Alsace near the German border in 2025 [8]. The German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) now recommends vaccination against chikungunya virus prior to trips to affected regions.
More information on chikungunya diagnostics: Chikungunya diagnostics | Euroimmun
West Nile virus (WNV) is also on the rise. In Germany, human infections have been reported regularly, especially in summer and autumn, since the virus was first detected in the country in horses and birds in 2018. While autochthonous, i.e., not imported cases, have primarily been registered in the East of Germany, in 2024 individual cases were also reported in other German regions [9].
Dengue currently represents the greatest challenge among the arboviruses: With more than 14 million reported cases worldwide in 2024, this epidemic is the largest documented vector-borne viral disease epidemic to date [10]. In Europe, 304 locally acquired cases were registered in the same year – a significant increase compared to 130 cases in 2023 and 71 in 2022 [11].
More information on dengue diagnostics: Dengue test solutions for every disease stage | Euroimmun
The main vector of these viruses are the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti). Aedes albopictus is now endemic in 16 European countries and 369 regions, up from only 114 regions ten years ago. [11]. The distribution areas are growing year by year. Aedes aegypti – which had been extinct in Europe – was recently detected in Cyprus.
Climatic changes such as rising temperatures, milder winters and changed precipitation patterns facilitate the spread of the vectors and prolong the mosquito season. ECDC director Pamela Rendi-Wagner has called this “Europe’s new normal”.
The developments clearly show: Mosquito-borne infectious diseases are no longer just a problem of the far-away tropics: Europe faces the challenge of adapting to the permanent presence of these pathogens.
Euroimmun offers a wide range of products for diagnostics of arbovirus infections, including ELISAs and immunofluorescence assays for the detection of specific antibodies against arboviruses.
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[1] Tropeninstitut.de. Europa: Verbreitung der Tigermücke erhöht das Dengue-Risiko. (7 Jul 2025), in German, retrieved on 15 Oct 2025
[2] WHO. New WHO guidelines for clinical management of arboviral diseases: dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever. (10 Jul 2025), retrieved on 15 Oct 2025
[3] WHO. Chikungunya epidemiology update – June 2025 (11 Jun 2025), retrieved on 15 Oct 2025
[4] WHO. chikungunya-epidemiology-update_11june2025.pdf (Jun 2025), retrieved on 15 Oct 2025
[5] USA today news. World Health Organization warns of new global Chikungunya outbreak risk. (23 Jul 2025), retrieved on 15 Oct 2025
[6] Tropeninstitut.de. China: Über 5.000 Chikungunya-Fälle in Foshan. (22 Aug 2025), in German, retrieved on 15 Oct 2025
[7] WHO. Chikungunya virus disease – Global situation. (3 Oct 2025), retrieved on 15 Oct 2025
[8] Science Media Center Germany. Chikungunya, Zika, Dengue & Co. – Wie gut sind wir auf Tropenkrankheiten und ihre Verbreitung vorbereitet? (15 Jul 2025), in German, retrieved on 15 Oct 2025
[9] RKI. West-Nil-Fieber im Überblick. (19 Aug 2025), in German, retrieved on 15 Oct 2025
[10] WHO. Dengue. (21 Aug 2025), retrieved on 15 Oct 2025
[11] Deutsches Ärzteblatt. Durch Mücken übertragene Krankheiten: ECDC gibt Gesundheitsbehörden Hilfsmittel an die Hand. (4 Jul 2025), in German, retrieved on 15 Oct 2025
