Spain registered 119 cases of chikungunya as of August 16 of this year, a figure that nearly triples the 42 positives recorded during the same period in 2025, according to data reported to the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network and collected by La Razón. Of the cases with identified origins, 54 come from Bolivia and 20 from Cuba.
All infections are imported—none have originated within Spanish territory—but the rise in cases has prompted health authorities to strengthen monitoring of the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), the primary transmitter of the disease, which is present in much of the country, especially in the Mediterranean region.
The autonomous communities with the highest number of cases are Catalonia, with 30 positives, followed by the Valencian Community, with 27, and Madrid, with 13.
The main concern of epidemiologists is that the virus stops being exclusively imported. For that to happen, it would be enough for a local tiger mosquito to bite an infected person and then another healthy one. Spain has already recorded episodes of indigenous dengue transmission, and France reported this year to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control one case of dengue and 15 cases of indigenous chikungunya.
Federico Arribas, from the Training group of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology, acknowledges the risk but clarifies: "When a case like this appears, they are very well monitored by our health system."
The Cuban context is crucial for understanding the origin of the imported cases. The island suffered a massive chikungunya outbreak that began in July 2025 in Matanzas and spread to 15 of the 16 provinces in the country.
The Pan American Health Organization reported in February 2026 a total of 51,217 suspected cases, 1,959 confirmed by laboratory tests, and 46 deaths up to epidemiological week 53 of 2025. In January 2026, an additional 1,457 cases were reported along with two new deaths.
The magnitude of the outbreak turned Cuba into one of the main centers for virus exportation in the Western Hemisphere. The GeoSentinel network documented 111 travelers who contracted chikungunya on the island between September 2025 and January 2026, and 64.2% were potentially viremic upon returning to their home countries, confirming the actual risk of international spread.
In January 2026, Argentina detected an imported case in a 47-year-old woman from the province of Córdoba who had recently traveled to Cuba, indicating that the island was already exporting the virus to other countries in the region.
The tiger mosquito remains active in Spain from April to November, coinciding with the peak of international travel in summer, making these months the period of highest risk for local transmission.
In the absence of a vaccine against chikungunya, authorities recommend eliminating standing water around the home, using repellent, wearing clothing that covers arms and legs, and taking extra precautions at dawn and dusk. Those who experience symptoms—high fever, severe joint pain, or headaches—after traveling should visit a healthcare center and inform them of their travel destination.
"As citizens, it is also our responsibility to take care of our health," emphasizes Arribas, who recommends checking the epidemiological situation of the destination country before traveling and visiting an International Vaccination Center for advice.
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