New progress in the global expansion and prevention of chikungunya fever

Chikungunya fever, caused by the chikungunya virus, has emerged as a significant global public health threat, with sustained transmission reported in more than 100 countries. The disease presents with acute fever, rash, and severe polyarthralgia, while up to 40-60% of patients develop chronic arthritis-like sequelae. Climate change, globalization, and urbanization have facilitated the spread of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, driving recurrent outbreaks across Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, with recent large-scale transmission in China. In response, international and national public health agencies, have updated surveillance, clinical management, and vector-control guidelines. At the same time, vaccine development reached critical regulatory milestones in 2025: VIMKUNYA® (a virus-like particle vaccine) received regulatory approval in multiple regions, whereas IXCHIQ® (a live attenuated vaccine) faced post-marketing safety concerns leading to suspension in the United States in 2025, still licensed in some other regions, This review provides a comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis of advances in CHIKV virology, viral evolution and vector adaptation, global and China-focused epidemiology, clinical manifestations and chronic sequelae, laboratory diagnostics, therapeutic development, vaccines, and integrated prevention and control strategies. Special emphasis is placed on epidemiological trends, policy updates, and scientific developments reported during 2024-2025. Key research priorities include defining immune correlates of long-term protection, elucidating the mechanisms underlying chronic inflammatory arthritis, improving multiplex diagnostic platforms in co-endemic regions, and optimizing safe, durable, and population-specific vaccination strategies.