Emergence of Mosquito-borne Viruses in Iran and Adjacent Countries: The Case of Chikungunya

Scientific overwhelming evidence confirms that the prevalence and incidence of mosquito-borne viruses such as chikungunya (CHIK) are dramatically increasing in Middle- Eastern countries including Iran.

I n t his r eview a rticle, u sing r elevant k eywords (“Chikungunya” OR “CHIKV” OR “Aedes albopictus” OR “Aedes aegypti”), available literature was searched to collect data related to the reports of CHIK and its main vectors, Aedes albopictus and Ae. aegypti, in Iran and 15 neighboring countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.

CHIK was reported in neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, and Iraq. Furthermore, presumably introduced in 2019, CHIK was reported in 11 provinces in Iran with overall seropositivity of 17.23% in humans over the past three years. The mosquitoes, Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti, have recently been reported in the southeast and south of Iran.

Given the change in climate, even if the density of the vectors is still limited, there is no guarantee that their population will not spread much more in the coming years. This emphasizes the urgent need to strengthen the surveillance system for the vectors, and sustained surveillance of CHIK infections in mosquitoes and humans, preferably in a collaborative international project.