Study: New virus threatens Europe due to rising temperatures

A recent study has revealed that rising temperatures due to the climate crisis may facilitate the spread of the tropical Chikungunya virus in a number of European countries.

The study explained that the tropical virus is able to spread via mosquitoes for six months of the year in Spain, Greece and other southern European countries, and for two months a year in southeast England due to high temperatures.

The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, is the first research to assess the effect of temperature on the incubation period of the virus inside the Asian tiger mosquito, which has invaded Europe in recent decades, according to the British newspaper The Guardian

The study revealed that the minimum temperature at which the infection could be transmitted was 2.5 degrees Celsius lower than previously estimated, a difference described by the researchers as "shocking".

Chikungunya virus was first discovered in 1952 in Tanzania, and was confined to tropical regions where millions of infections occur annually.

The disease causes severe and prolonged joint pain, and is a very debilitating condition that can be fatal in young children and the elderly.

European countries have recorded limited numbers of cases in recent years, but the disease has spread in France and Italy, with hundreds of cases recorded in 2025.

Sandeep Tegar, from the British Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) and lead author of the study, said: "The rate of global warming in Europe is nearly twice the global rate, and the minimum temperature required for the virus to spread is very important, so our new estimates are quite shocking. The northward expansion of the disease is only a matter of time."

The Asian tiger mosquito is active during the day, and its movements have been observed in northern Europe in conjunction with rising temperatures. Vaccines against the virus exist but are expensive, however, avoiding mosquito bites is the best way to protect yourself.

When a mosquito bites an infected person, the chikungunya virus enters its intestines. After an incubation period, the virus is transferred to the mosquito's saliva, enabling it to transmit the infection to the next person it bites. However, if the incubation period is longer than the mosquito's lifespan, the virus will not be able to spread.

Until now, the cold winters in Europe have stopped the activity of the tiger mosquito and acted as a natural barrier preventing the disease from continuing from year to year.