Cases of a deadly virus have surged in the UK as Brits are warned that bacterium may be spreading through suitcases and on planes. An expert says that international travel has triggered a rise in the number of people contracting the chikungunya virus across the world. Although it is typically found in sub-tropical regions, Simon Clarke, professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, warns that it’s spreading. 

"As Brits develop more exotic tastes for travel to warmer places closer to the equator, we are increasingly likely to see unusual infections upon their return. While Oropouche is mainly found in the Amazon and chikungunya in sub-tropical regions, they are spreading,” he told The Sun. 

The first case of Oropouche has been found in the UK in holidaymakers who travelled to Brazil. 

Prof Clarke added: "Both have been detected in the United States and Europe, where sporadic outbreaks in France and Italy have occurred."

Infected mosquitoes may be travelling to the UK on board airplanes, Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, explained. He said “there is a small risk of airport-associated infections.” 

"The spread of any infection into a previously unexposed population is always a matter for concern.”

The chikungunya virus is contracted through mosquito bites. The highest number of cases has been recorded in the UK this year, with 73 reports in England between January and June 2025, according to data from the UK Health and Security Agency. 

The cases were predominantly in London, and were linked to travel to Sri Lanka, India and Mauritius.

"The fact that locally-acquired infections are being reported from multiple locations this year is concerning,” Prof Hunter said. 

"We will almost certainly see more cases in the UK, but at least for a few decades, these are all likely to have been acquired overseas.

"Both chikungunya and oropouche can occasionally be fatal."

Symptoms of the virus include a sudden fever and joint pain, with recovery taking typically two weeks. However joint pain can last for months or even years.

Travellers to countries where the virus is present are advised to use insect repellent and to cover their skin, especially at dawn and dusk.