Discovered in Tanzania in 1952, chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an alphavirus primarily transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, causing a sudden febrile illness with severe polyarthralgia that can persist for months to years.1 Classic symptoms include high fever, debilitating joint pain, myalgia and rash, while severe complications, although rare, include neurological and cardiovascular sequelae.1 For decades, CHIKV had a limited geographical range being endemic in Africa, with a few small outbreaks in Asia.2 However, following a major outbreak in the Indian Ocean region in 2004–2005, CHIKV expanded globally, with large outbreaks spanning from Asia to the Americas, driven by viral adaptation and the international spread of its mosquito vectors.2 In this article, we highlight the current situation of CHIKV worldwide and the strategies employed to control its spread and clinical impact (Fig. 1).