Costa Rica Declares Chikungunya Outbreak in Playa Langosta With 4 Confirmed Cases
Updated
Updated · cr.usembassy.gov · Jul 13
Costa Rica Declares Chikungunya Outbreak in Playa Langosta With 4 Confirmed Cases
3 articles · Updated · cr.usembassy.gov · Jul 13
Summary
Costa Rica's Health Ministry declared an active chikungunya outbreak in Playa Langosta on July 1 after investigating 45 suspected cases, with 4 confirmed and 17 classified as probable.
The U.S. Embassy in San Jose warned travelers because local transmission means the virus is circulating in mosquitoes in the area, not just arriving through infected visitors.
Guanacaste's Playa Langosta and nearby coast are popular with U.S. tourists, and the embassy urged anyone developing fever above 102°F, joint pain, headache or nausea during or after travel to seek medical care.
No widely available vaccine is recommended for routine travelers, leaving mosquito-bite prevention—repellent, long sleeves, screened spaces and removing standing water—as the main defense.
Costa Rica has reported 16 chikungunya cases so far in 2026, with the Playa Langosta cluster accounting for the country's declared outbreak.