France, Aug. 26 -- Mainland France has recorded an unprecedented rise in chikungunya cases this summer as the tiger mosquito spreads across the country. At the same time, US regulators have suspended the licence of a French-made vaccine after reports of serious side effects.

Health authorities have focused on Vitrolles, a suburb of Aix-en-Provence, where 33 locally transmitted cases have been confirmed - the largest outbreak ever seen in mainland France.

A total of 27 outbreaks involving 154 cases have been recorded in mainland France this year, according to the national health agency SPF.

France's Reunion Island has been facing a deadly outbreak of the tropical disease since 2024, with one third of the population estimated to have bee...