Srinagar, July 23 -- GENEVA - The World Health Organization issued an urgent call for action on Tuesday to prevent a repeat of an epidemic of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus that swept the globe two decades ago, as new outbreaks linked to the Indian Ocean region spread to Europe and other continents.

An estimated 5.6 billion people live in areas across 119 countries at risk from the virus, which can cause high fever, joint pain and long-term disability, Diana Rojas Alvarez, a medical officer at the WHO, told reporters in Geneva.

"We are seeing history repeating itself," she said, drawing parallels to the 2004-2005 epidemic, which affected nearly half a million people, primarily in small island territories, before spreading around t...