Cancer Vaccine Breaking News

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified an increase in the number of Shigella sonnei cases caused by a particular strain of the gastrointestinal pathogen.

Since October 2025, there has been a rise in Shigella infections in people returning to the UK from the Republic of Cape Verde. Of the 137 confirmed UK cases, most (109) reported recent travel to Cape Verde, an island country in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.

As of December 5, 2025, the UKHSA had initiated an outbreak investigation.

An outbreak of Shigella sonnei was also reported in Cape Verde in 2022, with cases among travellers from several European countries, including the UK.

The UKHSA says Shigella sonnei (S. sonnei) is a species of Shigella, a group of gastrointestinal bacteria that can cause severe diarrhoea, fever, and stomach cramps; rarely, it can cause sepsis in the immunocompromised.

S. sonnei is transmitted via contact with contaminated faeces either directly through person-to-person transmission or indirectly from contaminated food or water, or surfaces – infection is often linked to overseas travel to regions where shigellosis is endemic.

In 2023, there were 117 cases in England belonging to the 10 single-nucleotide polymorphism linkage cluster t10.1814.

Globally, most cases of shigellosis are in children younger than five years of age, but all ages can be affected. There is also a risk of sexual transmission among certain people.

In the United States, as of Week 43, the CDC reported about 14,000 Shigellosis cases, a significant decrease from 2024.

As of December 9, 2025, the CDC states there is no vaccine to prevent Shigella infection.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) recently announced that seven of the new measles cases being investigated are centered in Spartanburg County.

As of December 5, 2025, there are currently 281 individuals in quarantine and two in isolation in the center of South Carolina. This county is located north of Columbia, SC, and west of Charlotte, NC.

DPH says that since the outbreak began in early October 2025, some cases are travel-related or due to close contact with known cases. Other cases have no identified source, suggesting that measles is circulating in the community and could spread further. 

DPH will continue to prioritize requests for MMR vaccination events, if received, and will also take steps to increase appointment availability for MMR vaccination in health department locations, should demand dictate.

MMR vaccines are also available at many primary care provider offices and pharmacies, as well as DPH Health Departments. 

Additionally, the U.S. CDC maintains a Global Travel Health Notice regarding measles outbreaks in numerious countries. The CDC recommends that before traveling abroad in December 2025, you ensure you and your family are fully immunized against the contagious virus. 

Hong Kong's chikungunya fever (CF) outbreak continues to include both travel-related and locally acquired cases in 2025.

Today, the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health reported that there have now been 10 local CF cases and 68 cases among travelers.

The CHP wrote on December 7, 2025, that some confirmed CF cases had reportedly been bitten by mosquitoes while hiking along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails, a higher-risk area.

The CHP continued to urge individuals who have recently visited the Tsing Yi North area or hiked along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails to seek medical attention as soon as possible if they develop relevant symptoms and to call the enquiry hotline (Tel: 2125 2373).

The CHP continued to urge the members of the public residing and working at Queen's Road West (near Morrison Street and Hollywood Road) who experienced a fever, rash, or joint pain on or after November 15, 2025, to seek medical advice or contact the CHP immediately.

This area is located northwestern of the inner city and east of Hong Kong Disneyland.

CHP officers continued to reach out to individuals in the locations above, reminding them to be aware of relevant symptoms and to maintain good household hygiene.

To alert international travelers to at-risk areas, the U.S. CDC issued Travel Health Notices in 2025.

As of December 5, 2025, the CDC added Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the Level 2 notice list.

In the Region of the Americas, over 289,000 CF cases and 141 related fatalities have been reported this year. The majority of these cases have been confirmed in Bolivia, Brazil, and Cuba.

The CDC writes 'You can protect yourself by preventing mosquito bites, which includes using insect repellent. Vaccination is recommended for travelers visiting any area with a CF outbreak in 2025.'

In the United States, chikungunya vaccination services are offered at travel clinics and pharmacies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its 60th situation report on the multi-country mpox outbreak. Since May 2022, when the mpox outbreak was first recorded, the WHO's report offers insights into the global epidemiological situation and includes updated data on this severe disease.

As of December 8, 2025, the WHO stated that all clades of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) continue to circulate. When mpox outbreaks are not rapidly contained, and human-to-human transmission is not interrupted, there is a risk of sustained community transmission.

For example, in October 2025, 44 countries across all WHO regions reported 2,501 new confirmed mpox cases, including 12 related deaths, for a case fatality ratio of 0.5%. About 75% of these cases were reported in the African Region. 

Outside Africa, local transmission of clade Ib MPXV has been occurring in Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, the United States of America, and Malaysia.

New imported mpox cases due to clade Ib MPXV have been detected among travellers in Belgium, Germany, Greece, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

According to the U.S. CDC, mpox is a vaccine-preventable disease and is recommended for those at risk.

Getting both recommended JYNNEOS doses provides the best protection against monkeypox.

The CDC says that whether or not you've been vaccinated, you can continue to reduce your risk of getting monkeypox.

The Ministry of Health, Families, Autonomy and Persons with Disabilities, and Public Health France have been informed of two cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in France.

According to a press release dated December 4, 2025, these two cases were confirmed based on suggestive symptoms and a history of shared travel to the Arabian Peninsula. Management measures have been implemented to limit the risk of virus transmission.

These two cases occurred in individuals who had participated in the same trip, but no secondary transmission chains have been identified within the country at this stage. The other individuals who participated in the trip have also been monitored since the identification of the first confirmed case.

In France, only two cases were recorded as of 2013.

MERS-CoV is a virus that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and is primarily transmitted from animals to humans. Since then, more than 2,600 cases of MERS-CoV have been reported worldwide.

The virus is endemic to dromedary camels and bats in the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Africa. 

France says: if you experience these symptoms and have recently traveled to these areas and/or been in contact with people who have experienced them, do not hesitate to consult your doctor.

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health announced today that the CHP has recorded a total of 76 confirmed Chikungunya fever (CF) cases this year.

As of December 2, 2025, seven CF cases were local, and the rest were imported. Furthermore, the risk of imported cases persists.

Recently, the CHP also informed approximately 130 primary care doctors in Kwai Tsing District, located north west of Hong Kong, urging them to closely monitor patients with compatible symptoms and arrange blood tests for those concerned. The CHP's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch will provide free virus testing services.

The CHP's media statement confirmed all relevant departments have comprehensively enhanced the mosquito control operations in Hong Kong since July 2025, and this has continued.

Controlling this mosquito-transmitted disease is essential as the symptoms are generally self-limiting and last for a few days, while in some cases, joint pain may persist for several months or even years. Severe symptoms and deaths from Chikungunya are rare and usually related to other coexisting health problems.

Although the northern hemisphere has entered the winter, temperatures in subtropical and some temperate regions remain elevated due to climate change, creating favourable conditions for mosquito breeding and the transmission of viruses, such as Chikungunya.

In addition, CF outbreaks continue to occur in many countries worldwide.

Since the beginning of 2025, and as of September 30, a total of 445,271 suspected and confirmed CF cases and 155 CF-related deaths have been reported in 40 countries/territories. Cases have been reported in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

To alert international travelers departing from the United States, the US CDC has published Level 2 - Practice Enhanced Precautions, Travel Health Advisories for countries in the Indian Ocean and Cuba.

In Florida, over 60 Chikungunya cases have been associated with visitors from Cuba.

The CDC advises travelers to consult a travel vaccine expert about Chikungunya immunization options before visiting these countries in 2025.

Speaking at a recent press conference, Jamaica's Minister of Health & Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, CD MP, noted that while the Caribbean island country has managed the recent Leptospirosis outbreak following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, there is no great risk to tourists coming to Jamaica.'

According to the Minister on November 28, 2025, "We have discerned no great risk as it relates to facilities that cater to tourists, including hotels and attractions. There is a certification process that is required for these facilities, and this is done collaboratively with the local health and tourism authorities."

"We are not giving an advisory to discourage visitors, but to alert the vulnerable communities, which have been identified."

Jamacia reported that between October 30 and November 20, 2025, a total of 9 confirmed and 28 suspected cases of leptospirosis were reported in eight parishes, including St. Ann, St. Mary, St. James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, St. Catherine, and Trelawny.

According to the U.S. CDC, Leptospirosis is a disease caused by the bacterium Leptospira and can be transmitted through contaminated water or soil. Without treatment, leptospirosis in people can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, trouble breathing, and even death.

Leptospirosis is found worldwide, including throughout the United States. About 1 million cases occur globally each year, with nearly 60,000 deaths.

As of December 2, 2025, the CDC has not issued a Travel Health Notice regarding this outbreak in Jamaica, and reports that no preventive vaccines are currently available for this disease.