Coronavirus Breaking News

Since the beginning of 2025 and as of early December 2025, two countries in Europe have reported travel-related and locally acquired cases of chikungunya virus disease: France and Italy.

In France, the Health Ministry has reported 45 deaths linked to chikungunya. Among these deaths, 2 were neonatal patients.

As of December 3, 2025, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's Epidemiological summary for week #49 indicates that the cumulative number of locally acquired cases in France is 788, with three clusters currently active.

The largest cluster is located in Antibes, part of the popular Côte d'Azur, where millions of vacationers visit annually. The Ministry's overall concern is that this mosquito-transmitted virus may have become endemic along the French Riviera since 2010.

As of December 11, 2025, the U.S. CDC advises international travelers to consult a travel vaccine expert about immunization options before visiting France.

The CDC recommends vaccination for travelers visiting an area with an active chikungunya outbreak. 

In the United States, travel clinics offer commercial chikungunya vaccination services.

According to the latest epidemiological update from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), countries in the Americas must address vaccination gaps as there has been a resurgence of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, which has been steadily increasing since 2023.

As of December 9, 2025, the PAHO reports that there has been a significant rise in cases since then, with 11,202 cases reported in 2023 and escalating to 66,184 cases in 2024.

In the United States, so far in 2025, 25,057 confirmed and probable cases of pertussis have been reported, including 13 deaths.

The states with the highest numbers of confirmed and probable pertussis cases in 2025 are Washington (2,003), California (1,585), and Florida (1,422).

"Whooping cough is a vaccine-preventable disease, but its resurgence highlights gaps in immunization and epidemiological surveillance," said Dr. Daniel Salas, Executive Manager of PAHO's Special Program on Integrated Immunization, in a press release.

"It is urgent that countries ensure high and consistent vaccination coverage, especially among children under five, to protect the most vulnerable and prevent outbreaks," he added.

The PAHO recommends that countries ensure vaccination coverage is above 95% in children and provide booster doses for pregnant women and healthcare workers, prioritizing maternity staff and caregivers of infants.

"Timely and complete vaccination, together with robust surveillance, is the most effective strategy to prevent whooping cough, a disease that can cause severe illness, complications, or even death, especially in unvaccinated children under one year," emphasized Dr. Salas.

Before departing for at-risk areas in December 2025, the PAHO and the U.S. CDC suggest international travelers speak with a travel vaccine consultant about immunization options.

Israel's Ministry of Health recently reported another death of an unvaccinated toddler from measles.

As of December 9, 2025, this fatality marks the 12th since the outbreak began in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Bnei Brak, Harish, Modiin Illit, Nof HaGalil, Kiryat Gat, Ashdod, Safed, Netivot, Haifa, Tiberias, the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, and Tekoa. 

Currently, 19 measles patients are hospitalized, most of them children under six who were not vaccinated. Four of them are in intensive care.

The Ministry stated in a media release that all the children who died were otherwise healthy and had no underlying medical conditions. These cases could have been prevented through vaccination.

'During the holiday season, anyone feeling unwell should avoid gatherings to prevent spreading this infectious disease,' added the Ministry.

According to Ministry of Health data, the first-dose measles coverage in targeted cities is about 85%.

According to the U.S. CDC's Level 1 Travel Health Notice, measles is an ongoing risk around the world, and more international travelers are getting infected.

Travelers can catch measles in many travel settings, including travel hubs such as airports and train stations, on public transportation such as airplanes and trains, at tourist attractions, and at significant, crowded events. Infected travelers can bring the disease back to their home communities, where it can spread rapidly among people who are not immune.

The CDC recommends that all travelers be fully vaccinated against measles before departing for any international destination. Measles vaccination services are offered at travel clinics and pharmacies in the United States.

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.