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Since the first cases of Oropouche virus disease (OROV) were detected in Panama at the end of 2024 and the beginning of this year, a total of 613 confirmed cases have been reported across seven regions in Panama during 2025.
According to Panama's health ministry, OROV crossed the southern border from Colombia and is now found in Panamá Metro, Los Santos, Herrera, Panamá Norte, Veraguas, Panamá Oeste, Coclé, Darién, and Panamá Este (East Panama).
This disease is primarily spread by the bites of infected biting midges (small flies) and mosquitoes.
The Ministry of Health recommends that residents living in areas with active virus transmission use repellent, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, and install mosquito nets or wire mesh on doors and windows. They are also urged to avoid traveling to areas with active virus transmission.
Blas Armién, national head of Epidemiology at the Ministry of Health, explained in a media release on October 22, 2025, "Of the 15 health regions, at least seven have identified the circulation of OROV in the human population."
Armién added the most common symptoms of Oropouche include sudden onset of high fever, intense headache with photophobia, muscle and joint pain, and, in some cases, skin rashes (exanthemas).
In this regard, Armién warned that infection during the first trimester of pregnancy can cause genetic alterations in the fetus, such as hydrocephalus. He also emphasized the importance of attending prenatal checkups, as a case of vertical transmission (from mother to child) has been reported in Panama.
Regarding neurological disorders, he mentioned that cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome and flaccid paralysis may occur.
Because it presents symptoms similar to those of dengue, a specific diagnostic algorithm is used to distinguish the two diseases.
To alert international travelers of this health risk, the U.S. CDC reissued a Level 1 - Practice Usual Precautions, Travel Health Notice in September 2025. The CDC has included countries such as Brazil and Cuba in this warning.
The CDC says, given the limited information on the risk of possible spread through sex, including the unknown of whether the virus may be present in vaginal fluid, travelers and their partners concerned about possible sexual transmission of Oropouche virus can consider using condoms or not having sex during travel and for 6 weeks after returning from travel.
As of late October 2025, no preventive vaccines targeting OROV are available.
The Government of the Hong Kong SAR Center for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today published an update on chikungunya fever (CF) cases.
As of October 23, 2025, Hong Kong has recorded 43 confirmed, imported CF cases this year.
Among these, a patient recently passed away.
The CHP says severe symptoms and deaths caused by CF are extremely rare, with a mortality rate of less than one in 1,000, and the conditions of the other 42 patients are mild.
The occurrence of severe complications is mainly related to the patients' underlying health conditions. Elderly persons (particularly those aged 65 or above), young children (particularly infants under 1 year old), pregnant women, and persons with chronic illnesses (such as hypertension, diabetes, or heart disease) are at higher risk of developing complications after contracting CF and may require a more extended recovery period.
Therefore, members of the public (especially the abovementioned high-risk groups) are advised to seek medical advice promptly if they develop relevant symptoms, particularly a fever, sudden severe joint pain, and skin rash, after visiting areas affected by CF.
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. CF outbreaks currently occur in many countries worldwide.
From a disease prevention option, chikungunya vaccines have been approved in various countries, including the United States.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recently reported that 13 countries in Europe reported about 1,000 locally acquired human cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection with known place of infection.
These local WNV cases have been reported by Italy (714), Greece (91), Serbia, France, Romania, Spain, Hungary, Croatia, Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Kosovo, and Türkiye.
The ECDC says that in Europe, 63 WNV deaths have been reported in 2025.
And as of October 22, 2025, Germany was added to this unfortunate listing.
A locally acquired human case of WNV has been reported in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria.
This is only the second case ever reported in Bavaria, the first being a vet in 2018. Between 2019 and 2024, 4-35 locally acquired cases of WNV were reported in Germany, most from the eastern part of the country.
With thousands of international travelers arriving to attend Oktoberfest, visitors should take steps to prevent mosquito bites.
As of October 23, 2025, there are no WNV vaccines available to protect people from this mosquito-transmitted disease.
the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) recently confirmed it is actively responding to a measles outbreak in the Upstate region.
As of October 21, 2025, DPH is reporting 23 cases of measles since early July, centered around Spartanburg County, home to over 320,000 people.
To date, all confirmed measles cases have been in unvaccinated individuals.
DPH wrote in a press release, "There has been a rise in measles cases in the Upstate this year, with most concentrated in Spartanburg County."
"Some cases are travel-related exposures or close contacts of known cases. Other cases have no identified source, suggesting that measles is circulating in the community and could spread further."
"We have seen measles spread quickly in unvaccinated households here in South Carolina."
"We also know that it can spread quickly in unvaccinated communities based on outbreaks in other states."
In response to the ongoing measles outbreak, DPH has activated its Mobile Health Unit to offer measles-mumps-rubella vaccine to unvaccinated individuals at no cost.
The Costa Rica Ministry of Health (MINSA) today announced it has strengthened health control measures in the province of Bocas del Toro, after a case of yellow fever was confirmed in October 2025.
The measures include the implementation of a sanitary checkpoint and the intensification of epidemiological surveillance at border crossings, especially in Costa Rica's Guabito area.
The MINSA health alert (DM-RM-5785-2025) was issued on October 17, 2025, after Costa Rican authorities confirmed two imported cases of yellow fever in women from the jungle region of Peru.
One of them had a complete vaccination schedule and did not present symptoms, while the other, without immunization, did develop the disease. This patient was discharged from the hospital after showing favorable clinical progress.
In addition, the institution urged the population to eliminate mosquito breeding sites in their homes and to maintain preventive measures, especially those planning to travel to or from countries where the virus is circulating.
The Ministry of Health reiterated that anyone entering the country from endemic areas must present an international yellow fever vaccination certificate or, if not, receive the corresponding dose upon arrival.
Furthermore, MINSA Regional Director Daryl Palmore reported that the process of obtaining new doses of the yellow fever vaccine has begun to ensure its availability in the province and protect communities along the border.
Since 2017, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has expanded its yellow fever vaccine recommendations for certain travelers visiting at-risk zones. However, the CDC has not issed a Travel Health Notice regarding Costa Rica's recent yellow fever disclosures.
In the USA, yellow fever vaccination services are commercailly offered at travel clinics and pharmacies in 2025.
A pertussis (whooping cough) outbreak has once again been reported in the Argentine Republic.
As of mid-October, data up to Epidemiological Week 41 confirm that the Argentine health ministry reported 333 cases of whooping cough in the country. The confirmed cases for the year are distributed across 17 jurisdictions.
The region with the highest number of cases is the Central Region, where 260 cases were reported, of which 167 correspond to the province of Buenos Aires and 50 to the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
The Southern Region follows, with 58 cases registered within the framework of the outbreak currently affecting the city of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego.
The highest cumulative incidence during the 2025 outbreak has been recorded in Tierra del Fuego, which is located in the southern area.
This number exceeds the confirmed cases reported for the same period in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Given its high contagiousness, the Ministry of Health is currently working with provincial authorities to ensure timely care for people with acute respiratory illness symptoms and their close contacts, to limit the spread of the disease.
The Ministry says it is essential to keep in mind that vaccination is the primary prevention strategy and one of the most effective interventions for reducing morbidity and mortality in infants and other vulnerable groups.
Pertussis is included in Argentina's National Immunization Schedule.
As of October 21, 2025, the U.S. CDC states international travelers should check the vaccines and medicines list and visit their healthcare provider at least a month before visiting Argentina, a country with about 45 million residents, which is located in the southern area of South America.
