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The Department of Tolima in the Republic of Colombia recently reported 100 confirmed cases of yellow fever, with a total of 35 related fatalities.
Tolima reported its first case of yellow fever in October 2024, marking the first case in the country since 2000. Within the month, yellow fever cases were reported across the rural municipalities of Cunday, Prado, Purificación, and Villarrica in Tolima.
While yellow fever is endemic throughout most of Colombia, cases are seldom reported in high-altitude areas in the Andean region. The Tolima department is located in the centre-west of the Andean region, at an average elevation of 700 meters above sea level.
This makes the emergence of the disease in the region remarkable, wrote the health department in February 2025.
"The main prevention strategy against yellow fever is vaccination. In the department of Tolima, people between 1 and 59 years of age should be vaccinated. It's important to have adequate and effective protection against the disease," explained Juan Pablo Escobar, Infectious Disease Specialist and Pediatrician, last year.
As of July 19, 2025, yellow fever vaccines are offered in Colombia and recommended for international travelers visiting endemic areas. In 2024, 6.7 million travelers visited Colombia, setting a new record for tourism in this South American country.
The YF-VAX vaccine is commercially available in the United States at certified travel clinics and pharmacies.
The Republic of Mauritius today announced its adoption of an innovative strategy to combat mosquito-borne diseases through the implementation of the Sterile Insect Technique.
This method involves releasing sterilised male mosquitoes into the wild to mate with females, thereby reducing the mosquito population and containing the spread of diseases such as Chikungunya and Dengue.
This program is essential as the island of Mauritius has already reported over 1,500 Chikungunya cases in 2025.
Furthermore, France's neighboring departments reported a surge in Chikungunya cases in the Indian Ocean, east of Africa.
In a statement published on July 18, 2025, the Minister highlighted that the Sterile Insect Technique has proven effective during a pilot phase and is safer than traditional methods such as larviciding and fogging, which rely on chemical insecticides.
He noted that while current cases of mosquito-borne diseases remain low—around 40 cases of Chikungunya and none of Dengue—now is the time to prepare for the high-risk summer season.
The Sterile Insect Technique has been implemented over the past two to three years and has resulted in a 70% reduction in the mosquito population across a 20-hectare area in Port Louis.
While there is no specific treatment for Chikungunya infections, two vaccines are currently available in various countries, including the United States.
In 2025, the Americas Region reported over 7,100 measles cases, including 13 deaths, according to data recently published by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
The Plurinational State of Bolivia has already reported 60 cases of measles this year.
Of the total confirmed cases, 95% have been in the department of Santa Cruz, distributed in 10 municipalities.
According to the PAHO information available in July 2025, from confirmed cases, the age group with the highest proportion of cases corresponds to the 10-19 years old group (24%),
In response to this outbreak, Bolivia has declared a National Health Emergency.
To help reduce this measles outbreak, ANI reported on July 17, 2025, that India has supplied 300,000 MR vaccines to Bolivia.
"India stands by its friends in the Global South," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X.
To alert international travelers, the U.S. CDC included in its Global Measles Travel Health Advisory issued on May 28, 2025.
The CDC recommends that anyone visiting Bolivia in 2025 be fully protected from the highly contagious measles virus.
Additionally, Bolivia is included in the CDC's Chikungunya and Yellow Fever outbreak alerts.
With about one million people developing herpes zoster (shingles) in the US each year, simplifying the vaccination process is essential for at-risk seniors.
Approximately 99% of older adults have the virus that causes shingles inside their bodies.
With 55 million Americans aged 65 or older, many of whom live in California, Florida, and Texas, accessing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved Shingrix® vaccine is a priority.
GSK plc, the manufacturer of Shingrix, announced that the FDA has recently approved a prefilled syringe presentation, which eliminates the need to reconstitute the vaccine separately before administration, thereby simplifying the vaccine administration process for healthcare professionals.
Brigid Groves, Vice President of Professional Affairs at the American Pharmacists Association, stated in a press release on July 17, 2025, "The prefilled syringe presentation of GSK's shingles vaccine is good news, providing a convenient method of administration."
"The FDA approval is a positive step toward driving prevention of this painful disease, and as a practicing pharmacist, I welcome the availability of this new presentation."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends two doses of GSK's shingles vaccine to prevent shingles and related complications in adults aged 50 years or older. Additionally, two doses are recommended for adults aged 19 years or older who are or will be immunocompromised or immunosuppressed.
The CDC states that as people age, the strength of their immune system's response to infection wanes, increasing the risk of developing shingles.
Additionally, Shingrix vaccination may play a role in delaying the onset of dementia.
Over the past few years, various studies have reported causal evidence that herpes zoster vaccination may prevent a proportion of dementia cases.
Throughout 2025, mpox outbreaks have been reported in various African countries, where the disease has become endemic in forested areas of Central and West Africa.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an outbreak of clade II mpox is currently occurring in Sierra Leone, where mpox is endemic.
The CDC states that, unlike the ongoing global clade II mpox outbreak, which began in May 2022, this outbreak has affected males and females aged 20 to 39 years similarly.
Furthermore, person-to-person transmission has occurred during this outbreak, including through sexual or other intimate contact.
As of July 17, 2025, Mpox vaccination is recommended for travelers to Sierra Leone who anticipate at-risk activities.
For those recommended to receive the mpox vaccination, two doses of the JYNNEOS® (MVA-BN®, IMVAMUNE®) vaccine, administered at least 28 days apart, are the standard protocol to maximize immunity.
Some countries, such as France, are offering mpox vaccine booster doses in 2025.
Additionally, current research is focused on the risk/benefit of mpox vaccination in infants, breastfeeding, and pregnant women.
This CDC-recommended vaccine is commercailly available in clinics and pharmacies throughout the United States.
The Pacific Community has recently reported that mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, are rising sharply throughout the various island nations in the Western Pacific Region.
As of July 16, 2025, the SPC reported American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu had confirmed dengue cases in 2025.
Of note, the American Samoa Department of Health declared the dengue outbreak in the country a public health emergency as of early July. A red alert for DENV-1 and DENV-2 serotypes has been added.
To alert international travelers of this serious health risk, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reissued its Level 1 - Practice Usual Precautions, Travel Health Advisory on July 17, 2025.
For 16 countries, the CDC recommends that travelers visiting dengue outbreaks should prevent mosquito bites by using an EPA-registered insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors, and sleeping in an air-conditioned room or a room with window screens.
While many of these countries offer access to dengue vaccines, the United States does not, except for children in Puerto Rico, where dengue has become endemic.
Over the past two years, the Oropouche virus has been reported in regions of South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, raising substantial concerns among international travelers and healthcare providers attempting to diagnose the disease.
Oropouche viral disease presents clinically with symptoms that overlap with those of other mosquito-transmitted diseases such as Chikungunya, Dengue, Malaria, and Zika.
To address this need, Quest Diagnostics, based in New Jersey, announced the launch of a new diagnostic laboratory test for the Oropouche virus.
Beginning later this summer, Quest's advanced laboratory in San Juan Capistrano, California, will perform the test using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, with serology testing to follow later this quarter.
Reverse transcription PCR testing can identify the RNA of the virus during the early stages of infection to aid diagnosis.
Serology testing, which identifies antibodies produced by the immune system in response to the virus, can aid in diagnosing the virus in later stages of infection.
"As one of the leading providers of laboratory testing, Quest plays an essential role in ensuring the U.S. is prepared to respond to potentially dangerous emerging diseases, such as Oropouche virus," said Yuri Fesko, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Quest Diagnostics, in a press release on July 15, 2025.
"By developing this test, we are prepared to act quickly to offer scalable testing to complement public health labs should this virus become a public health threat."
Oropouche and other virus testing are commercially offered by Ulta Labs Tests.
From a prevention perspective, the U.S. CDC recommends avoiding outbreaks, such as those in Brazil, Cuba, and Panama, and taking steps to limit mosquito bites.
Brazil has reported cases of Oropouche virus being passed from a pregnant woman to their fetus. These cases are currently under investigation.
The CDC says pregnant travelers should talk to their healthcare provider about travel plans, why they're traveling, steps to prevent insect bites,
As of July 17, 2025, no vaccine is available to prevent this disease, nor are there any medicines to treat Oropouche infections.
