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Although the Republic of Cabo Verde, an island country in the central Atlantic Ocean, was certified as malaria-free in January 2024, recent data show that the risk of this mosquito-borne disease remains in 2025.
As of late August 2025, a total of 16 locally acquired cases of malaria have been reported in the City of Praia, which has over 130,000 residents.
The African CDC wrote that with the onset of the rainy season, it is crucial to intensify epidemiological surveillance, promote early case detection, and ensure a swift response to prevent outbreaks and protect the population.
This study, published by PLOS Global Public Health, provides an overview of the central historical moments of malaria in Cabo Verde, from control to certification. It presents data from the last 35 years of malaria in the country (1988–2022), the distribution of these cases by islands and municipalities, the instituted control measures, lessons learnt, and some challenges for the future prevention of malaria reintroduction in Cabo Verde.
As of October 15, 2025, malaria vaccines are available in select African countries.
And the U.S. CDC recommends various routine and travel vaccinations before visiting Cabo Verde.
While Dengue fever infections can present as a flu-like illness, the medical community in Florida's central-east coast has been confirming cases throughout 2025. Dengue is not contagious but is transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Known as the home of Space City, Florida, Brevard County (DOH-Brevard) reported its 33rd locally-acquired Dengue case this week.
This county includes cities such as Melbourne, Cocoa, and Cape Canaveral.
State-wide, positive samples from 49 humans and four mosquito pools have been reported from four Florida counties as of October 11, 2025.
Additionally, as of week #41, two hundred sixty-nine cases with onset in 2025 have been reported by the Florida Department of Health in individuals with travel history to a dengue-endemic area, such as Cuba (160).
Over the past decade, Dengue vaccines have become available in various countries. As of October 15, 2025, these vaccines are unavailable in the USA.
The Hawai'i Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed a case of neuroangiostrongyliasis, or rat lungworm disease, on the island of Kaua'i. Rat lungworm disease, caused by a parasitic roundworm, has become endemic in all islands of the state of Hawai'i.
As of October 13, 2025, the DOH was not able to identify an exact source of infection. This individual had no history of travel to other neighbor islands or outside the state or country. The last Kauaʻi case was in 2019.
Earlier in 2025, Maui County and Hawaiʻi County reported cases to the DOH.
From January 2014 to the present, 102 cases of rat lungworm disease have been reported statewide, with 78 from Hawai'i County, 13 from Maui County, seven from Honolulu County, and four from Kaua'i County (including the case reported in this release).
In 2024, there were seven cases reported.
Hawaiʻi residents make up 84% of that count. Seventy-three percent of those with a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis were hospitalized.
“Thoroughly inspecting and washing all fresh fruits and vegetables under clean, running water is the most effective way to reduce the risk of rat lungworm disease,” said Dr. Sarah Kemble, state epidemiologist, in a press release.
“Small slugs and snails on produce can be difficult to see. Cooking food thoroughly also kills the parasite that causes rat lungworm disease.”
The DOH advises that people should control snail, slug, and rat populations around homes, gardens, and farms. Get rid of snails, slugs, and rats safely by clearing debris where they might live. Consider using traps and baits. Cover and protect catchment tanks, as slugs can crawl up the tank and get into the water.0
Neuroangiostrongyliasis can have debilitating effects on an infected person's brain and spinal cord. Early diagnosis helps target treatment to reduce the long-term effects associated with this disease. Individuals with symptoms should consult their healthcare provider promptly.
For more information about rat lungworm disease and how to prevent its spread, visit: https://health.hawaii.gov/docd/disease_listing/rat-lungworm-neuroangiost...
The Republic of Senegal, which is the westernmost country in West Africa, is once again confronting a Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreak. RVF is a mosquito-borne viral disease that primarily affects livestock but can infect humans.
As of mid-October 2025, Senegal's Ministry of Health confirmed the RVF outbreak, which is affecting Saint-Louis, Matam, and Louga regions, and now includes 20 related fatalities.
In an effort to learn this outbreak's source, the Institut Pasteur de Dakar sequenced nine RT-qPCR–positive samples. Five complete L/M/S genomes were recovered.
According to their research, phylogenetic analyses show all 2025 Senegal sequences belong to lineage H, clustering with earlier Senegalese isolates from Fatick (2020) and Matam (2022) (>99 % nt identity). This analysis confirms continued local persistence rather than new introduction.
The U.S. CDC issued a Level 1 Travel Health Notice on October 10, 2025, stating people can protect themselves from RVF by preventing mosquito bites, avoiding contact with cattle and livestock, and handling, eating, and drinking animal products safely.
Additionally, the CDC advises visitors to Senegal to monitor their health during and after travel for symptoms of RVF.
As of October 14, 2025, RVF vaccines are unavailable.
The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that the Republic of the Maldives has validated the Maldives for eliminating mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of hepatitis B, while maintaining its earlier validation for EMTCT of HIV and syphilis.
This makes the Maldives the first country in the world to achieve 'triple elimination'.
Mother-to-child transmission leads to infections that affect millions worldwide. In the WHO South-East Asia Region alone, provisional estimates indicate that in 2024, more than 23,000 pregnant women had syphilis and over 8000 infants were born with congenital syphilis.
About 25,000 HIV-positive pregnant women require treatment to prevent transmission to their babies, while hepatitis B continues to affect more than 42 million people in the Region.
"Maldives' achievement is a testament to its unwavering commitment towards universal health coverage, to provide quality and equitable care across its dispersed islands to all, including migrants," said Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia Regional Office, in a press release on October 13, 2025.
"This landmark feat is an important step towards 'Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,' for improving maternal and newborn health by ending preventable deaths and prioritizing long-term well-being. I congratulate the Maldives and look forward to the country pioneering progress in many other areas, while sustaining these gains."
Located in the eastern Arabian Sea, within the northern Indian Ocean, the Maldives is a tourist favorite destination.
As of October 14, 2025, the U.S. CDC recommends various routine and travel vaccinations before visiting the Maldives this year.
According to Spanish media, a man residing in the Community of Madrid is the first Mpox clade 1b case of autochthonous (local) infection of the most contagious strain of the sexually transmitted virus.
The Madrid Directorate General of Public Health announced in late September 2025 that the patient is in home isolation and is progressing favorably. His close contacts are being investigated to identify potential secondary cases.
As of early October 2025, all reported cases of this Mpox variant in Europe had been imported, primarily from African countries.
According to the latest epidemiological bulletin from the Carlos III Health Institute, since 2022, Spain has detected a total of 9,027 cases of Mpox, 487 of them this year.
The U.S. CDC states that Mpox is a vaccine-preventable disease, with various vaccines approved for human use and commercailly available at select pharmacies.
