Search API
Last summer, the Pan American Health Organization issued several epidemiological alerts about Oropouche cases, including deaths, in the Americas. Unfortunately, these outbreaks continue today.
To notify international travelers, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its Travel Health Advisory for Oropouche fever outbreaks in several countries across the Region of the Americas.
A Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions advisory was reissued on April 9, 2025, for Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Previously, a Level 2 advisory was issued for Oropouche in some regions of Brazil and Panama (Darién Province).
The CDC says Oropouche is a disease caused by the Oropouche virus and is spread primarily through the bites of infected biting midges and infected mosquitoes.
The CDC is working with other international partners to learn more about the potential risks of Oropouche during pregnancy. Additionally, healthcare providers should inform pregnant women considering travel to areas with reported Oropouche virus transmission of the possible risks to the fetus.
Furthermore, a recent publication described a patient with Oropouche who had the virus and viral RNA detected in bodily fluids, including semen.
As of April 12, 2025, no Oropouche vaccine is available.
When the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 2 Travel Health Advisory regarding an outbreak of chikungunya in France's Réunion in February 2025, most public health experts did not expect an overwhelming epidemic.
As of April 12, 2025, Réunion Island has become the leading chikungunya outbreak in the world.
Since the beginning of 2025, 27,521 confirmed cases of this mosquito-transmitted disease have been reported.
More concerning is data from ARS Réunion last week.
From March 24 to 30, 2025, there were 6,289 confirmed cases and 54 hospitalizations in Le Tampon (800 cases), Saint-Paul (900 cases), Saint-Denis (750 cases), and Saint-Pierre (600 cases).
ARS Réunion says people can protect yourself by preventing mosquito bites, or participating in a free vaccination program.
The first phase of the 40,000 vaccination campaign has been launched with the single-dose IXCHIQ® vaccine. It is available for people aged 65 and over with comorbidities and who have not previously contracted chikungunya.
Over the last few years, most chikungunya cases in the U.S. have been related to returning international travelers from tropical and subtropical regions. Diagnosing chikungunya is challenging, as people may also have been infected with dengue or Zika.
According to the U.S. CDC, vaccination against chikungunya is recommended for adults and some adolescents traveling to a destination with a current chikungunya outbreak, such as Réunion.
During 2024 and 2025, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported measles outbreaks in the greater London area. This year, 213 laboratory-confirmed measles cases have been reported in England.
As of April 11, 2025, in London, 24% (52 of 213) of the measles cases have been reported, 21% in the South West, and 17% in Yorkshire and Humber.
However, recently, 57 out of 152 upper-tier local authorities have reported at least one confirmed case with symptom onset since the start of January 2025, with the highest numbers reported in Bristol, Leeds, and Hertfordshire.
The positive news from the UKHSA is that no acute measles-related deaths have been reported in 2025.
In 2024, there were 2,911 laboratory-confirmed measles cases in England, the highest number of cases recorded annually since 2012. This was initially driven by an outbreak in Birmingham but was soon overtaken by a large outbreak in London, with small clusters in other regions.
Since measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, in the UK, children receive two doses of the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine as part of the routine childhood immunisation schedule.
A World Health Organization committee recently agreed that the risk of international spread of poliovirus continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
During the 41st meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations, the Committee members unanimously recommended extending the Temporary Recommendations three months into July 2025.
On April 9, 2025, the WHO Director-General accepted the Committee’s assessment.
The Committee also called on national governments to prioritize polio eradication in their domestic funding allocations to ensure sustained progress toward eradication and appreciates the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s recent confirmation of its $500 million commitment to global polio eradication.
Over the last three years, the nOPV2 polio vaccine has been administered about 1.1 billion times worldwide in various countries.
As of April 11, 2025, the U.S. CDC maintains a Global Measles Outbreak Travel Health Advisory that identifies 39 countries at risk for the spread of poliovirus.
In 2022, the United States was added to the list of polio-identified countries.
To reduce this significant health risk, the CDC says children and adults should be current on their routine polio vaccines, and that certain adult travelers visiting outbreak areas may get an inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) booster dose.
In the United States, IPV vaccination services are offered at travel clinics and pharmacies in 2025.
Over the years, meningococcal disease has remained a global public health concern, particularly in mass gatherings such as the Hajj and Umrah.
As of March 2025, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) health authorities estimated that only 54% of international Umrah pilgrims had complied with the meningococcal vaccination requirements.
Umrah is a year-round pilgrimage to Mecca in western Saudi Arabia, attended by millions of people.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) DON563, the International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point (NFP) for the KSA reported 11 cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) as of March 13, 2025.
Additionally, between early February and March 18, 2025, the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional IHR contact point received reports of six isolated cases of IMD.
These cases involve individuals who had recently returned from Umrah.
The significant number of pilgrims traveling to KSA from countries with varying levels of meningococcal disease incidence presents a risk of international spread during these gatherings.
Given the recent notification of these cases linked to Umrah, WHO strongly advises all individuals planning to attend mass gatherings such as Hajj and Umrah to receive vaccination against meningococcal disease at least ten days before travel.
The government of Saudi Arabia regularly issues health requirements for the Hajj and Umrah, including vaccination policies. Based on the information available for the current event, the WHO does not recommend any restriction on travel and/or trade to the KSA.
In addition to meningococcal, the U.S. CDC recommends that visitors to the KSA in April 2025 consider routine and travel vaccinations such as measles and yellow fever, available at travel clinics and pharmacies.
The New York State Department of Health recently issued a travel advisory for all New Yorkers, urging them to ensure they are fully vaccinated against measles before international travel or travel to an area in the U.S. experiencing an outbreak.
New York's advisory, published on April 2, 2025, listed Canada among the countries with increased measles cases.
As of March 22, 2025, six jurisdictions (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario (548), Quebec, Saskatchewan) in Canada had reported 615 measles cases.
"Measles is more common in different places, and exposure during travel is something we need to consider. It's important that New Yorkers ensure they are up-to-date regarding being immunized against measles. In some cases, measles is as close as a car ride away," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a press release.
"Measles can be a serious disease. It is not just a rash; it can cause pneumonia, hospitalization, and even death. Protect yourself and your family against measles and ensure you are up-to-date on immunization with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine."
Currently, MMR vaccines are offered at clinics and pharmacies in the United States.
As of April 11, 2025, the U.S. CDC maintains a global Travel Health Advisory that lists various countries impacted by the ongoing measles outbreak.
While the South Indian Ocean chikungunya outbreak has been focused on France's Réunion Island, the Republic of Mauritius has also reported imported and local cases in 2025.
According to the Mauritius health services, most mosquito-transmitted chikungunya cases were imported from Asia and Africa.
On March 17, 2025, Mauritius, located east of Africa and Madagascar, reported the first local case in the country since 2009.
Then, on April 8, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 17 local chikungunya cases in Mauritius.
The WHO says virus transmission persists in populations with low prior exposure, making vaccines essential to a comprehensive chikungunya outbreak response.
As of April 10, 2025, the U.S. CDC has not issued a Travel Health Notice regarding this chikungunya outbreak.
For travelers departing from the United States, the United Kingdom, or Europe, effective chikungunya vaccines, such as IXCHIQ®, have been approved by government agencies and are commercially available at most travel clinics and pharmacies.
While most malaria cases are detected in Africa, on the other side of the world, malaria outbreaks continue to be detected in South Korea.
According to a post on X, the South Korean government has recently confirmed locally acquired malaria cases and is taking immediate action.
On April 9, 2025, the Ministry of National Defense wrote, 'Recent outbreak of malaria patients among soldiers discharged from military service in border areas such as Paju, Gyeonggi Province, and Cheorwon, Gangwon Province.'
The Ministry of National Defense and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency are working to achieve a 'Malaria-Free Republic of Korea' to eradicate malaria domestically by 2030.
The Joint establishment of the "Second Malaria Eradication Action Plan (2024-2028) includes:
- Free malaria diagnostic tests and treatment prescriptions for one year after discharge at 14 military hospitals nationwide.
- Free diagnostic testing is available two years after discharge at public health centers nationwide.
In 2024, the Agency issued malaria warnings for areas, including Seoul's Yangcheon and Gangseo districts. In 2023, over 719 cases of the mosquito-borne disease were confirmed.
According to the U.S. CDC, travelers going to areas of South Korea should take prescription medicine to prevent malaria. Depending on the medicine you take, you will need to start taking this medicine multiple days before your trip, as well as during and after your trip.
As of April 10, 2025, malaria vaccines are offered in Africa, but not South Korea or the United States.
