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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reissued its Level 1—Practice Usual Precautions, Travel Health Advisory, which highlights Dengue virus outbreaks.

On December 16, 2024, the CDC confirmed that Dengue is mosquito-transmitted and identified 23 countries reporting increased disease cases this year. However, not all countries with Dengue transmission are on this updated CDC list.

Therefore, since Dengue is a year-round risk, international travelers should practice prevention measures for all outbreak areas.

For example, the United States' southern neighbor, Mexico, has reported over 543,000 Dengue cases in 2024.

Within the U.S., the CDC recently confirmed 8,270 travel-related and locally-acquired Dengue cases from 52 jurisdictions, led by Florida (Miami), California (Los Angeles), New York, and Texas.

Although Dengue is a vaccine-preventable disease, no U.S. FDA-approved vaccine was available in late December 2024. However, several vaccine candidates, such as Butantan Institute Butantan-DV, are approaching approval in various countries.

Vaccine Treats: 
Dengue
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Image Caption: 
US CDC Dengue Map; Dec. 16, 2024
Live Blog Update Author: 
Don Hackett
Location Tags: 
Atlanta
Vaccine: 
QDENGA Dengue Vaccine
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Level 2 Travel Health Notice for people visiting Brazil’s Espirito Santo state due to an Oropouche virus outbreak.

Over the past weeks, Brazil has reported more than 1,300 Oropouche cases, mainly in Espirito Santo.

On December 11, 2024, the CDC stated that travelers to this southeastern Brazil state should prevent bug bites during travel to protect themselves from infection. They should also prevent bug bites for three weeks after travel to avoid possibly spreading the virus to others.

Symptoms of Oropouche include headache, fever, muscle aches, stiff joints, nausea, vomiting, chills, or sensitivity to light. Severe cases may result in neuroinvasive diseases such as meningitis.

Additionally, pregnant women should reconsider non-essential travel to Espírito Santo, Brazil. If travel is unavoidable, these travelers should strictly follow Oropouche prevention recommendations.

Recent reports indicate that Oropouche can be spread by sex contact.

In August 2024, an infant with microcephaly associated with Oropouche virus infection was reported in Brazil. The infant, born in June 2024, who later died at 47 days of life, had tested positive for Orepouche virus IgM.

Previously, the CDC had a Level 1 travel notice for other parts of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, and Peru.

In the United States, Florida has reported over 90 travel-related Oropouche cases in 2024.

As of December 13, 2024, no Oropouche vaccine is available.

Vaccine Treats: 
Oropouche
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Image Caption: 
US CDC December 11, 2024
Live Blog Update Author: 
Don Hackett
Location Tags: 
Brazil
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The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is conducting a briefing on the current state of dengue, Oropouche, and avian flu in the Region of the Americas. These Arthropod-borne viruses pose a significant public health threat, with a notable expansion in their geographic spread.

Recently, the Oropouche virus has also expanded in certain countries, such as Cube, and avian flu has been reported in birds, mammals, and humans along the northern flyway.

On December 10, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. EST, via Zoom with prior registration, the PAHO will provide an update on the situation of these viruses and recommendations for 2025.

Since 2003, the Americas have faced an unprecedented increase in dengue outbreaks in 2024, with over 12.6 million infections and 7,713 related fatalities, marking a record year. 

In the United States, the CDC reported that 52 jurisdictions, led by California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Puerto Rico, had reported 7,858 dengue cases this year. According to local reporting, dengue may have become endemic in Puerto Rico and Miami, Florida.

As of December 9, 2024, no dengue vaccine is available in the U.S.

Vaccine Treats: 
Dengue
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Image Caption: 
PAHO December 2024
Live Blog Update Author: 
Don Hackett
Location Tags: 
Washington DC
Vaccine: 
QDENGA Dengue Vaccine
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The Florida Department of Health recently published its Arbovirus Surveillance Update 48, which discloses mosquito-borne disease activity, such as Dengue virus.

As of December 7, 2024, 70 cases of locally acquired dengue were reported from ten counties led by Miami-Dade (44). Most of this year's dengue cases are serotyped as DENV-3 and 4. 

In 2023, 186 people contracted dengue in Florida.

This virus is transmitted to people by infected mosquitoes. Furthermore, women infected with dengue during pregnancy can pass the virus to their fetus.

As of today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Canada Health, and the United Kingdom have not issued vaccination requirements for visitors traveling to southeast Florida. 

Dengue vaccines are available in numerous countries but not in the U.S.

Vaccine Treats: 
Dengue
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Image Caption: 
Google Maps 2024
Live Blog Update Author: 
Don Hackett
Location Tags: 
Miami
Vaccine: 
QDENGA Dengue Vaccine
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In the Region of the Americas, outbreaks of Oropouche virus disease have occurred historically in the Amazon region in rural and urban communities in Brazil, Colombia, Ciba, Ecuador, French Guiana, Panama, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago.

On December 5, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued Disease Outbreak News regarding the current outbreak.

As of late November 2024, a total of 11,634 confirmed Oropouche cases, including two deaths, have been reported in the Region of the Americas across ten countries and one territory: Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Peru and the United States of America.

In the USA, the Florida Department of Health published its Arbovirus Surveillance Update 48 on November 30, 2024, revealing 90 travel-associated Oropouche fever cases have been reported this year in travelers to Cuba.

The WHO's News report highlights the need to strengthen epidemiological and entomological surveillance and reinforce the population's preventive measures.

This advice is crucial due to the expansion of the virus's transmission area and the growing need to understand better the disease spectrum, including possible new transmission routes. Oropouche is spread primarily by the bite of infected midges (small flies) and mosquitoes.

While it is unknown if Oropouche can be spread by sex, travelers to outbreak areas should take precautions during travel and for six weeks after returning to the USA from abroad.

According to the U.S. CDC, these vectors could affect the general population and vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, their fetuses, and newborns.

Unfortunately, there are no Oropouche preventive vaccines available in 2024.

Based on available information, the WHO assesses the overall public health risk posed by the Oropouche virus as high at the regional level and low at the global level. Based on the current information on this event, WHO advises against applying travel or trade restrictions.

Vaccine Treats: 
Oropouche
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Image Caption: 
WHO / CDC December 5, 2024
Live Blog Update Author: 
Karen McClorey Hackett
Location Tags: 
Americas
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dengue

Tourism Often Leads to Dengue Infection

Severe Dengue detected in a few international travelers
December 3, 2024
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Valneva SE today reported positive antibody persistence data three years after vaccination with a single dose of its chikungunya vaccine IXCHIQ®.

Among the healthy adults still enrolled in a clinical trial, 96% maintained neutralizing antibody titers.

Announced on December 3, 2024, the results align with Valneva's expectations for the only U.S. FDA-approved chikungunya vaccine, confirming a strong and long-lasting antibody persistence across all age groups investigated.

IXCHIQ's three-year persistence data also align with positive twelve-month and two-year persistence data the Company reported in December 2022 and 2023, respectively.

These data are positive news for the Region of the Americas, where 412,094 mosquito-transmitted chikungunya cases and 204 related fatalities have been reported this year. 

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 173 travel-related chikungunya cases in Territories and non-U.S. residents in 2024, led by Massachusetts (20) and Texas (20).

Juan Carlos Jaramillo, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Valneva, commented in a press release, "We are extremely pleased about these three-year data, which further highlight IXCHIQ®'s differentiated product profile and ability to induce a robust, long-lasting antibody response in both younger and older adults with a single vaccination."

"Whether you're a traveler or live in an endemic region, the potential for long-term protection against a mosquito-borne disease with a single dose is crucial, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where vaccine access is often limited."

IXCHIQ® is the world's first and only licensed chikungunya vaccine approved in the U.S., Europe, and Canada to address this significant unmet medical need.

The Company expects a marketing authorization in Brazil, a chikungunya hot spot, before the end of 2024.

In the U.S., IXCHIQ is available at travel clinics and pharmacies, such as Passport Health in Tampa, Florida.

Vaccine Treats: 
Chikungunya
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Image Caption: 
by Willi Heidelbach
Live Blog Update Author: 
Don Hackett
Location Tags: 
Saint-Herblain
Vaccine: 
IXCHIQ Chikungunya Vaccine Live
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Additional Evidence From Brazil Suggests Blood Transfusion-Transmitted Dengue Virus

Dengue
November 30, 2024

Contributing Expert Program

Vax-Before-Travel News Contributing Expert Program

The Vax-Before-Travel (VBT) News Contributing Expert Program empowers vaccine providers to communicate with people digitally through news articles. When traveling abroad, consumers gain real-world insights about health risks by reading main-street perspectives authored by travel vaccine experts.

Overview

Like Reuters, VBT News Network publishes breaking news with a third-party opinion from a healthcare provider inserted into the article. This free, easy-to-participate program has measurable benefits for vaccine providers.

VBT's news articles are based on relevant clinical studies, press releases, and reports from U.S. government agencies (CDC, FDA, NIH), as well as the U.K., Canada, the Pan American Health Organization, the European CDC, and the World Health Organization. Dr. Bob Carlson leads VBT's content review team that fact-checks news articles for commercial bias and clinical accuracy. 

Process

Contributing Experts submit a three-sentence personal quote related to a VBT news article.

VBT's content team will edit the submitted quote to ensure its relevance and accuracy. Once medically reviewed, the news article is published with integrated links for the author and organization.

VBT news articles are distributed in newsletters, Google News, X, LinkedIn, etc.

Examples:

Houston's Third Measles Case Arrives at the Airport - link.

Galapagos Island Vacations are Healthy and Safe in 2025 - link.

Chikungunya Vaccination Outperforms Medication Treatment ROI - link.

Visiting El Salvador is Easier, Healthier, and Safer - link. 

Global Cholera Vaccine Stockpile is Depleted - link.

Texas' Updated Respiratory Disease Dashboard Offers Real-Time Vaccination Insights - link.

Contributing Experts

Crockett Tidwell RPh, CDCES, CTH, International Society of Travel Medicine Certificate in Travel Health™, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, Lubbock, Texas.

Jeanne Waggener, a pharmacist from the University of Texas at Austin, received an Honorary Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy.

Jeri Beales, MSN, RN, provides education and vaccinations to travelers at Destination Health Travel Clinic, Boston, MA.

Kelley Lu, PharmD, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy.

Chris Felton, PharmD, graduated from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Tyler, Texas.

Duellyn Pandis, DNP, MS, APRN, FNP-C, Certificate in Travel Health® in Tampa, Florida.

Beverly Schaefer, RPh, is a travel vaccine expert at Katterman's Sand Point Pharmacy in Seattle, WA.

V Yvette Cheeks MSN, RN, NPE-C, owner of The Immunization Clinic in Houston, Texas,

3 min read
Last Reviewed: 
Saturday, August 2, 2025 - 06:25
Description: 
Vax-Before-Travel News Contributing Expert Program
malaria

Costa Rica Leads Malaria Day in the Americas

Chikungunya, dengue, malaria, Zika cases confirmed in Costa Rica in 2024
November 27, 2024