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The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently announced that the entire Region of the Americas has lost its verification of endemic measles transmission elimination due to ongoing outbreaks in several countries.
For example, in early November, Canada lost its measles elimination status.
As of November 24, 2023, Mexico's Ministry of Health reported approximately 5,300 cumulative confirmed measles cases this year, primarily in the northern region, just south of New Mexico and Texas.
This data is comparable to Canada's, indicating that Mexico may also lose its measles-free status.
Meanwhile, the United States, located between Canada and Mexico, has reported around 1,753 measles cases this year, with a few ongoing outbreaks, particularly in northern South Carolina.
The standard recommendation shared among these countries and states is that most people should be fully vaccinated with the MMR vaccine to protect themselves from the easily transmissible virus.
The Maine CDC recently announced it was investigating a cluster of seven cases of shigellosis among residents of Cumberland, Kennebec, and Androscoggin counties. So far in 2025, there have been 22 cases, preliminary data as of November 19, 2025.
The Maine CDC says that in the past five years, the median number of annual shigellosis cases was 11.
Shigellosis is an acute enteric infection transmitted through the fecal-oral route, directly through person-to-person contact, including sexual contact, and indirectly through contaminated food, water, and other routes.
The World Health Organization says it is evaluating the role of vaccines against Shigella on antibiotic use. Although several candidate Shigella vaccines are being evaluated at different stages of preclinical and clinical development, currently, no licensed vaccines against Shigella diarrhoea are widely available.
The French health ministry today published an updated Bulletin summarizing the unusually high number of chikungunya virus cases this year.
As of November 20, 2025, there have been 87 locally acquired cases of chikungunya in France: 43 in the Gard and 44 in the Hérault, located along France's Mediterranean coast.
Additionally, France confirmed 1,052 imported cases, with about 72% related to travelers from the department of La Réunion, located in the southwest Indian Ocean.
Seperately, Italy has reported 384 local cases, with the largest cluster located in Carpi, San Prospero, Soliera, Novellara, Cavezzo, Modena, Nonantola, Correggio, Novi di Modena, and Cesenatico.
The reasons behind these outbreaks may be weather-related.
On November 17, 2025, the European CDC reported that, according to data in the scientific literature, the ambient temperature is one of the most important environmental factors influencing the mosquito-borne transmission of the chikungunya virus.
The optimal daily average temperature for chikungunya transmission by Ae. albopictus in temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere is 24–26 °C.
However, transmission might occur within the temperature range of 12 – 30 °C.
Currently, the U.S. CDC advises travelers to these areas to speak with a healthcare provider about chikungunya vaccination options.
The Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has been circulating in the Region of the Americas for decades, causing large epidemics throughout the tropics and subtropics.
In the Federative Republic of Brazil, the co-circulation of arboviruses such as Dengue and Zika, and overlapping disease symptoms, CHIKV infection may be underdiagnosed, according to a recent study's findings.
Current data indicate that over 238,000 CHIKV cases and 115 related fatalities have been reported in Brazil this year.
In November 2025, the European CDC Situation Update reported CHIKV cases across all regions (Centro-Oeste, Nordeste, Norte, Sudeste, and Sul) and in most federal units of the country.
The Centro-Oeste and Sudeste regions account for the highest number of cases in recent weeks, where Mato Grosso Do Sul, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo are the most affected federal units in 2025.
The ECDC writes that cases are expected to increase from November onwards, based on observed trends in 2024 and 2023.
As of November 19, 2025, the U.S. CDC reports an elevated chikungunya risk in Brazil.
These health agency analyses are of interest to international travelers planning to attend Carnival 2026 in cities such as Rio de Janeiro.
The CDC says chikungunya vaccination may be considered for people traveling to or moving to this location if they plan to stay for an extended period. In the United States, approved chikungunya vaccination services are offered at travel clinics and pharmacies.
According to the Florida Department of Health (DOH), Arbovirus Surveillance Report, Week 46, travelers from Cuba have been diagnosed with various diseases in 2025.
As of November 15, 2025, the DOH reported 73 travel-related cases of chikungunya have been confirmed in Florida this year, with 62 related to Cuba.
In 2025, 355 cases of dengue fever were reported among individuals who had traveled internationally, with 252 cases among travelers from Cuba.
And one Oropouche case was reported in a traveler from Cuba in November.
According to the U.S. CDC, check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your healthcare provider at least a month before your trip to Cuba in 2025. Various travel vaccines are offered at clinics and pharmacies throughout the United States.
The U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica, recently issued an alert stating that Hurricane Melissa caused significant damage to the city of Montego Bay. Hurricane Melissa made landfall on October 28, 2025, causing widespread damage.
The Black River community was also heavily damaged.
As of November 14, 2025, the building that houses the U.S. Consular Agency in Montego Bay, Jamaica, sustained storm damage and power outages, and is closed until the building and office are determined to be safe for public access and utilities have been restored.
However, the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica's capital city, and the U.S. Consular Agency in The Cayman Islands are open for routine and emergency consular services for U.S. citizens.
The current Level 3 Travel Advisory recommends considering rescheduling planned travel to Jamaica. If you plan to travel, confirm availability with your transportation provider and at your destination before you leave.
From a health perspective, the U.S. CDC writes that Healthcare professionals should ensure international travelers are up to date on travel vaccines and medications, as well as prepared to manage their health before visiting Jamaica.
And local media reported in November 2025 that various cities are offering free vaccine clinics providing free vaccines for flu, COVID, and routine childhood vaccines, accessible from local pharmacies.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) today reported vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) has been detected in an environmental sewage sample collected in Yorkshire and the Humber, in northern England, home to about 5.6 million people.
As of September 16, 2025, the GPEi confirmed that this is the second VDPV2-positive environmental sample reported in the United Kingdom in 2025.
The GPEI says VDPV2 is a strain related to the weakened live poliovirus contained in the oral polio vaccine. If allowed to circulate in under- or unimmunized populations for long enough, or replicate in an immunodeficient individual, the weakened virus can revert to a form that causes illness and paralysis.
The U.S. CDC's Global Polio Travel Health Notice says that Most people with polio do not feel sick. Some people have only minor symptoms, such as fever, tiredness, nausea, headache, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, stiffness in the neck and back, and pain in the arms and legs. In rare cases, polio infection causes permanent loss of muscle function.
The CDC did include the UK among the 39 countries identified in this Level 2 travel alert.
As of November 18, 2025, the CDC recommends that before traveling to any destination listed, adults who previously completed the complete, routine polio vaccine series may receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine.
In the USA, the IPV vaccine is offered at clinics and travel pharmacies.
In a press briefing today, Ethiopia's Health Minister, Dr. Mekdes Daba, said 17 suspected cases of Marburg had been identified and tested during a recent outbreak of the severe disease.
According to a Facebook post on November 17, 2025, Dr. Mekdes noted that six people who exhibited symptoms have died in Ethiopia. However, laboratory confirmation was possible only for the three verified cases.
Dr. Mekdes added, "At this time, there are no individuals in treatment facilities infected with the virus."
However, the minister noted that laboratory tests are still being conducted on those showing symptoms. We continue to collect and process samples, and families of the suspected cases are being informed as the process continues.
Since its initial outbreak in 1967 in Germany, Marburg virus disease has been reported in various countries.
The U.S. CDC says watch your health for symptoms of Marburg while in the outbreak area and for 21 days after leaving. If you develop symptoms, separate yourself from others immediately and do not travel.
Currently, no vaccines for Marburg disease are available.
Note: This Vax-Before-Travel.com news article was updated on November 18, 2025.
