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The European Union (EU) and the United States government have announced the details of a Framework on an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade (Framework Agreement), which includes pharmaceutical products such as vaccines.
The mutual agreement includes 15% tariffs on EU exports to the United States.
The August 21, 2025, statement confirmed that the U.S. and the EU, in line with their relevant internal procedures, will promptly document the Framework Agreement, which should reveal which EU-produced vaccines are subject to this tariff, which may impact the cost to consumers in the U.S.
This pending vaccine list may include high-demand travel vaccines for chikungunya, cholera, and Japanese Encephalitis.
Since the beginning of 2025, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has reported West Nile virus infections in eight countries: Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia, and Spain.
Case numbers reported so far this year are slightly above the average for the past decade, says the ECDC.
However, these figures remain lower than those seen in 2024 and 2018 when West Nile virus (WNV) circulation was particularly intense, with 382 and 385 cases reported by this point in the year, respectively.
While the geographical distribution has been centered in northern Italy, the ECDC's data is now indicating the southern coast of France has become an outbreak zone.
As of August 19, 2025, 13 human cases of vector-borne West Nile virus infection have been identified in six departments of mainland France.
The affected regions are PACA, Occitanie, Corsica, and, for the first time, Île-de-France.
As the summer holiday season ends in 2025, the hospitalisation rate has been notably high, with 100% of reported cases requiring hospitalization this year, compared to 93% over the past decade, according to the ECDC.
The case fatality rate so far this year stands at 7%, which is similar to the 11% observed in the previous decade.
Additionally, neurological manifestations have been reported in 56% of cases this year, compared to 66% in the past decade. Generally, cases with more severe symptoms are more likely to be diagnosed, leading to an expectation of a dominance of neurological cases.
As of August 21, 2025, the U.S. CDC's Travel Health Advisory for France does not identify WNV as a risk.
Both the ECDC and other health agencies recommend avoiding mosquito bites as the best strategy to reduce this health risk, as there are currently no approved vaccines available.
Europe is experiencing a record number of outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses in 2025, including chikungunya.
New data published today by the Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) indicates that the country's fight against chikungunya fever continued throughout the early weeks of August 2025.
On August 21, 2025, ISS reported four local transmission events of the chikungunya virus had been identified in the northern regions of Emilia-Romagna and Veneto in two outbreaks.
Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to people by virus-carrying mosquitoes, often found in these regions' altitudes, through November each year.
From January to August 19, 2025, Italy's national surveillance system has recorded 66 confirmed cases of chikungunya (37 travel-associated cases and 29 indigenous (local) cases, and no related deaths, with a median age of 53 years.
From a prevention perspective, the U.S. CDC recommends either of the two approved chikungunya vaccines for international travelers visiting outbreak zones in 2025.
These vaccines, and other travel vaccines, are commercially offered at certified clinics and pharmacies in the United States.
As of mid-2025, the Philippines has recorded over 123,000 dengue cases nationwide from January to June, and at least 437 dengue-related deaths, with the majority occurring among children.
While the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) considers the situation manageable, as of August 20, 2025, the data reflects a 7% increase.
In Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, dengue cases surged by 35% compared to the same period last year. Dr. Vincent Jess Montejo of the City Health Office assured the public that the situation is not alarming.
"It's not an immediate health problem that we should be concerned about… not panic-level," Dr. Montejo said in a Facebook post.
The DOH says the case increase rate has prompted intensified vector control and public awareness campaigns.
Although there is a second-generation dengue vaccine available in numerious countries, the Philippine FDA has not yet approved it, nor the U.S. FDA.
To alert international travelers of this severe health risk, the U.S. CDC included the Philippines in its recent Level 1 Travel Health Advisory.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently issued a declaration that allows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue Emergency Use Authorizations for animal drugs to treat or prevent infestations caused by the New World Screwworm (NWS).
As of August 20, 2025, there are no FDA-approved drugs for NWS, nor are there vaccines authorized to protect people in the United States.
As of today, NWS infestations have been confirmed in Central America and Mexico, but not in Texas.
The FDA stated in a press release that the parasite's risk to human health in the United States remains very low. Still, the potential future threat to animal populations and the food supply chain requires proactive action.
“Our priority is to safeguard both animal health and the nation’s food supply,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H., in a press release.
“FDA is acting swiftly and responsibly to help ensure we have the necessary tools to prevent and control New World Screwworm, minimizing risks to agriculture and public health.”
Over the last two months, about $900 million has been committed by the U.S. government to combat the NWS from reaching the U.S.
NWS infests warm-blooded animals, including livestock, pets, wildlife, and, in rare cases, humans, causing severe tissue damage and sometimes death, writes the FDA.
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County (DOH Hillsborough) recently informed residents of a confirmed human case of locally-acquired dengue fever.
According to data published by the state (Week 33) on August 19, 2025, this is the 14th local dengue case reported in 2025. Previous dengue cases have been confirmed in the east coast near Melbourne (11) and Miami (2).
DOH-Hillsborough and Hillsborough County Mosquito Control stated in a media release that they are coordinating surveillance and prevention efforts by conducting aerial spraying to reduce the spread of this mosquito-transmitted virus to other people.
This area of Florida includes cities such as Tampa and has a local population of over 1.4 million.
Additionally, Florida has reported 154 dengue cases among international travelers, many of whom had recently visited Cuba.
As of August 20, 2025, dengue vaccines are not offered in Florida.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced that the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, a country located high in the Himalaya Mountains in southeast Asia, has eliminated rubella as a public health problem.
Rubella, or German measles, is a vaccine-preventable disease that is a highly contagious viral infection. It is severe for pregnant women as infection can lead to a range of lifelong and debilitating congenital disabilities, says the WHO.
"Nepal's success reflects the unwavering commitment of its leadership, persistent efforts of the health care workers and volunteers, and unstinting support of engaged and informed communities, for a healthy start for babies and a future free of rubella disease," said Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-In-Charge WHO Southeast Asia, in a press release on August 18, 2025.
Unfortunately, this disease eradication success has not translated to the Japanese Encephalitis (JE), a flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes that is often contracted from infected pigs and sheep.
As of August 2025, JE infections are the leading cause of viral encephalitis in 24 countries in the WHO Southeast Asia and Western Pacific/Oceania Regions, exposing more than 3 billion people to infection risks.
In Nepal, Japanese Encephalitis has been a significant public health concern since 1978, especially in the Terai region, an area that borders India.
JE is also a vaccine-preventable disease. The WHO indicated in August 2025 that Nepal's national JE vaccination coverage surpasses 95%. The government integrated JY vaccinations beginning in 2015.
However, as of August 19, 2025, the Health Ministry's data show 33 JE cases and three fatalities this year.
In 2024, 23 people died, and 80 others were infected with the JE virus.
Traditionally, JE vaccination hasn't been routinely recommended for short-term travelers to Nepal.
The WHO and the U.S. CDC recommend that international travelers visiting Nepal consider vaccination. Proven JE vaccines are available in the United States, commercially offered at various travel clinics and pharmacies in 2025.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently urged countries in the Americas to strengthen immunization activities as measles cases continue to rise in the region.
As of August 8, 2025, a total of 10,139 confirmed measles cases and 18 related deaths have been reported across ten countries, representing a 34-fold increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Countries with the highest case numbers include Canada (4,548 cases), Mexico (3,911 cases), and the United States (1,356 cases).
In Mexico, most deaths have occurred in indigenous people between 1 and 54 years of age.
However, in the U.S., the state of Texas recently declared its measles outbreak had ended.
The current outbreaks are associated with two genotypes of the measles virus and linked to low vaccination coverage, with 71% of cases occurring in unvaccinated individuals.
One genotype has been identified in outbreaks across eight countries, particularly among Mennonite communities in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Belize, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.
In 2024, coverage with the first dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine in the region reached 89% (two percentage points higher than in 2023), while the second dose increased from 76% to 79%.
"Measles is preventable with two doses of a vaccine, which is proven to be very safe and effective. To stop these outbreaks, countries must urgently strengthen routine immunization and conduct targeted vaccination campaigns in high-risk communities," said Dr. Daniel Salas, Executive Manager of the Special Program for Comprehensive Immunization at PAHO, in a press release on August 15, 2025.
Worldwide, measles cases continue to be reported in numerious countries in 2025. To alert international travelers, the U.S. CDC published a Level 1 Travel Health Advisory in May, recommending MMR vaccination before visiting outbreak areas.
