Zika Breaking News

In late 2025, Ethiopia experienced its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in its southern regions. 

As of December 12, 2025, Ethiopia's Ministry of Health posted on Facebook that there have been 14 confirmed cases of MVD with nine related fatalities.

Accordingly, the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel within 5km of the towns of Jinka and Hawassa due to the ongoing MVD outbreak.

In early December, the U.S. CDC updated its Level 1 travel advisory, stating to watch for symptoms of Marburg while in the outbreak area and for 21 days after leaving Ethiopia. If you develop fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, rash, chest pain, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or unexplained bleeding or bruising, contact a healthcare provider.

Since its initial outbreak in 1967, no suspected, probable, or confirmed MVD-related cases have been reported in the United States or the United Kingdom. Previous MVD outbreaks have been confirmed in Europe and other African countries.

Currently, no preventive vaccine has been approved for human use. However, Marburg vaccine candidates are conducting clinical research as of December 15, 2025.

Local media in Mexico have reported human cases of myiasis associated with the northern expansion of New World Screwworms (NWS).

As of early December 2025, reports of myiasis cases in Chiapas, Oaxaca, Yucatán, Campeche, and Tabasco, totaling around 92 human cases, including five related fatalities.

Throughout the Region of the America, 1,000 NWS cases in people have been confirmed in 2025.

According to the United States government, NWS has not crossed into the state of Texas and is not currently present in the USA. However, there has been one confirmed case of NWS in a person who returned to the USA after traveling to El Salvador.

The U.S. CDC says Infestations by NWS maggots can cause painful and foul-smelling wounds. If not caught early and treated, it can lead to extensive tissue damage and potentially death.

The CDC recommends that healthcare providers, if they suspect a patient has an NWS infestation, report it immediately to their local or state health department. 

India's tuberculosis (TB) incidence has recently been reduced by 21%, almost double the pace observed globally, as per the World Health Organization's Global TB Report 2025.

Similarly, India's TB mortality rate has decreased, reflecting a near-tenfold increase in government funding to the TB program, which has focused on high-risk areas such as Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi.

Since its launch in December 2024, India's flagship TB elimination mission, the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, has achieved extensive reach, screening over 19 crore vulnerable individuals across the country, leading to the detection of over 24.5 lakh TB patients, including 8.61 lakh asymptomatic TB cases.

Since TB is a vaccine-preventable disease, India offers access to the 100-year-old Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine.

These proactive approaches draw on both global and local evidence, underscoring India's commitment to science-based solutions to reduce the severity of this disease.

Unfortunately, the provisional data from the U.S. CDC for 2024 showed 8% increase from 2023, reaching the highest count since 2011, with rates rising across most age groups.

However, the CDC's week #49 data indicates a position trend in 2025, with only 8,489 TB cases confirmed as of December 6, 2025.

While access to the BCG vaccine in the U.S. is limited, recent shortages have been resolved with recombinant versions like rBCG.

As of December 13, 2025, the CDC doesn't recommend it for general use because of false-positive TB skin test results. However, healthcare providers can access the vaccine through special programs when visiting TB-outbreak areas in India.

International leaders, philanthropists, and global health partners announced today a collective $1.9 billion to advance polio eradication. This funding is essential as wild poliovirus is now endemic in only two countries, but outbreaks of variant poliovirus still threaten children in over 30 countries.

According to a press release from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) on December 8, 2025, the funds will accelerate efforts to reach 370 million children annually with polio vaccines and strengthen health systems in affected countries to protect children from other preventable diseases.

This includes approximately $1.2 billion in newly pledged funds, reducing the remaining resource gap for the GPEI 2022-2029 Strategy to $440 million.

The pledges announced today reaffirm international resolve to finish the job and protect future generations from a disease that once paralyzed 1,000 children every day across 125 countries.

"The fight to end polio shows what is possible when the world invests together in a shared goal. We're 99.9 percent of the way there – but the last stretch demands the same determination that got us this far," said Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation. "This renewed funding will help us cross the finish line and strengthen the systems that protect children from this terrible disease for good."

Success would make polio just the second human disease ever eradicated—after smallpox—and is projected to save the world more than $33 billion by 2100 compared to the ongoing cost of outbreak control.

The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization (SAGE) recently endorsed two critical innovations for polio eradication.

SAGE recommended that fractional doses of Sabin-based inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) be used in the same way as fractional doses of Salk-based IPV – helping stretch supply and reach more children. 

SAGE also backed the broader rollout of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to help stop persistent outbreaks of circulating variant poliovirus type 2 in some of the toughest places.

In 2024, SAGE recommended that, where feasible, the use of both IPV and nOPV2 vaccines be employed for initial outbreak-response vaccination campaigns.

In the United States, the IPV is offered at travel clinics, and booster shots are suggested for certain travelers. 

In recent years, Argentina has seen a significant rise in Zika virus infections. Both Argentina and its South American neighbor, Brazil, face challenges in diagnosing Zika infections and distinguishing them from Dengue fever, another disease transmitted by mosquitoes.

According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), current efforts focus on improving the sensitivity of surveillance systems. In Argentina, Zika is detected mainly through passive surveillance systems that identify cases in people seeking medical care.

This detection process is not a guarantee that the Zika virus is not in circulation.

This makes it challenging to monitor the increasing number of Zika cases, which can lead to severe congenital disabilities, including microcephaly. This happens because an infected pregnant woman can spread the virus to her unborn baby.

As of December 12, 2025, the PAHO reported Argentina has confirmed 1,045 Zika cases this year.

This data compares with 564 reported in 2024.

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, with over 3 million residents, and an international traveler's favorite, has seen a significant rise in Zika cases in 2025, with hundreds reported by the Health Ministry.

While the U.S. CDC has not issued a Travel Health Notice in 2025 focused on Zika outbreaks in Argentina, the PAHO and other organizations caution all visitors to reduce their risk of infection.

In the near term, a Zika prevention vaccine may be approved. Until then, beware of mosquito bites!

Connecticut's health department today reported its first measles case since 2021. This patient is an unvaccinated resident of Fairfield County, located just northeast of New York and home to about 950,000 people.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) reported on December 11, 2025, that this child recently travelled internationally and began showing symptoms of measles several days later.

"The single best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to be vaccinated," said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, in a press release.

"One dose of measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective, while two doses are about 97 percent effective. We must ensure we continue to protect those who matter most – children and other vulnerable people – from vaccine-preventable illnesses through on-time vaccination."

According to the 2024-2025 Statewide School Immunization Survey, 98.2% of Connecticut students had received two doses of MMR by kindergarten entry. Connecticut's MMR vaccination rate is one of the highest in the U.S.

MMR vaccination services are generally offered at clinics and pharmacies in the United States.

As schools and colleges begin their winter vaccinations in December 2025, many students are heading south to warmer weather.

One of the most popular destinations this year is the Republic of Costa Rica.

While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights that routine vaccines, such as measles, are needed before traveling abroad, several mosquito-transmitted viruses are currently infecting people in Costa Rica.

The positive news is that fewer infections are being confirmed in this Central American country.

Moreover, infection risks vary by city, such as San Juan, in the central mountains, or at the beach.

On December 5, 2025, the Costa Rica Health Department's Boletín Epidemiológico N° 46 confirmed recent cases of Chikungunya, Dengue, Malaria, and Zika virus infections.

So far in 2025, eight cases of Chikungunya have been reported. Last year, over 40 cases were reported.

Over 5,400 Dengue cases were reported in 2025. About 31,200 cases were reported in 2024.

And 12 cases of Malaria had been reported in Costa Rica. In 2024, 200 cases were reported.

Furthermore, the seldon discussed, but very serious Zika virus has caused 11 cases, far fewer than the 32 reported in 2024.

Regarding accessing preventive vaccines before a trip to Costa Rica, a travel consultant is best suited to answer questions, as some vaccines are available globally but not in the United States. Other vaccines, such as those for Zika, are still in clinical trials in late 2025.

In the U.S., travel clinics such as PassportHealth commercially offer consulting sessions for international travelers.