Latest WHO signal
Hantavirus cluster linked to cruise ship travel, Multi-country
On 2 May 2026, a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness aboard a cruise ship was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). At that time, according to the ship operator, 147 passengers and crew were onboard, and 34 passengers and crew had previously disembarked. Since the last Disease Outbreak News published on 4 May, three of the suspected cases were confirmed, and one additional confirmed case was reported. As of 8 May, a total of eight cases, including three deaths (case fatality ratio 38%), have been reported. Six cases have been laboratory-confirmed as hantavirus infections, with all identified as Andes virus (ANDV). Through the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) channel, National IHR Focal Points (NFPs) have all been informed and are supporting international contact tracing. WHO assesses the risk to the global population posed by this event as low and will continue to monitor the epidemiological situation and update the risk assessment. The risk for passengers and crew on the ship is considered moderate.
WHO assessment excerpt
Read WHO Disease Outbreak NewsWHO currently assesses the public health risk related to the cruise ship as moderate, and at the Global level as low for the following reasons: The disease can have a high case fatality ratio, reaching 40-50%, particularly among elderly individuals and those with co-morbidities. The average age of passengers on board the ship is 65 years old. Andes virus has demonstrated limited human-to-human transmission in previous outbreaks, typically occurring among close contacts and within household settings, generally requ...
WHO Disease Outbreak News
Latest stored outbreak signals
Cards are ordered by WHO publication date. Risk labels are World Vitals processing labels derived from WHO text; they do not replace WHO risk assessments.
08 May 20262026-DON600
Hantavirus cluster linked to cruise ship travel, Multi-country
high attentionOn 2 May 2026, a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness aboard a cruise ship was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). At that time, according to the ship operator, 147 passengers and crew were onboard, and 34 passengers and crew had previously disembar...
WHO source04 May 20262026-DON599
Hantavirus cluster linked to cruise ship travel, Multi-country
high attentionOn 2 May 2026, a cluster of passengers with severe respiratory illness aboard a cruise ship was reported to the World Health Organization. The ship is carrying 147 passengers and crew. As of 4 May 2026, seven cases (two laboratory confirmed cases of hantavirus and five suspected...
WHO source23 Apr 20262026-DON598
Measles - Bangladesh
high attentionOn 4 April 2026, the National International Health Regulations (IHR) Focal Point for Bangladesh notified WHO of a nationwide increase in measles cases, geographically affecting 58 out of 64 districts across all eight divisions in Bangladesh. A total of 19 161 suspected measles c...
WHO source10 Apr 20262026-DON597
Avian Influenza A(H9N2) - Italy
elevated watchOn 21 March 2026, the National International Health Regulations (IHR) Focal Point for Italy notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of the identification of a human case of avian influenza A(H9) in an adult male returning from Senegal. Next generation sequencing confirmed I...
WHO source13 Mar 20262026-DON596
International food safety event: Infant formula and products containing arachidonic acid oil contaminated with cereulide toxin - Multi-country
elevated watchMulti-country recalls of infant formula and other products have been initiated after cereulide toxin, was detected in batches of multiple internationally distributed brands. Investigations have identified arachidonic acid (ARA) oil, used as an ingredient in the implicated produc...
WHO source14 Feb 20262026-DON595
Mpox: recombinant virus with genomic elements of clades Ib and IIb – Global situation
elevated watchRecombination of monkeypox virus (MPXV) strains has been documented in recent months, with two cases of a recombinant strain comprising clade Ib and IIb MPXV reported. Recombination is a known natural process that can occur when two related viruses infecting the same individual...
WHO source06 Feb 20262026-DON594
Nipah virus infection - Bangladesh
elevated watchOn 3 February 2026, the International Health Regulations National Focal Point (IHR NFP) for Bangladesh notified WHO of one confirmed case of Nipah virus (NiV) infection in Rajshahi Division. The patient developed fever and neurological symptoms on 21 January. Nipah virus infecti...
WHO source30 Jan 20262026-DON593
Nipah virus disease - India
watchOn 26 January 2026, the National IHR Focal Point for India notified WHO of two laboratory‑confirmed cases of Nipah virus (NiV) infection in West Bengal State. Both are healthcare workers at the same private hospital in Barasat (North 24 Parganas district). NiV infection was conf...
WHO source26 Jan 20262026-DON592
Marburg virus disease- Ethiopia
elevated watchOn 26 January 2026, the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia declared the end of the Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak. This declaration came after two consecutive incubation periods (a total of 42 days) since the last person confirmed with MVD died and was given a safe and dignifi...
WHO source24 Dec 20252025-DON591
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus - Global update
high attentionSince the beginning of 2025 and as of 21 December 2025, a total of 19 cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS- CoV), including four deaths have been reported to WHO globally. Of the 19 cases, 17 were reported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and two were...
WHO source10 Dec 20252025-DON586
Seasonal influenza - Global situation
high attentionSeasonal influenza (‘the flu’) is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses that circulate globally and year-round. It can cause illness ranging from mild to severe, sometimes resulting in hospitalization or death. Seasonal influenza activity has increased globa...
WHO source05 Dec 20252025-DON587
Broader transmission of mpox due to clade Ib MPXV – Global situation
high attentionThe purpose of this report is to raise awareness about the local transmission of clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in countries previously unaffected or to date reporting only cases linked to travel. This report summarizes recent epidemiologic...
WHO source05 Dec 20252025-DON590
Avian Influenza A(H5N5)- United States of America
elevated watchOn 15 November 2025, WHO was notified of the 71st confirmed human case with influenza A(H5) since early 2024 in the United States of America— the first human case reported in the United States of America since February 2025. On 20 November, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and P...
WHO source01 Dec 20252025-DON589
Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
elevated watchOn 1 December 2025, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) declared the end of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak which had been declared on 4 September 2025. The end was declared after two consecutive incubation periods (a total of 42 day...
WHO source21 Nov 2025DON588
Diphtheria - African Region (AFRO)
high attentionFrom 1 January to 2 November 2025, a total of 20 412 suspected diphtheria cases, including 1 252 deaths (an average case fatality ratio [CFR] - 6 %) have been reported across eight Member States in the WHO African Region (Algeria, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria,...
WHO source21 Nov 20252025-DON585
Marburg virus disease- Ethiopia
high attentionOn 12 November 2025, WHO noted a press release from the Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MoH), and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), announcing suspected viral hemorrhagic viral fever (VHF) in Jinka town, South Ethiopia Regional State, Ethiopia. On 14 November 2025, the...
WHO source05 Nov 20252025-DON584
Rift Valley fever- Mauritania and Senegal
high attentionBetween 20 September and 30 October 2025, a total of 404 confirmed human cases of Rift Valley fever (RVF), including 42 deaths, were reported by national health authorities in two West African countries: Mauritania and Senegal. RVF is a zoonotic disease, which mainly affects ani...
WHO source03 Oct 20252025-DON581
Chikungunya virus disease- Global situation
elevated watchIn 2025, a resurgence of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) disease was noted in a number of countries, including some that had not reported substantial case numbers in recent years. Between 1 January and 30 September 2025, a total of 445 271 suspected and confirmed CHIKV disease cases a...
WHO source18 Sept 20252025-DON582
Nipah virus infection - Bangladesh
elevated watchBetween 1 January and 29 August 2025, the International Health Regulations National Focal Point (IHR NFP) for Bangladesh notified WHO of four confirmed fatal Nipah virus (NiV) infection cases, temporally unrelated, reported from four different districts across three separated ge...
WHO source05 Sept 20252025-DON580
Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
elevated watchOn 1 September 2025, WHO received an alert from the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) regarding suspected cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Bulape Health Zone, Kasai Province, DRC. The first known index case was a pregnant woman who present...
WHO source29 Aug 20252025-DON579
Cholera – Multi-country with a focus on countries experiencing current surges
elevated watchThe global cholera situation continues to deteriorate, driven by conflict and poverty, posing a significant public health challenge across multiple WHO regions. Between 1 January and 17 August 2025, a total of 409 222 cholera/Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) cases and 4738 deaths we...
WHO source20 Aug 20252025-DON578
Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1- Israel
high attentionOn 4 August 2025, Israel notified WHO of a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) outbreak. Between February and July 2025, nine genetically linked virus isolates were found in environmental samples from seven sites, mainly in Jerusalem and the Central Region. No...
WHO source06 Aug 20252025-DON577
Nipah Virus Infection - India
elevated watchBetween 17 May and 12 July 2025, the Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Kerala informed through a series of official press releases about four confirmed cases, including two deaths, due to Nipah virus (NiV) infection in two districts of Kerala State. NiV...
WHO source24 Jul 20252025-DON576
Rabies - Timor-Leste
watchOn 17 May 2025, the Timor-Leste government reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) a fatal human case of rabies from Ermera Municipality. Between May and mid-June 2025, Timor-Leste confirmed four human rabies deaths in the municipalities of Bobonaro (n=2), Ermera (n=1) a...
WHO source05 Jul 20252025-DON575
Avian Influenza A(H5N1) - Cambodia
elevated watchBetween 1 January and 1 July 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified by Cambodia’s International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point (NFP) of 11 laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus. Seven of the 11 cases were...
WHO source29 May 20252025-DON573
Anthrax – Thailand
elevated watchIn early May 2025, the International Health Regulations National Focal Point (IHR NFP) for Thailand notified WHO of four cases of cutaneous anthrax. One of the affected individuals died as a result of disease complications, while the remaining three cases were hospitalized and r...
WHO source28 May 20252025-DON572
COVID-19 - Global Situation
high attentionSince mid-February 2025, according to data available from sentinel sites, global SARS-CoV-2 activity has been increasing, with the test positivity rate reaching 11%, levels that have not been observed since July 2024. This rise is primarily observed in countries in the Eastern M...
WHO source20 May 20252025-DON571
Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) - Papua New Guinea
high attentionOn 9 May 2025, the International Health Regulations (IHR) National Focal Point (NFP) for Papua New Guinea (PNG) notified WHO of the detection of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) from stool specimens of two healthy children from Morobe province, Papua New Gu...
WHO source16 May 20252025-DON570
Yellow fever - Region of the Americas
watchFrom 29 December 2024 and as of 26 April 2025 (with data for Ecuador updated as of 2 May 2025), a total of 212 confirmed human cases of yellow fever, including 85 deaths, have been reported to WHO by five countries in the Region of the Americas (case fatality rate (CFR) 40%). Th...
WHO source13 May 20252025-DON568
Measles - Morocco
watchSince late 2023, Morocco has been experiencing a widespread measles outbreak. Cases have been recorded across all regions of the country, particularly among children and people who are unvaccinated. In response, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MOHSP), in collaborat...
WHO sourceMethod