Please note that not all cases of disease or outbreaks are reported; some outbreaks may only be reported if they occur outside of the usual recognised risk area or season, or they have been reported in greater than usual numbers. See 'About Outbreaks' tab below for further detail.
For further information on red, amber and green alert categories, see About Outbreaks tab.
To view all outbreak updates for a thread, press on the blue circled number below an outbreak post.
Marburg virus disease in Tanzania
On 20 January 2025, Tanzania confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in the Biharamulo and Muleba districts of Kagera. A single case has been laboratory confirmed with a further 25 suspected cases testing negative. The World Health Organization are supporting outbreak measures in the region. Please see our Topics in Brief article for further details on Marburg virus disease.
Yellow fever in Nigeria
Between 1 January 2024 and 20 November 2024 a total of 2,641 suspected (29 confirmed) cases of yellow fever were reported. Please see our Topics in Brief article for further details on yellow fever.
Trypanosomiasis in USA ex Zambia and Zimbabwe
On 18 December 2024, the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control issued a travel notice about several cases of East African trypanosomiasis in travellers returning from safari areas in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Please see our Topics in Brief article for further details on trypanosomiasis.
Yellow fever in Brazil
As of 6 January 2025, cases of yellow fever have been reported in monkeys in some regions of the State of Sao Paulo. Please see our Topics in Brief article for further details on yellow fever.
VDPV2 in United Kingdom
As of 10 January 2025, a further vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) has been detected in an environmental sewage sample from London collected in December 2024. Please see our Topics in Brief article for further details on polio.
Mpox in Belgium
As of 10 January 2025, Belgium has reported a second confirmed mpox case (clade Ib). Health authorities are closely monitoring the situation and state risk of infection for the general population in Belgium is extremely low. Please see our Topics in Brief article for further details on mpox.
Mpox in China ex DRC
On 9 January 2025, China reported five confirmed cases of mpox clade Ib. The first case had been living in DRC where clade Ib has been reported. The other cases were close contacts of the first case. Please see our Topics in Brief article for further details on mpox.
Mpox in France
On 7 January 2025, France's Ministry of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families reported it's first case of clade Ib mpox in the Brittany region. The case did not have a travel history to Central Africa, but had been in contact with two individuals who had returned from a country in Central Africa. Investigations into the source of the infection are ongoing. Please see our Topics in Brief article for further details on mpox.
Cholera in South Sudan
As of 21 December 2024, 4,793 suspected and confirmed cases of cholera, including 47 deaths, have been reported. There has been a 147% increase in case numbers over the previous four week period. Six out of ten states have been affected. Severe flooding and mass displacement of people have worsened the situation. Please see our Topics in Brief article for further details on cholera.
Mpox in Zambia
On 30 December 2024, a third mpox case was confirmed by the Zambia Ministry of Health. Clade type was not reported. Zambia's first mpox case during November 2024 was clade typed to be clade Ib. Please see our Topics in Brief article for further details on mpox.
Welcome to our outbreak surveillance section. This page contains information on disease outbreaks and other incidents that are considered to be of relevance to UK travellers.
You can search the information by disease or by country.
We regularly review and update information on overseas disease outbreaks and other health issues that may affect the UK traveller. The information comes from a wide variety of sources, and can be used along with the Country Information section of our website where you will find recommendations on vaccines, malaria and other risks for each country (where relevant). Please note that not all cases of disease or outbreaks are reported.
You can search our Outbreak Surveillance information by disease or by country.
In some countries, there may be limited surveillance and reporting processes in place so information can be difficult to obtain. Some diseases may only be reported if they occur outside of the usual recognised risk area or season, or they have been reported in greater than usual numbers. Outbreaks of those diseases included in the UK childhood vaccination programme are not usually reported unless the outbreak is unusual or unexpected.
If you wish to use the following content for official purposes, please refer to the original sources of information. The information presented in the disease surveillance reports is collated from a variety of sources, including government bodies, international organisations and the media. The verification status of each report is clearly indicated. Verified reports are confirmed by official sources. Some unverified reports are included to ensure timely dissemination of information and where possible we will try to substantiate these reports, although confirmation may not always be possible. Unverified reports may be subject to change, misreporting and may later prove to be unsubstantiated. They should not therefore be regarded as official.
Where available, a web link is provided to the original information source. We cannot accept responsibility for the sites to which it links, or for the information found on those sites. Linking to outside sites does not in any way imply endorsement of these sites.
Key to NaTHNaC alert level feature
LEVEL 1: GREEN |
Take usual precautions
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Follow standard protective measures, as recommended for this destination, disease or situation. Be aware that advice may change and check for updates. |
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LEVEL 2: AMBER |
Take extra precautions
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Follow any additional precautions recommended. Be alert and check regularly for changes in advice about this ongoing situation. Advice may be relevant for all travellers or apply to a specific group of travellers. |
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LEVEL 3: RED |
FCDO advise against travel
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Follow Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advice. This may mean avoiding non-essential travel, or all travel. Subscribe to the FCDO destination advice for security updates and travel warnings. |
Alert categories are based on the situation at the time of publication. They will not be routinely updated unless outbreak information or a news item is updated.
The categories do not replace Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice. Travellers should still check the FCDO travel advisories for any country specific security or safety alerts.