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According to a recent blood donor study, about 37% of the residents of the Republic of Paraguay may be infected with the Chikungunya virus.
A research article published in the journal Medical Virology on May 13, 2025, stated that serum samples from 546 blood donors across seven regional districts and Asunción were collected from March to May 2023.
Anti-CHIKV IgG prevalence was 37.2%, with men showing a seroprevalence nearly 10% higher than women, but no significant age-related differences were observed.
Regional variation in CHIKV seroprevalence was not substantial.
In conclusion, this study suggests a high seroprevalence of CHIKV in Paraguayan blood donors, with the notable CHIKV prevalence underscoring the effects of recent outbreaks.
As of May 26, 2025, the U.S. CDC says there has been evidence of CHIKV transmission in Paraguay within the last 5 years.
During 2024, about 2.2 million people visited this South American country.
Furthermore, the CDC says certain travelers visiting Paraguay may be considered for Chikungunya vaccination. CHIKV vaccines are offered at travel clinics and pharmacies in the United States.
The São Paulo State Health Department recently confirmed that Dengue is a seasonal disease. During the rainy season, a high transmission rate can be observed. Throughout Brazil, Dengue is the most critical arbovirus disease transmitted by arthropod vectors.
Over the past 25 years, nearly 18 million Brazilians have been infected with Dengue.
As of May 26, 2025, the state of São Paulo, with a population of 44 million, has reported about 617,000 of Brazil's 2.5 million Dengue cases this year. According to data, the state of São Paulo leads in the number of deaths from dengue fever, with 692 cases.
In February 2025, a public health emergency was declared to alert residents and international visitors of this continuing health risk.
Last year, about 2.1 million Dengue cases and 2,100 related fatalities were reported in São Paulo.
This ongoing surge is related to Dengue virus serotype 3 (DENV-3) reemergence since the population is not immunized against this serotype.
While a second-generation Dengue vaccine will be limited in availability in 2025, Butantan Institute in São Paulo has been involved in developing an innovative vaccine that could become available in 2026.
Additionally, with the annual influenza season arriving in South America, beginning on May 27, 2025, the flu vaccination will be offered to the entire population in São Paulo's 645 municipalities over six months of age.
When visiting Brazil in 2025, the U.S. CDC recommends international travelers speak with a travel vaccine expert about various immunization options, such as chikungunya and yellow fever.
The Republic of Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) and Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) recently updated the vaccination requirements for all pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for Haj or Umrah pilgrimages, in consultation with Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS).
This vaccination update, published on May 8, 2025, safeguards pilgrims' health throughout their journey and better protects them from infections while overseas.
Singapore pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for the Haj pilgrimage in June 2025 also need to be vaccinated for influenza and COVID-19 before travel, in addition to meningococcal vaccination. Pilgrims are to ensure that:
Meningococcal vaccination: Pilgrims must complete their meningococcal vaccination at least 10 days before departure and provide proof of immunization.
COVID-19 vaccination: Pilgrims must show proof of either a single dose of the updated vaccine for the 2024-2025 season, completion of the primary vaccination series, or laboratory-confirmed recovery from a COVID-19 infection during 2024.
Influenza vaccination: Pilgrims must receive their influenza vaccination within 12 months before their travel date and provide proof of immunization.
In addition, the MOH and CDA recommend that pilgrims ensure they are updated with other nationally recommended vaccinations listed in the National Adult Immunisation Schedule and National Childhood Immunisation Schedule.
For example, elderly and medically vulnerable pilgrims should take the pneumococcal vaccine before their trip. For more information about nationally recommended vaccinations and available subsidies, please visit the CDA website.
Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and Umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca, located in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia.
When the polio eradication campaign was launched in 1988, the ambitious goal was to eliminate the disease by 2000. Despite the campaign's remarkable progress, polio remains a global health challenge in 2025.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), polio remains a global health concern in May 2025.
The WHO says there is no cure for polio, and infection prevention through vaccination is the best protection available.
Polio paralysis is caused by a human enterovirus called the wild poliovirus. However, less than 1% of wild poliovirus infections result in paralysis.
An article published in Clinical Infectious Diseases on May 21, 2025, says one significant misstep of the polio vaccination was the transition from the trivalent oral polio vaccine (OPV) to the bivalent OPV, which excluded the type 2 vaccine.
This switch occurred after the eradication of wild-type 2 poliovirus was declared in 2015.
This change was made to curb the emergence of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV), which occur when the weakened virus in the vaccine mutates back to virulence and spreads in under-immunized populations.
Contrary to the optimistic modeling predictions, the exclusion of type 2 vaccine led to a dramatic increase in cVDPV cases, skyrocketing from just 6 cases in 2016 to more than 1,000 cases 3 years later, with more than 3,300 children paralyzed since the switch in 43 countries.
These researchers believe that the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) must be an essential part of polio eradication campaigns in the future.
Today, the U.S. CDC is partnering with other agencies through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to help eradicate polio globally. Last week, the GPEI reported that Germany, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, and Sudan confirmed cVDPV2-positive environmental samples and human infection.
As of April 2025, the CDC identified 38 countries reporting poliovirus detections.
In the U.S., vaccinations with the IPV are standard with the CDC's schedules, including a booster dose for certain people visiting poliovirus outbreak areas in 2025.
'Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines,' says the CDC.
As of May 25, 2025, polio vaccination services are offered at clinics and pharmacies nationwide.
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According to a recent research program by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, West Nile Virus (WNV) genetic material has been detected in mosquitoes in Britain for the first time.
This area is located about 70 miles east of Manchester, UK.
These researchers stated that UKHSA collected Aedes vexans mosquitoes from wetlands on the River Idle near Gamston (Retford), Nottinghamshire, in July 2023.
As of May 21, 2025, the UKHSA has assessed the risk to the general public as very low, but is advising healthcare professionals so that patients with encephalitis of unknown cause can be tested as a precaution.
WNV is usually found in birds, and typically circulates through bird-biting mosquitoes, which can transmit the virus to humans or horses.
While rare in the United Kingdom (UK), WNV is endemic in various regions across the globe, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East, West and Central Asia, and North America, as well as South America, Australia, and the USA.
Since 2000, seven travel-associated cases have occurred in the UK.
In 2024, 1,466 WNV cases were confirmed in 49 states in the USA, led by Texas with 176 cases.
Dr Jolyon Medlock, Head of Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology at UKHSA, added in a media release, "Mosquitoes in the UK are also commonly found in wet woodland areas and various aquatic habitats, including ponds, ditches, marshes, and even garden water butts or cisterns."
"To avoid being bitten by a mosquito in these areas, wear long-sleeved clothing and trousers to cover your arms and legs, use insect repellent on your skin, close windows and doors whenever possible, or use blinds or screens."
Additionally, there are no approved WNV vaccines for people in 2025.
However, current human clinical studies include vaccine candidates such as two live attenuated chimeric, one DNA, one recombinant subunit, and two inactivated whole-virus vaccines.
While most rabies cases in the United States are related to bites from infected bats, not dogs, a recent report from rural North Carolina indicates that trend may be changing.
According to City of Roxboro officials, on May 20, 2025, a man was attacked by a coyote in the area of Somerset Drive. Local media reported that the man could defend himself and kill the coyote.
The Person County Animal Services seized the dead coyote for rabies testing.
The County says, 'If you see wildlife behaving strangely, primarily nocturnal animals such as skunks and raccoons found during daylight hours, do not approach the animal. Instead, call 336-597-0545 and speak to the Animal Control Officer.'
'If any animal bites you, wash the wound immediately with soap and water and seek medical attention.'
Additionally, rabies vaccination is recommended for various reasons.
At the end of March 2025, a bat found in the area of Shady Oak Road in northern Person County tested positive for rabies, becoming the second confirmed case in Person County this year.
The U.S. CDC says rabid dogs kills about 70,000 people worldwide. Many countries have not looked for rabies in local wildlife, and it is likely that yet-undetected wildlife also maintain the virus, and are a threat to unaware international travelers.
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