Saudi Arabia Joins Morocco, France, Cambodia, China, India And More In Facing New Virus Outbreaks 2025 And Do Travellers Need To Take Note Of This Before Booking Their Trip

Published on August 12, 2025 |

The twelvemonth 2025 has been marked by a activity of virus outbreaks affecting countries crossed aggregate continents. This put nan travellers’ life astatine risk. So earlier making their trips, group should beryllium return into relationship astir nan risks that they are putting their lives into. From highly contagious diseases for illustration measles successful Morocco to deadly but uncommon pathogens specified arsenic Marburg virus successful Tanzania, nan world wellness scenery has faced some acquainted and emerging threats. Nations including Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, France, China, Bangladesh, and India person each reported important nationalist wellness challenges ranging from mosquito-borne illnesses for illustration chikungunya and dengue fever to vulnerable zoonotic viruses for illustration Nipah and MERS-CoV. These events item nan ongoing consequence posed by vaccine gaps, environmental factors, and animal-to-human transmission, underscoring nan value of rapid response, public wellness surveillance, and global cooperation successful preventing nan adjacent pandemic.

Morocco – Measles
A wide bales outbreak has been ongoing since precocious 2023, pinch complete 25,000 suspected cases and 184 related deaths reported crossed each 12 regions up to mid-April 2025. Transmission has been nationwide, chiefly affecting unvaccinated children. In response, Morocco’s wellness authorities activated emergency operations, launched urgent catch-up vaccination campaigns, and strengthened surveillance and nationalist outreach to incorporate nan outbreak. Measles is highly contagious, and while Morocco had aimed for elimination, vaccination gaps enabled its resurgence. WHO assesses nan wide consequence from this outbreak arsenic mean nationally and regionally, pinch interest for cross-border spread.

Saudi Arabia – MERS-CoV
Between March 1 and April 21, 2025, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health reported 9 cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, including 2 fatalities. Notably, 7 of these cases formed a infirmary cluster successful Riyadh, wherever six healthcare workers were infected while caring for a azygous MERS patient. Most of them had mild symptoms aliases were asymptomatic. This outbreak highlights that MERS-CoV continues to spill complete from camels into humans and tin dispersed successful healthcare settings. Saudi authorities, pinch WHO’s guidance, person reinforced infection power measures. The wide consequence appraisal remains mean astatine some location and world levels.

Cambodia – Avian Influenza (H5N1)
An uptick of H5N1 vertebrate flu infections successful humans was observed successful Cambodia successful 2025. Between January 1 and July 1, 2025, officials confirmed 11 quality cases, pinch an different spike of 7 cases successful June alone. These cases occurred crossed aggregate provinces, and astir patients had nonstop vulnerability to sick backyard poultry, indicating bird-to-human transmission arsenic nan superior route. Avian influenza is endemic successful chaotic birds and poultry successful Cambodia, but quality cases had been absent for galore years earlier re-emerging successful 2023. While H5N1 infections are often severe, nan existent consequence to nan nationalist is considered debased because nan microorganism does not dispersed easy betwixt humans. Health authorities are continuing to show for immoderate signs of human-to-human transmission.

France (La Réunion & Mayotte) – Chikungunya
A awesome outbreak of chikungunya microorganism struck nan French Indian Ocean territories of La Réunion and Mayotte for nan first clip successful astir 2 decades. La Réunion has seen sustained transmission since August 2024, pinch complete 47,500 confirmed cases and 12 deaths arsenic of early May 2025. This is nan island’s worst chikungunya resurgence since 2005–2006. In Mayotte, nan microorganism reappeared pinch nan first locally acquired cases recorded since 2006. Public wellness teams person implemented enhanced mosquito control, accrued surveillance, and moreover launched a targeted vaccination pilot. Despite these efforts, transmission remained precocious successful early 2025, and WHO has warned that further dispersed is apt fixed nan abundance of Aedes mosquito vectors and nan population’s debased caller immunity.

China (Guangdong Province) – Chikungunya
In mid-2025, Guangdong Province knowledgeable its first important chikungunya outbreak, pinch complete 7,000 confirmed cases since June. The outbreak’s emergence has been linked to dense monsoon rains and flooding, which created perfect breeding conditions for Aedes mosquitoes. Local and nationalist wellness authorities person responded pinch extended insecticide spraying and nationalist advisories. The U.S. CDC issued a recreation watch, recommending mosquito wound prevention measures for travelers to nan affected areas. While astir patients retrieve successful astir a week, nan accelerated dispersed successful this densely populated region underscores nan increasing consequence of mosquito-borne epidemics successful caller locations.

Bangladesh – Dengue Fever
Bangladesh is successful nan grip of a terrible dengue outbreak successful 2025, pinch 24,183 infections and 101 deaths reported by mid-August. Cases roseate sharply successful July and early August, pinch 19 deaths successful nan first 10 days of August alone, pursuing 41 deaths successful July. The microorganism has dispersed nationwide, pinch nan superior Dhaka arsenic a awesome hotspot, though galore different districts are besides affected. Hospitals are nether strain, and experts pass nan highest is apt to travel successful September, raising fears of 1 of nan country’s worst dengue seasons. Authorities person urged nan usage of mosquito nets and repellents and intensified mosquito power measures, including spraying and removing stagnant water.

India (Kerala) – Nipah Virus
Kerala’s confederate authorities reported 4 confirmed cases of Nipah microorganism betwixt May and July 2025, including 2 deaths. The cases were successful Malappuram and Palakkad districts, marking nan first discovery of Nipah successful Palakkad. Investigations showed that nan patients were not connected to each other, suggesting abstracted spillover events from consequence bats alternatively than nonstop human-to-human transmission. Health authorities acted quickly by isolating patients, tracing and quarantining complete 700 contacts, and issuing precocious alerts successful affected regions. These measures helped incorporate nan outbreak, preventing immoderate further spread.

Tanzania – Marburg Virus
In early 2025, Tanzania faced an outbreak of Marburg microorganism illness successful nan northwest Kagera region. A full of 10 cases were recorded, each of which resulted successful death, giving a 100% fatality rate. The outbreak was constricted to a mini area and linked to vulnerability successful bat-inhabited caves, pinch consequent human-to-human dispersed done bodily fluids. Authorities, pinch WHO’s support, moved quickly to trace contacts, isolate cases, and extremity nan spread. The outbreak was declared complete successful March 2025 aft nary caller cases emerged. However, vigilance is needed arsenic nan microorganism remains successful nan wildlife reservoir.