In Rohingya camps, at least 211 suspected cases have been reported (8 confirmed).

The outbreak is reported across 58 out of 64 districts. In addition, the death toll has topped 200 (from 206 total cases, 34 confirmed).

The outbreak is driven by gaps in routine immunisation, with clusters of zero-dose and under-vaccinated populations, compounded by delays in the 2025 nationwide measles-rubella (MR) campaign.

How contagious is measles? What is R0?

Pressure on the Bangladeshi health system is increasing, with overstretched laboratory capacity and limited availability of Vitamin A supplements.

An emergency MR campaign began on 5 April, reaching 943,000 children (6 months–5 years) by 13 April. Around 22 million doses are being distributed. In Rohingya camps, vaccination will run from 26 April to 7 May, targeting 178,028 children.

According to officials, a total of 42,210 children in Barishal city will be vaccinated during the campaign. Among them, 33,600 children will receive vaccines at the community level, while 8,610 children will be covered at the pre-school level.

The vaccination drive will continue for three weeks. In the first week, vaccinations will be administered at pre-school institutions, followed by community-level vaccination activities in the second and third weeks.

Measles: A Public Health Wake-up call in the US

The first phase of the campaign, that began on April 5, included 30 Upazilas of 18 districts of the country.

Concerning the outbreak cases and deaths, at least 888 new suspected measles cases and one more suspected measles death were reported in the 24 hours until 8:00am Saturday, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.

With the latest figures, a total of 145 suspected deaths and 14,385 suspected measles cases have been recorded across the country since March 15.

She added that five of the nine affected children in Khairpur had died, clarifying that mpox was not the direct cause of death but that the children were already weak and malnourished.

Experts warned that one of the confirmed mpox cases this year pointed to local transmission.

Monkeypox Livestream

The Sindh Department of Health established isolation in wards in major and district headquarters hospitals across the province.

Mpox testing is currently being conducted free of charge at Aga Khan University Hospital and the Dow University of Health Sciences, with patients required to stay under observation for at least a day.

In addition, at least 113 measles deaths have been reported in the past six weeks.

The outbreak in Bangladesh prompted a emergency vaccination campaign. The nationwide campaign, which began on Sunday, aims to immunize more than 1.3 million children aged between six months and under five years across 30 upazilas, or regional administration, in 18 high-risk districts.

The government has urged parents and guardians to bring their children to designated vaccination centers, emphasizing that timely immunization is the most effective way to stop the outbreak.

The case was reported through the polio surveillance network and confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad.

In 2026, Pakistan has already implemented a nationwide polio campaign that protected over 45 million children, while the next national campaign is planned in April. In 2025, Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) carried out five nationwide campaigns, in addition to targeted rounds of oral and injectable polio vaccination and integrated activities with the national routine immunization program.

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Despite challenges, eradicating the global public threat of polio in Pakistan and worldwide is within reach, and the PEI continues to intensify its efforts to leave no child behind. Since 1994, thanks to polio vaccines, Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8% – from 20,000 estimated cases in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025.

While the overall trend shows a decline in poliovirus detections compared to 2024, reflecting the impact of high-quality vaccination campaigns conducted in 2025, virus circulation persists in certain high-risk areas including districts of Sindh and southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These detections underscore the continued need for robust, targeted efforts to interrupt transmission and consistent vaccination for children.

Polio is a highly contagious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis and death. However, the disease can be prevented thanks to polio vaccines, which are safe and effective and have been safely used in 195 countries, including all Muslim countries.

Officials say a nationwide dengue prevention and control campaign will be launched in response.

To date, Sri Lanka has already seen 9480 dengue cases across the country, with the Western Province recording the highest number, more than half the cases.

According to the WHO, the patient is female, aged between 40-50 years, residing in Naogaon District, Rajshahi Division. She developed symptoms consistent with NiV infection on 21 January, including fever, headache, muscle cramps, loss of appetite (anorexia), weakness, and vomiting, followed by hypersalivation, disorientation, and convulsion. On 27 January, she became unconscious and was referred by a local physician to a tertiary hospital. She was admitted on 28 January, and the Nipah surveillance team collected throat swabs and blood samples. The patient died the same day.

The patient reported repeated consumption of raw date palm sap between 5 and 20 January 2026.

This is the first NiV case/death of 2026. In 2025, four laboratory-confirmed fatal cases were reported from Bangladesh.

Since 2001, the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) in Dhaka has reported 348 Nipah virus infections, including 250 deaths, for a case fatality of 71.8 percent.

India health officials: Only two Nipah Virus cases reported in West Bengal

In a follow-up on the Nipah Virus outbreak in West Bengal state in eastern India, the India National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported yesterday only two confirmed cases of Nipah Virus Disease have been reported from West Bengal from December last year till date.

Following confirmation of these two cases, the Government of India, in close coordination with the Government of West Bengal, initiated prompt and comprehensive public health measures in accordance with established protocols.

A total of 196 contacts linked to the confirmed cases have been identified, traced, monitored, and tested. All traced contacts have been found asymptomatic and have tested negative for Nipah Virus Disease.

Enhanced surveillance, laboratory testing, and field investigations were undertaken through coordinated efforts of Central and State health agencies, which ensured timely containment of the cases. No additional Nipah Virus Disease cases have been detected so far.

The situation is under constant monitoring, and all necessary public health measures are in place.

In a follow-up on the Nipah virus (NiV) situation in West Bengal state, India, state authorities are reporting the number of confirmed cases has risen to five, as of January 23.

State officials have confirmed that nearly 100 people, who were in close contact with the infected individuals, have been quarantined and are under observation.

The three latest infections include a doctor, nurse and health worker, all linked to the same private hospital where two nurses first tested positive.

The latest patients have been transferred to the infectious diseases hospital in Beleghata, eastern Kolkata.

The outbreak, centred near the state capital of Kolkata, initially saw two nurses, one male and one female, test positive while working at a private hospital in Barasat.

"The condition of the male nurse is improving but the woman patient remains very critical. Both of them are being treated in the ICCU (Intensive Coronary Care Unit)," according to the West Bengal health department.

NiV infection is a bat-borne disease transmitted to humans through infected animals (such as bats or pigs), contaminated food or, less commonly, through close contact with infected individuals.

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Since 1998 NiV outbreaks have been reported in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.

In India, NiV infections have occurred multiple times since 2001 with outbreaks in West Bengal State in 2001 and 2007, and in Kerala State regularly since 2018. Since 2018, Kerala has reported a total of nine NiV outbreaks.

The patients are nurses and have been admitted to a Kolkata hospital. "The health condition of both of them remains extremely critical. They are still in a coma and admitted to the ICCU," according to an official of the health department.

According to State health department sources, one of the nurses recently returned from her hometown in Katwa in Purba Bardhaman district, where she fell ill and was initially admitted to a local hospital on December 31, 2025.

Following the emergence of the cases, 90 people, who were in close contact with the patients, have been traced and are under observation.

Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging and serious viral zoonotic disease that carries with it a high case fatality rate (in the ballpark of 70% or more).

NiV is an enveloped RNA virus and along with Hendra virus make up the Henipahviruses.

The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus.

It was first recognized in a large outbreak in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia and Singapore from Sep 1998 – May 1999.

276 cases were reported, the vast majority (93%) being pig farmers or people who had contact with pigs. The disease presented as encephalitis and four out 10 people died.

It is theorized that the pigs got infected consuming partially bat-eaten fruit that ended up in a pigsty. Pigs were the intermediate host in this case; however, subsequent outbreaks had no intermediate hosts.

No new outbreaks have been reported in Malaysia since 1999.

The outbreaks since the initial one in Malaysia (Bangladesh and India) have been linked to two possible routes of transmission—consumption of raw date palm sap that had been contaminated with urine or saliva from infected fruit bats and strong evidence points to human-to-human transmission (close physical contact, especially contact with body fluids).

Wild poliovirus was detected in a 4-month-old girl from Union Council Spinwam-2 in North Waziristan in southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The child had onset of symptoms in December, and subsequent samples collected from her were positive for WPV1, the lab reported this week. Therefore, this is the 31st case of 2025. In addition, this is the fifth case reported from North Waziristan in 2025.

Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for more than half of Pakistan’s WPV1 cases in 2025, with 17 of the country’s 31 cases reported from the region. Ongoing security challenges have limited consistent access for polio teams in parts of southern KP, including North Waziristan, resulting in persistent immunity gaps and leaving children vulnerable to this paralytic disease.

In 2025, Pakistan reported 20 cases from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, nine from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Pakistan reported 74 cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in 2024, marking a significant resurgence from only six cases reported in 2023.

While the overall trend shows a decline in positive detections of poliovirus compared to 2024, reflecting the impact of high-quality vaccination campaigns conducted in 2025, virus circulation persists in certain high-risk areas. These detections underscore the continued need for robust, targeted efforts to interrupt transmission.

The Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) is intensifying efforts to ensure comprehensive vaccination coverage, particularly in high-risk and vulnerable areas. The National Task Force has endorsed the 2025-26 roadmap, which emphasizes repeated nationwide vaccination campaigns and the strengthening of routine immunization services to interrupt poliovirus transmission.

In line with this roadmap, the first nationwide polio campaign of 2026 will be conducted from 2nd to 8th February across the country, including South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, meant to vaccinate over 45 million children under the age of five for vaccination.

Health officials with the National Dengue Control Unit say the 41 divisions are in a "dengue high-risk situation".

Officials say this is the result of floodwaters left by Cyclone Ditwah in late November and early December 2025.

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Community medical specialist of the National Dengue Control Unit, Dr. Prashila Samaraweera said health teams have intensified surveillance and mosquito-control operations in these 41 affected areas.

Health officials have identified mosquito breeding grounds mainly in schools, government institutions, places of worship, and abandoned buildings and lands.

Sri Lanka recorded 51,479 dengue cases in 2025.

Sri Lanka chikungunya outbreak 2025

Typhoid cases have been increasing in the Civil Hospital in the last three days, with dozens of patients admitted to the pediatric ward and more than 100 total cases reported.

The outbreak is linked contamination of drinking water due to ongoing drainage repair work.

People have been advised to drink boiled water and eat home-cooked food. The civic body is also distributing chlorine tablets for cleaning of water tanks.

This comes at a time when residents of Indore, which is recognised as one of the cleanest cities in the country, began falling ill after consuming contaminated water supplied to Bhagirathpura, a densely populated locality now grappling with an acute diarrhea outbreak that has claimed at least 10 lives and led to over 200 hospitalizations.

Typhoid fever is a serious disease caused by Salmonella Typhi (Typhi) bacteria. The bacteria spread through contaminated food and water and person-to-person contact.

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Symptoms of typhoid fever include high fever, weakness, stomach pain, headache, constipation or diarrhea, cough, and loss of appetite. Typhoid fever can be fatal without appropriate antibiotic treatment.

Typhoid risk is higher in populations that lack access to safe water and adequate sanitation, and children are at highest risk.

Typhoid fever is common in places with poor sanitation and a lack of safe drinking water. Access to safe water and adequate sanitation, hygiene among food handlers and typhoid vaccination are all effective in preventing typhoid fever.

According to the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) in Dhaka, four confirmed Nipah virus cases were reported in Bangladesh in 2025, accounting for 4 fatalities.

The four confirmed cases were reported from four different districts across three separated geographical divisions (Barisal, Dhaka, and Rajshahi) in Bangladesh.

According to the WHO, all cases were confirmed through Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) testing, and no epidemiological links were reported to have been identified between the cases.

The first case was a young adult woman from Pabna district, Rajshahi division, with symptom onset on 25 January. She was admitted to a community hospital on 26 January and referred to another hospital the next day. She died on 28 January, and laboratory confirmation of NiV was received on 29 January. A total of 96 contacts were reported to be identified, and all tested negative for NiV.

The second case was an adult man from Bhola district, Barisal division, who developed symptoms on 13 February and was admitted to hospital on 19 February. He was transferred to another hospital the next day and died on 22 February. NiV infection was confirmed on 21 February. A total of 71 contacts were reportedly identified, and all tested negative for NiV.

The third case was an adult man from Faridpur district, Dhaka division, with symptom onset on 17 February. He was admitted to hospital on 25 February and died the same day. NiV infection was confirmed on 26 February. A total of 66 contacts were identified, and all tested negative for NiV.

The fourth case was a male child from Naogaon district, Rajshahi division, with symptom onset on 3 August. He was admitted to a hospital on 8 August and moved to the intensive care unit the following day. He died on 14 August. Samples collected on 10 August tested positive for NiV on 22 August. An outbreak investigation team was deployed the same day. A total of 72 contacts were identified, and samples from 11 symptomatic contacts were collected. Six tested negative, while the results for the remaining are awaited. This case was reported outside the typical season (December to April).

The first three cases had a history of consuming raw palm sap. However, the fourth case had no history of consuming raw palm sap, and the likely source/s of infection remain under investigation.

Since 2001, IEDCR has reported 347 Nipah virus infections, including 249 deaths, for a case fatality of 71.8 percent.

The worst year was 2004 when 67 cases and 50 deaths (75% CFR). Three years saw no cases-2002, 2006 and 2016.

Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging and serious viral zoonotic disease that carries with it a high case fatality rate (in the ballpark of 70% or more).

NiV is an enveloped RNA virus and along with Hendra virus make up the Henipahviruses.

The natural host of the virus are fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family, Pteropus genus.

It was first recognized in a large outbreak in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia and Singapore from Sep 1998 – May 1999.

276 cases were reported, the vast majority (93%) being pig farmers or people who had contact with pigs. The disease presented as encephalitis and four out 10 people died.

It is theorized that the pigs got infected consuming partially bat-eaten fruit that ended up in a pigsty. Pigs were the intermediate host in this case; however, subsequent outbreaks had no intermediate hosts.

No new outbreaks have been reported in Malaysia since 1999.

The outbreaks since the initial one in Malaysia (Bangladesh and India) have been linked to two possible routes of transmission—consumption of raw date palm sap that had been contaminated with urine or saliva from infected fruit bats and strong evidence points to human-to-human transmission (close physical contact, especially contact with body fluids).

Nipah vaccine

The University of Oxford has launched the world’s first Phase II clinical trial of a Nipah virus vaccine candidate.

The trial, conducted in Bangladesh in partnership with the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), and funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), will assess the safety and immune response of the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine in a region where the virus causes recurrent outbreaks.

The trial started earlier this month, and will enrol 306 healthy participants aged 18 to 55.

Developed by scientists at the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute (PSI), the first-in-human trials of the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine started in January 2024 in Oxford, led by the Oxford Vaccine Group. Fifty-one people aged 18 to 55 have safely completed one year of follow-up in the Oxford trial with results expected in the coming months.

The vaccine is made using the same viral vector platform as the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which is estimated to have saved six million lives in its first year alone.

Dr Kent Kester, CEPI’s Executive Director of Vaccine Research and Development, said: ‘Oxford’s Nipah virus vaccine candidate is the most advanced vaccine against this highly lethal virus. The start of this phase II trial is a first of its kind and represents the culmination of years of cutting-edge research and global scientific collaboration.

‘The results from this study will hopefully bring us a step closer towards protecting vulnerable populations against future deadly Nipah outbreaks and will help inform the development of other Paramyxovirus countermeasures.’

According to the World Health Organization:

In Sri Lanka, a total of 151 confirmed CHIKV disease cases were reported from sentinel sites in Colombo, Gampaha and Kandy between 1 January 2025 and the second week of March 2025. According to the Epidemiology Unit Division situation report, dated 31 August 2025, the CHIKV disease cases continued to increase and peaked in June 2025. Over half of the reported cases were from the Western Province, with Colombo District alone reporting 33%. The most affected age group was 41–60 years (36.4%), although an increasing trend was noted among children.

The Embassy advises:

• Visit the CDC’s Travelers Health Page on Chikungunya in Sri Lanka .

• Visit Medical Assistance – U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka for information about medical care.

• See a doctor if you have a fever, joint pain, headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash.

• Ask your doctor about upcoming travel.

• Buy travel insurance before you travel. Check with your  travel insurance provider  about evacuation assistance, medical insurance, and trip cancelation coverage.

Chikungunya disease is caused by the chikungunya virus and is spread to humans through mosquito bites. Outbreaks have occurred in countries in Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Chikungunya epidemic risk: A call to action

Most people infected with chikungunya virus develop some symptoms. Symptoms of chikungunya usually begin 3–7 days after a bite by an infected mosquito. The most common symptoms are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash. Most people get better within a week; however, some can have severe joint pain for months to years following acute illness.

People at risk for more severe disease include newborns infected around the time of birth, older adults (65 years or older), and people with medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. Death from chikungunya is rare.

There is no specific treatment for chikungunya.

Lumbini province reported the most cases and deaths with 55 and 11, respectively.

Seventy percent of lab-confirmed JE cases have been detected in those above 15 years of age.

The Ministry wants to launch a mass immunization drive for JE in 2026; however, no development partners have shown interest to finance the program.

According to a report in the Kathmandu Post: Health officials said that their attempts to persuade development partners, including the World Health Organization, to support a mass JE vaccination campaign have not succeeded, as JE vaccination is not in priority of the aid agencies including the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations.

Japanese encephalitis with Dr. Melvin Sanicas

“Yes, officials are preparing an assessment report including estimated cost for the mass campaign,” said Dr Ramesh Kanta Adhikari, senior immunization expert and the chair of the National Immunization Advisory Committee. “We also hope the Chinese government helps with the immunization drive, as Chinese companies manufacture JE vaccines.”

New data from the Immunization Section of the Family Welfare Division under the Department of Health Services shows that the majority—76 percent—of JE related deaths occurred in people above 40 years of age, meaning that all deceased were unvaccinated.

The vaccine is in its routine immunization list, which the government provides free of cost to all children.

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Japanese encephalitis is a deadly infectious disease found mainly in Asia. About 70,000 cases of JE are estimated to occur in Asia each year, although the actual number of cases is likely much higher due to underreporting in rural areas. JE is fatal in approximately 30 percent of those who show symptoms, and leaves half of survivors with permanent brain damage. The disease is endemic in Southeast Asia, India and China, a region with a population of more than three billion.

In 2005, JE killed nearly 2,000 people in Nepal—mostly children in districts in the southern plains. Nepal started administering the vaccine in 2006, eight years before the World Health Organization officially issued prequalification certification, due to high rates of infection and deaths from the virus at the time.

Officials reported an additional 705 cases during the past 24 hours-so the total is now 90,969 as of today.

The dengue death toll has now reached 366.

Barishal division has seen the most cases 20,224, followed by Dhaka (15,514), Dhaka North City Corporation-DNCC (14,270) and Dhaka South City Corporation-DSCC (12,979).

DSCC has reported the most fatalities with 167.

According to the DGHS data, three additional fatalites were reported bring the annual death toll to 318.

Barishal division has reported the most cases with 18,765 cases, followed by Dhaka division (13,585), Dhaka North City Corporation (12,047) and Dhaka South City Corporation (11,635).

Dhaka South City Corporation accounts for 49 percent of the country’s fatalities with 155.

November is the fifth consecutive month where more than 10,000 cases were reported- July (10,684), August (10,496), September (15,866), October (22,520) and November through the 11th (10,722).

Dengue claimed the lives of 575 people in 2024.

The DGHS recorded 101,214 dengue cases and 100,040 recoveries during the same period.

Bangladesh saw 22,520 cases in October alone.

The death toll has risen to 278.

Barishal division has reported the most cases with 17,370 cases, followed by Dhaka division (11,668), Dhaka South City Corporation (10,309) and Chattogram division (10,190).

Dhaka South City Corporation accounts for 48 percent of the country’s fatalities with 134.

Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, has turned into an endemic disease in Bangladesh in recent years.

Health experts attribute this growing menace to the impacts of climate change, which have made the country’s environment increasingly favorable for the breeding and survival of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.

Erratic rainfall, prolonged monsoon seasons, waterlogging, and rising temperatures have expanded mosquito habitats, leading to more frequent and intense outbreaks.

This brings the total dengue cases in the country to 65,440 through October 26.

Of the 1,143 cases reported today, the most cases were reported from Dhaka division (282), Barishal division (186), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) (165) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) with 154.

So far in October, 18,098 cases were reported, the most of any month this year.

In addition, four additional dengue deaths were reported today, bringing the the fatality total to 263.

Dengue claimed the lives of 575 people in 2024.

The DGHS recorded 101,214 dengue cases and 100,040 recoveries during the same period.

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Dengue is a disease caused by a virus spread through mosquito bites. The disease can take up to 2 weeks to develop with illness generally lasting less than a week.

Symptoms from dengue include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, rash, muscle and joint pain, and minor bleeding.

Dengue can become severe within a few hours. Severe dengue is a medical emergency, usually requiring hospitalization.

In severe cases, health effects can include hemorrhage (uncontrolled bleeding), shock (seriously low blood pressure), organ failure, and death.