Disease outbreaks
Outbreaks are counted slowly and revised often, so case and death totals here are the figures health agencies published on that date. This page gathers the outbreak notes on the board, newest first, each linked to its WHO, UN or ministry source. For travel or health decisions, talk to your doctor and check your national health agency.
Live official sources we watch
- WHO Disease Outbreak News: WHO’s official outbreak reports
- WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record: WHO’s weekly global disease data
- UN News, Health: UN reporting from WHO, UNICEF and field teams
- Africa CDC: the African Union’s public health agency
- ReliefWeb: UN OCHA’s hub for situation reports
Latest on the board
official data (WHO Disease Outbreak News, MERS-CoV, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oct 15, 2026)
WHO logs eight MERS cases and one death in Saudi Arabia this year, with no links between them
Saudi Arabia · six locations (Al Jouf, Arar, Hafr Al-Batin, Riyadh, Tabuk, Taif)
WHO Disease Outbreak News, Oct 15: between Jan 1 and Oct 5, 2026, Saudi Arabia reported eight laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV cases, including one death, across six locations (Al Jouf, Arar, Hafr Al-Batin, Riyadh 2, Tabuk, Taif 2). WHO found no epidemiological links between the cases; two reported direct camel contact, seven had underlying conditions, none were health workers, and contact tracing found no secondary cases. WHO says the cases appear to be sporadic spillover from camels, and the notification does not change its overall risk assessment.
official (Kenya Ministry of Health, Oct 20, Oct 18 and Oct 17 statements and Ebola response updates · WHO Regional Office for Africa, Oct 16 · Kenya Ministry of Health, Oct 6 and Oct 7) · media (KBC; Reuters; BBC News)
Ebola in Kenya: a ninth case is confirmed, all in one known cluster
Nairobi, Kenya (pin: Nairobi, where the patient was isolated and died; he flew in from Uganda)
Kenya's Ministry of Health confirmed a ninth case of Bundibugyo Ebola on Oct 20. It says all nine cases belong to one known cluster with no evidence of transmission outside the group; eight patients are stable and responding to treatment, and 134 of 135 contacts have been traced and quarantined. Reports the ministry reshared on X say the ninth patient is a 24-year-old man, a close family member of the first case, who was already in quarantine. The eighth case, a 49-year-old man who is not a health worker, was confirmed on Oct 18.
official (WHO Director-General, media briefing, Oct 7, and statement, Oct 6 · WHO briefing at UN Geneva, Oct 6 · Rospotrebnadzor via Interfax, Oct 4 · Irkutsk Gov. Igor Kobzev, Oct 2) · government (US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, via India Today) · attributed (Buryatia head Alexei Tsydenov) · media (Politico Europe; The Independent; Meduza; Lyudi Baikala; The Moscow Times)
WHO presses Russia for the cause of the Irkutsk lab worker’s death
Shelekhov and Irkutsk, Irkutsk region, Siberia, Russia (pin: Shelekhov, where she was hospitalized)
WHO says it cannot yet fully judge the risk from the Irkutsk lab worker’s death: on Oct 7 Director-General Tedros said WHO is “not able to conduct a full risk assessment” without the full picture. WHO has asked Russia for the cause of her severe pneumonia, what prompted the public health measures, and details on a reported second sick employee, so far a single unverified regional report. Russia told WHO no plague case has recently been registered in Irkutsk oblast. WHO’s initial risk assessment: moderate to low for Irkutsk, low for Russia, very low for the WHO European region.
official (Rospotrebnadzor press service, 4 Oct 2026, via Interfax) · media (Meduza; Lyudi Baikala) · updated Oct 4
Russia’s ‘plague’ scare: health agency now says the death was pneumonia of unknown cause
Shelekhov and Irkutsk, Irkutsk region, Siberia, Russia (pin: Shelekhov, where she was hospitalized)
Updated Oct 4: Rospotrebnadzor says the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute worker who died had “pneumonia of unknown etiology.” Expanded tests found no microorganisms linked to her lab work, and a biosafety commission found no accidents involving pathogens. Daily hospital testing of her contacts found 2 Covid-19 and 2 rhinovirus cases and no other pathogens. The agency calls the situation in Irkutsk and Shelekhov “stable.” Earlier, the head of neighboring Buryatia had written that she died of plague. Media report three-week quarantines at several Irkutsk hospitals (Lyudi Baikala, via Meduza).
official (DRC Ministry of Health figures, released 1 Oct, via AP · WHO Disease Outbreak News DON618, 25 Sep · ECDC, 2 Oct · Africa CDC, 1 Oct, via AP · MSF statement and Dutch health ministry, 1 Oct · UN News, 1 Oct)
Congo's Ebola deaths pass 4,000 as a transit centre burns and an MSF doctor is flown to the Netherlands
Democratic Republic of the Congo · Ituri (Bunia, Kigonze camp) · North Kivu (Butembo, Lubero) · patient evacuated to Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands
Updated Oct 4: Congo's health ministry counted 8,300 cases and 4,018 deaths since the outbreak was declared on May 15, in figures released Thursday, Oct 1 (AP, Oct 3). WHO's last Disease Outbreak News (DON618, Sep 25) gave 7,890 confirmed cases and 3,799 deaths as of Sep 23, a 48.1% fatality ratio. Africa CDC says the fall in newly confirmed cases may reflect insecurity and community resistance in hot spots rather than control. A UN official says soldiers searching for weapons burned the Kigonze camp near Bunia that housed an Ebola transit centre, forcing 19,000 people to flee. An infected MSF doctor arrived at Leiden University Medical Center late Thursday. ECDC's next epidemiological update is due Oct 5.
official data (WHO news release, 29 Sep 2026 · Weekly Epidemiological Record WER 101-38, annual cholera report 2025, African meningitis belt 2025, human plague 2019 to 2025)
WHO: 2025 cholera deaths highest since 1999, plague still kills 11% of reported cases
WHO HQ, Geneva (pin: seat, not incident site) · Global surveillance (WHO), seven countries carry ~90% of cholera: Angola, Bangladesh, DRC, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen · plague mostly DRC and Madagascar
WHO (Mon Sep 29) + Weekly Epidemiological Record 101-38: 47 countries reported 451,499 cholera cases and 7,870 deaths in 2025, deaths up 30% despite fewer cases, the highest annual cholera death toll reported to WHO since 1999. Seven countries carried ~90%. Human plague 2019 to 2025: 3,847 suspected cases, 423 deaths, 11% case fatality, mostly DRC and Madagascar.
official / UN (UN News, WHO Regional Emergency Director Dr Annette Heinzelmann, Geneva briefing by video link from Cairo, Tue Sep 29 2026) · Aden health-authority casualty count via WHO · OCHA alert
WHO: Yemen fighting pushes cholera and measles risk, 830 dead since Aug 6, Aden warehouse at zero on lifesaving lines
Yemen, Marib, Ras Al-Arah, Taiz, Lahj, Hudaydah · Aden (WHO warehouse) · Djibouti arrivals
UN News / WHO (Tue Sep 29, Geneva): WHO’s Dr Annette Heinzelmann, several lifesaving supply lines at WHO’s Aden warehouse at zero stock; nine health facilities damaged or attacked; obstetric and newborn care suspended at two hospitals. Aden health authorities: 4,481+ casualties including 830 deaths since Aug 6. ~7,800 suspected cholera cases this year, 22,000+ measles cases; 180,000+ uprooted.
official / UN wire (UN News, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Dr Janet Diaz to reporters in Geneva, Tue Sep 29 2026) · Anadolu Agency triangulation (counts as of Sep 26) · supersedes the boarded DON618 card
WHO: DRC Bundibugyo Ebola past 8,000 cases, 3,901 dead, oxygen and early care still failing
Democratic Republic of the Congo, 63 health zones / 7 provinces · Ituri / Bunia treatment centres · hotspots Mandima, Nia Nia, Mongbwalu
WHO’s Dr Janet Diaz in Geneva, Tue Sep 29 (UN News · Anadolu): confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola cases in the DRC have passed 8,000, 8,067 confirmed · 3,901 deaths · CFR above 48% · 2,070 recoveries (as of Sep 26) · 63 health zones in seven provinces. Many still die at home; oxygen unavailable or unreliable in many facilities. Supersedes the DON618 card (7,890 / 3,799).
official data (WHO Disease Outbreak News 2026-DON618, published 25 Sep 2026, data as of 23 Sep) · supersedes the boarded Sep 2 ~3,000-death card
WHO: DRC Bundibugyo Ebola at 7,890 cases / 3,799 dead, new province + South Sudan border zone
peer-reviewed primary (PNAS) · institutional press (University of Basel IPAS / University of Tartu) · secondary carry (Archaeology News Online Mag)
Black Death was only the opening wave, plague returned for 350+ years, ancient DNA shows
UN channel (OCHA Special Ebola Coordinator + WHO via UN Geneva Multimedia Newsroom / APO to OCHA) · epidemic + funding cliff
OCHA/WHO Geneva: DRC Bundibugyo Ebola still “deadly and massive”, ~7,200 cases / ~3,500 dead
interpretation
Suspected cholera flagged in crowded Tawila camps, half a million at risk
official data
WHO: Gaza water contamination triples, diarrhea nearly doubles ahead of rains
official data
WHO: DRC Ebola reaches 3,000 deaths, fastest outbreak on record; Ituri epicentre
official data
Sudan: 730 flee South Kordofan, cholera >2,600 cases; appeal 41% funded
official data
MONUSCO rushes Bamande after ADF clashes, UN: Ebola growing exponentially
Common questions
What makes a note appear on this page?
Notes about infectious disease outbreaks, such as Ebola, cholera, measles or MERS, are gathered here automatically from the board, newest first.
Where do the outbreak numbers come from?
Every case or death figure comes from the health agency named on that note, such as the World Health Organization, Africa CDC or a national health ministry, as published on that date.
Why do case counts change after a note is posted?
Health agencies confirm, reclassify and add cases over time, so totals are often revised, and each note shows the figure that was official when it was written.
Should I change my travel plans because of a note here?
Talk to your doctor and check your national health agency's travel advice, because they can weigh your own situation and the latest guidance.
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