ETIDIOH - NEW

  10 December 2025 Situation at a glance Seasonal influenza (‘the flu’) is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses that circulate globally and year-round.  It can cause illness ranging from mild to severe , sometimes resulting in hospitalization or death.  Seasonal influenza activity has increased globally in recent months, with an increased proportion of seasonal influenza A(H3N2) viruses being detected.  This rise coincides with the onset of winter in the northern hemisphere and an increase in acute respiratory infections caused by influenza and other respiratory viruses typically observed at this time of year.  Although global activity remains within expected seasonal ranges , early increases and higher activity than typical at this time of year have been observed in some regions.  Seasonal influenza viruses, including A(H3N2) viruses, continually evolve over time.  Since August 2025, there has been a rapid increase of A(H3N2) J.2...

  {Summary} Highlights     • All clades of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) continue to circulate.  - When mpox outbreaks are not rapidly contained and human-to-human transmission is not interrupted, there is a risk of sustained community transmission .   • In October 2025, 44 countries , across all WHO regions, reported a total of 2501 new confirmed mpox cases , including 12 deaths (case fatality ratio [CFR] 0.5%).  - About 75% of these cases were reported in the African Region .  - All regions, apart from the South-East Asia Region observed a decline in confirmed cases in October, compared to September 2025.      • Twenty-one countries in Africa have reported active transmission of mpox in the last six weeks (12 October – 23 November 2025), with 1734 confirmed cases , including 10 deaths (CFR 0.6%) reported during this period.  - Countries reporting the highest number of cases in this period are the Democratic Republic of the Congo...

{Excerpt} Country 2024 (cases - deaths) - 2025 (cases - deaths) - Total (cases - deaths) 1) Australia - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0   2) Azerbaijan - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 8 - 5  3) Bangladesh - ... - ... -  3 - 0 - 11 - 1  4) Cambodia - 10 - 2 - 17 - 8 - 89 - 51  5) Canada - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 2 - 1  6) Chile - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0  7) China - 1 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 57 - 32  8) Djibouti - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0  9) Ecuador - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0  10) Egypt - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 359 - 120  11) India - ... - ... - 2 - 2 - 3 - 3  12) Indonesia - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 200 - 168  13) Iraq - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 3 - 2  14) Lao People's Democratic Republic - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 3 - 2  15) Mexico - ... - ... - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1  16) Myanmar - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0  17) Nepal - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 1 - 1  18) Nigeria - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 1 - 1  19) Pakistan - ... - ... - 0 - 0 - 3 - 1  20) Spain - ... - ...

  Situation at a glance The purpose of this report is to raise awareness about the local transmission of clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in countries previously unaffected or to date reporting only cases linked to travel.  This report summarizes recent epidemiological developments , response activities, and the associated global public health risk .  The second declaration of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) for mpox was lifted on 5 September 2025.  As both MPXV clades I and II and their subclades continue to circulate globally, leading to substantial outbreaks in African countries , WHO continues to advise emergency preparedness and response activities .  Multiple modes of transmission underlie ongoing virus circulation , with sexual contact remaining the primary amplifier of transmission in most settings.  Since 5 September 2025, several countries across four of six WHO regions have confirmed...

{Summary} Context   Over five years since the detection of the first COVID-19 cases , SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate globally, causing acute illness, hospitalization, and death , alongside prolonged negative impacts on individuals, health systems , and economies , including post-COVID-19 condition (PCC or Long COVID).  While global population-level immunity has increased significantly through both infection and vaccination, the virus continues to evolve, challenging control efforts and underscoring the need for long-term, sustainable disease management .  Confirming earlier warnings from MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-1 , SARS-CoV-2 has demonstrated the pandemic potential of coronaviruses , which remain one of the most consequential infectious disease threats of our time .  Purpose of the strategic plan   This plan sets out WHO’s strategic framework to support Member States in the sustained, integrated, evidence-based management of coronavirus disease threats , includ...

{Excerpt} Diphtheria is a major public health problem in the WHO African Region despite substantial efforts on immunization activities over the past three decades .  Between 2000 and 2024, 75 789 suspected diphtheria cases were reported in the Region, with the majority reported from 2023 to 2024, when Algeria, Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Niger , and South Africa reported a resurgence of diphtheria outbreaks with approximately 57 000 suspected cases and 2 000 deaths (case fatality ratio (CFR) of 3.5%) recorded.  The countries most affected were Guinea, Nigeria and Niger .  Most cases reported were in children under fifteen years and female .  Over 50% of suspected cases were non-vaccinated or with unknown vaccination status.  In 2025, as of 19 October 2025, over 17 000 suspected diphtheria cases and about 900 deaths with an average CFR of 5.1% have been reported across eight Member States in the African Region; Algeria, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mau...

  • New human cases {1,2}:  -- From 30 September to 5 November 2025 , based on reporting date, the detection of influenza A(H5N1) in one human , A( H5N2 ) in one human and A( H9N2 ) in two humans were reported officially.   • Circulation of influenza viruses with zoonotic potential in animals :  -- High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) events in poultry and non-poultry animal species continue to be reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).{3}  -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) also provides a global update on avian influenza viruses with pandemic potential.{4}  • Risk assessment {5}:  -- Sustained human to human transmission has not been reported in the above human infection events.  -- Based on information available at the time of this risk assessment update , the overall public health risk from currently known influenza A viruses detected at the human-animal interface has not changed...

  {Excerpt} On Sept 4, 2025, the DR Congo Government and Ministry of Health announced a new Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Bulape health zone (Kasai province), marking the end of over 15 years without any reported cases of Ebola virus disease in this region . As of Sept 14, 2025, there were 35 confirmed Ebola virus disease cases and 16 deaths , representing a case fatality rate of 45·7%.1,2 This unexpected resurgence in a region with insufficient preparedness capacity raises serious concerns about potential regional spread, including towards neighbouring Angola. At the same time, DR Congo is experiencing one of the most severe cholera outbreaks of the past decade , with a total of 48 139 cases and 1443 deaths reported between Jan 1 and Aug 24, 2025, resulting in a case fatality rate of 3%.3 By epidemiological week 33, high case fatality rates were reported in the provinces of Kwilu (76 cases, 26 deaths; 44%), Sankuru (42 cases, 6 deaths; 14%), and Equateur (224 cases, 19 death...