Global disease outbreaks in 2026 prompt stricter travel health precautions

Active disease outbreak warnings in March 2026 reflect one of the most complex global travel health landscapes in recent years, with multiple infectious diseases circulating across regions simultaneously. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travel Health Notices include yellow fever in Venezuela and Colombia, chikungunya in Mayotte, the Seychelles, and Bolivia, clade 2 mpox in Ghana and Liberia, dengue in 12 countries, circulating poliovirus in over 25 countries, and diphtheria in Guinea and Nigeria. The World Health Organization (WHO) and TravelHealthPro, operated by NaTHNaC, are also monitoring hundreds of additional alerts worldwide.

Health authorities say the pattern of risk has shifted beyond traditionally high-risk destinations. Chikungunya is now present in Caribbean holiday hotspots, while mpox clade 1b cases were confirmed in Austria and Sweden in early 2026. Polio has also been detected in parts of Europe, reinforcing that travel health precautions now apply across a much wider range of destinations.

Guidance from the WHO and CDC states travellers should seek pre-travel health advice four to six weeks before departure to allow time for vaccinations and risk assessment. This timing is critical, as some vaccines, including yellow fever, only become valid 10 days after administration, meaning late preparation can leave travellers unprotected or unable to meet entry requirements.

Vaccines fall into required, recommended, and routine categories, but authorities stress that routine immunisations should be up to date regardless of travel plans.

Mosquito bite prevention is a key defence against diseases including dengue, chikungunya, and malaria, with DEET repellents, protective clothing, and bed nets widely recommended. Food and water hygiene remains essential even in resort settings.

Travellers should seek urgent medical care after returning if symptoms such as fever, rash or gastrointestinal illness develop, and always disclose recent travel history, given the delayed onset of many infections.

Last year, Europe set a new record for mosquito-borne diseases.