Infections & Travel Medicine news

Around a million parents urged to book new ‘four-in-one’ NHS jab to protect young children against measles

Around a million families are being urged to protect their children against the spread of measles and other potentially deadly childhood illnesses, as part of a new NHS vaccination drive. Children aged from 12-months to…

WHO adds first diagnostic test for Ebola Bundibugyo virus to its Emergency Use Listing

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) has added the first molecular diagnostic test for Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) to its Emergency Use Listing (EUL). The test detects the virus by identifying its genetic material in …

Patient enrolment begins in a scientific trial to identify the first effective treatments for Bundibugyo virus disease

In a major international effort to evaluate potential treatments for Ebola disease due to Bundibugyo virus (BVD), the PARTNERS clinical trial has opened enrolment today for patients in the Democratic Republic of the Con…

Thousands more vulnerable adults to be offered RSV vaccine to prevent serious lung infection

Thousands more people at risk from a virus which causes pneumonia and other serious lung infections will be able to get vital protection on the NHS this winter. From September, all adults aged 65-74 who are living with …

NHS A&E blood-testing finds 2,000 unidentified HIV cases in first 4 years

Nearly 2,000 people unknowingly living with HIV have been diagnosed by a pioneering NHS programme, which tests anyone needing a blood test in A&E, saving lives and preventing new infections, shows new data. Under the fi…

WHO issues comprehensive guidelines on filovirus disease, including Ebola and Marburg disease

As the Democratic Republic of the Congo is battling an Ebola disease outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first comprehensive guidelines for the clinical manageme…

EMA Management Board: highlights of June 2026 meeting

Crisis preparedness and responseThe Management Board welcomed EMA’s support to African regulators in the context of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and…

Open letter to leaders of G7, G20, BRICS and all nations on finalizing the WHO Pandemic Agreement’s Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex

Dear Leaders of the G7, the G20, BRICS and of all nations,We write to you together, from Geneva and from Brasília, with one shared conviction: that the world must finish what it started, and that you can help it do so.W…

Africa CDC and WHO launch joint continental Ebola response plan

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) today launched a joint continental preparedness and response plan on the ongoing Ebola outbreak caused by the Bu…

EMA, AMA and African regulatory authorities join forces on Ebola outbreak response

EMA’s Emergency Task Force (ETF) is engaging with the African Medicines Agency (AMA) and its national regulatory authorities (NRAs), leveraging expertise from the WHO-AFRO…

Joint statement by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and WHO concerning the outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus

The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) reaffirm their strong partnership and shared commitment to protect the health and well-being of the people of Ituri Pr…

ETF recommends updating COVID-19 vaccines to target XFG variant

EMA’s Emergency Task Force (ETF) has recommended updating COVID-19 vaccines to target the new SARS-CoV-2 variant XFG for the 2026/2027 vaccination campaign.XFG is part of the…

Experts convened by WHO advise on candidate treatments and vaccines for Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus

In response to the current outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with cases also reported in Uganda, WHO convened several of its expert and advisory grou…

Message by the WHO Director-General to the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

To the people of DRC, especially to the people of Ituri Jambo kwenu wakahaji wa Ituri Mbote na bino, bato ya Ituri My name is Tedros, and I am the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). But today, I am…

First meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee regarding the epidemic of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda 2026 – Temporary recommendations

The Committee’s advice aligned with the determination by the WHO Director-General that the event constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), but does not meet the criteria for pandemic emerge…

Director-General presents Award for Global Health to four distinguished leaders

At the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in Geneva, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has presented four distinguished leaders with the Award for Global Health, recognizing their lifetime achievements…

Epidemic of Ebola Disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda determined a public health emergency of international concern

Epidemic of Ebola Disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda determined a public health emergency of international concern

Follow-up message by the WHO Director-General to the people of Tenerife regarding the hantavirus response

A message from the Director-General of the World Health Organization expressing gratitude to the people of Tenerife for their solidarity and successful cooperation during the operation to safely disembark and care for o…

EMA actively monitoring cruise ship Hantavirus outbreak

EMA is actively monitoring the ongoing hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship, in coordination with other EU bodies.The virus has been identified as Andes hantavirus, the…

EMA welcomes political agreement on Critical Medicines Act

EMA welcomes the provisional agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on the proposed Critical Medicines Act (CMA), which represents an…, “At a time of increasing global…

Message by the WHO Director-General to the people of Tenerife regarding the hantavirus response

To the people of Tenerife,My name is Tedros, and I serve as the Director-General of the World Health Organization, the United Nations agency responsible for global public health. It is not common for me to write directl…

WHO’s response to hantavirus cases linked to a cruise ship

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, briefed media today on a cluster of hantavirus cases linked to a cruise ship, the MV Hondius.Eight cases have been reported so far, including three deaths. Five of th…

EU recommendations for 2026/2027 seasonal flu vaccine composition

This news announcement was updated on 7 May 2026 to include additional recommendations for strains for seasonal egg-derived and live-attenuated influenza vaccinesEMA has issued…

WHO Member States agree to extend negotiations on Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex

Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) have progressed work on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex, a key part of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, and today agreed additional time was needed to…

EMA launches new advisory group on vaccine confidence

EMA has set up a new advisory group on vaccine confidence, which will advise the Agency on issues related to vaccine hesitancy and help guide its actions to increase science…, "Vaccine hesitancy is a growing glo…

Efforts to eliminate hepatitis delivers gains but more action needed to meet 2030 targets

Global efforts to combat viral hepatitis are delivering measurable progress in reducing infections and deaths, but the disease remains a major global health challenge, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) …

Practicing today for tomorrow’s emergencies – WHO convenes countries and partners to simulate response to major disease outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) wrapped up Exercise Polaris II, a 2-day high-level simulation exercise, based around an outbreak of a fictional new bacterium spreading across the world. Bringing together 26 countrie…

WHO prequalifies first-ever malaria treatment for newborns and infants, adds new diagnostic tests

Ahead of World Malaria Day on 25 April, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a significant step forward in the fight against malaria with the prequalification of the first treatment developed specifically f…

Largest catch-up initiative delivers over 100 million childhood vaccinations

The Big Catch-Up, launched during World Immunization Week 2023, has delivered over 100 million vaccine doses to an estimated 18.3 million children across 36 countriesAround 12.3 million were “zero-dose children” who had…

WHO reports measurable health impact in 2025 amid transition to new strategy

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released its Results Report, highlighting measurable improvements in people’s health worldwide in 2025, despite funding cuts affecting both the organization and the broader glob…