Every region of the world carries its own disease profile. Where you travel determines what can make you sick, and some destinations carry risks that most travelers never think about until it's too late. Knowing the baseline threats for a region lets you pack the right medications, get the right vaccinations, and recognize warning symptoms before a mild illness becomes a medical evacuation.
PandemicAlarm's live outbreak map tracks active events in real time across every region. What follows is a region-by-region breakdown of endemic diseases, emerging threats, and current alerts as of March 2026. Check the map before any trip for the latest data.
What threatens travelers in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Sub-Saharan Africa carries the world's highest concentration of high-consequence infectious diseases, from mosquito-borne killers to viral hemorrhagic fevers with no approved treatments. If you're traveling here, preparation isn't optional. Malaria alone kills over 600,000 people in this region every year, the vast majority of them children under five.
Malaria remains the dominant threat. Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite, is endemic across most of tropical Africa. You need antimalarial prophylaxis. Full stop. Atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, or mefloquine are the standard options, and your travel medicine provider can help you choose. Bed nets treated with insecticide and DEET-based repellent round out your protection.
Ebola and Marburg are viral hemorrhagic fevers with case fatality rates exceeding 50%. Outbreaks are sporadic but devastating. DRC has experienced 14 Ebola outbreaks since 1976. Rwanda's September 2024 Marburg outbreak killed 15 people before containment. Your risk as a tourist is low unless you visit healthcare facilities or attend funerals in active outbreak zones, but monitoring PandemicAlarm for any active hemorrhagic fever events before travel is a basic precaution.
Lassa fever circulates in West Africa, primarily Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Rodents are the reservoir. Avoid contact with rat droppings and urine, particularly in rural settings. Nigeria reports 500-1,000 confirmed cases annually, with a case fatality rate around 15-20% among hospitalized patients.
Cholera flares wherever water and sanitation infrastructure breaks down. Conflict zones and post-disaster settings carry the highest risk. Right now, Mozambique is in the grip of a major cholera outbreak with over 12,400 confirmed cases following cyclone displacement.
Mpox Clade Ib is the region's most pressing current threat. DRC has reported over 32,000 cases with 870+ deaths, and the virus has spread into Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. PandemicAlarm rates this event at 5/5 severity. If you're traveling to the Great Lakes region, check the latest Mpox Clade Ib update.
Current alerts: DRC Mpox (severity 5/5), Mozambique cholera (severity 4/5).
What should you watch for in South and Southeast Asia?
South and Southeast Asia present a different risk profile than Africa, with mosquito-borne viruses leading the threat list and occasional zoonotic spillovers that grab global attention. Dengue is your primary concern here, and if you've had it before, a second infection can be significantly more dangerous due to antibody-dependent enhancement.
Dengue fever infects an estimated 100-400 million people globally each year, and Southeast Asia bears a disproportionate share. Bangladesh's 2025 dengue season shattered records with over 320,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,600 deaths. The 2026 pre-monsoon season is already showing elevated case counts. There is no widely available antiviral treatment. Prevention means avoiding mosquito bites, especially during daytime hours when Aedes aegypti mosquitoes feed.
Nipah virus is a bat-borne paramyxovirus with a case fatality rate between 40% and 75%. Outbreaks occur almost annually in Bangladesh and occasionally in India's Kerala state. Transmission happens through contaminated date palm sap, direct contact with infected bats or pigs, and person-to-person spread in hospital settings. No vaccine exists. Outbreaks are small but terrifying.
H5N1 avian influenza circulates in poultry flocks across the region. Human infections are rare but carry a historically staggering fatality rate near 50%. Avoid live bird markets and backyard poultry farms. Cambodia reported two fatal H5N1 cases in 2023, a reminder that spillover risk persists.
Japanese encephalitis is vaccine-preventable, and you should get vaccinated if you're spending extended time in rural areas during transmission season. Around 68,000 clinical cases occur annually across Asia, with a 20-30% fatality rate among those who develop encephalitis.
Cholera remains endemic in parts of Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar, particularly during monsoon flooding.
PandemicAlarm is currently tracking Bangladesh dengue at severity 3/5 and ongoing regional H5N1 poultry outbreaks at severity 2/5. Both warrant attention if you have travel plans to the region.
What risks does the Middle East carry?
The Middle East presents a more contained but distinct set of threats, dominated by MERS-CoV and conflict-driven disease resurgence. Travelers to the Arabian Peninsula and conflict zones in Yemen face different risk categories entirely.
MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) has infected approximately 2,600 people since its discovery in 2012, with a case fatality rate around 34%. Dromedary camels are the reservoir. Saudi Arabia reports the majority of cases, with sporadic infections linked to camel contact or healthcare settings. Avoid direct contact with camels, don't drink raw camel milk, and be aware that MERS transmission has occurred in hospitals during past outbreaks. No vaccine is available.
Yemen's humanitarian crisis has produced one of the world's worst cholera situations. Since 2016, Yemen has recorded over 2.5 million suspected cholera cases. A measles crisis is now layered on top. Collapsed healthcare infrastructure and widespread malnutrition mean that vaccine-preventable diseases are killing children at rates not seen in decades. If you're working in humanitarian aid in Yemen, your risk profile is significantly elevated.
Leishmaniasis is endemic across parts of the Middle East, spread by sandflies. Both cutaneous (skin lesions) and visceral (organ-affecting) forms occur. Syria's civil war drove a resurgence of cutaneous leishmaniasis among displaced populations.
Right now on PandemicAlarm: Yemen measles is rated severity 3/5, and Saudi Arabia continues to report sporadic MERS cases at severity 2/5.
What's circulating in the Americas?
The Americas span from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, and the disease risks vary just as widely. Tropical and subtropical regions carry mosquito-borne viruses that northern travelers rarely encounter at home. Meanwhile, the United States is dealing with an unprecedented zoonotic spillover event.
Dengue is endemic throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Brazil alone reported over 5.9 million probable dengue cases in 2024, a record. Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Central American countries all see annual surges. The same Aedes mosquitoes carry several other viruses simultaneously.
Zika virus hasn't generated headlines recently, but it hasn't disappeared. Pregnant travelers face the greatest risk due to Zika's association with microcephaly and other birth defects. Low-level transmission continues across tropical Latin America.
Oropouche virus emerged as a growing concern in 2024-2025. Brazil confirmed vertical transmission (mother to fetus) for the first time, raising alarms about potential birth defects similar to Zika. Over 10,000 cases were reported across Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia in 2024-2025. Oropouche is spread by midges, not mosquitoes, making conventional mosquito control less effective.
Chagas disease affects an estimated 6-7 million people across Latin America. The triatomine "kissing bug" transmits the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite, which can cause fatal cardiac complications decades after initial infection. Travelers sleeping in rural adobe or thatch-roofed structures face the highest risk.
H5N1 in US dairy herds represents the most significant current zoonotic event in North America. As of March 2026, 67 confirmed human cases have been linked to dairy farm exposure, with 1 death. Read the full H5N1 US dairy breakdown for details on what this means.
The two events drawing the most attention in this region right now are Brazil's Oropouche outbreak (severity 3/5) and the US H5N1 dairy spillover (severity 4/5). Check the PandemicAlarm map for the latest on both.
Is Europe really low-risk?
Europe carries a lower infectious disease burden than tropical regions, but "lower" does not mean "zero." Travelers who assume Europe is safe by default miss real threats, particularly tick-borne diseases and seasonal mosquito-borne virus activity that has expanded northward with climate change.
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is present across Central and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, and parts of Western Europe. Around 12,000 cases are reported annually across the region. A vaccine exists and is recommended for hikers, campers, and anyone spending time in forested areas in endemic countries. Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, and the Baltic states carry the highest risk. Ticks are most active from April through November.
West Nile virus has become a recurring summer problem in Southern and Eastern Europe. Italy, Greece, Romania, and Spain report cases every year between July and October. In 2023, Europe recorded over 700 West Nile fever cases and 67 deaths. No vaccine or specific treatment is available. Prevention means avoiding mosquito bites during evening hours when Culex mosquitoes feed.
Measles has resurged across Europe, with over 56,000 cases reported in the WHO European Region in 2023-2024. Pockets of low vaccination coverage, particularly in Romania, Ukraine, and parts of Western Europe, fuel outbreaks. Confirm your MMR vaccination status before traveling.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has expanded its range in Southern Europe as Hyalomma tick populations spread northward. Spain confirmed its first locally acquired cases in recent years. Case fatality rates run 10-40%.
ECDC publishes weekly threat assessments covering communicable disease risks across EU/EEA countries. Their monitoring feeds directly into PandemicAlarm's data pipeline.
As of this writing, Europe's active alerts are low-level: ECDC is monitoring seasonal TBE and West Nile activity at severity 1-2/5, and measles clusters across multiple countries sit at severity 2/5. None currently warrant canceling travel, but confirming your MMR status before departure is a smart baseline step.
How do you use this information before a trip?
Pull up the PandemicAlarm map and search for your destination country. Active outbreak markers will show you what's happening right now, not what was happening when a travel guidebook went to print six months ago. Cross-reference the severity scores with the endemic disease baseline above.
A trip to Bali during dengue season requires mosquito repellent, long sleeves at dusk, and awareness of dengue symptoms. A trip to eastern DRC right now requires reconsidering whether you should go at all. Risk tolerance is personal, but it should be informed.
Visit a travel medicine clinic 4-6 weeks before departure. Bring your itinerary and a list of the diseases endemic to your destination. Some vaccinations, like Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever, require multiple doses or have mandatory waiting periods. Last-minute trips leave gaps in protection.
Before every international trip, check three things: PandemicAlarm's map for active alerts, the CDC Travelers' Health page for your destination, and your country's foreign affairs travel advisory. Those three sources together give you a complete picture of what you're walking into.