Bangladesh is experiencing a large nationwide measles outbreak, with more than 60’000 suspected and 8’300 laboratory-confirmed cases in 2026 across all 64 districts. Average daily suspected cases have exceeded 1’100 since 09 Apr 2026. At least 414 suspected deaths and 85 confirmed deaths have been recorded. Children under five account for 81% of cases, and Dhaka Division remains the most affected region. Cases have also been reported among Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char camps.

Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of the largest gatherings of its kind in the world. This year, Hajj is expected to start on 25 May 2026. Usually approximately three million Muslims from around the world gather in Makkah for Hajj each year.

Umrah is a shorter, non-compulsory pilgrimage for Muslims, which is performed as part of the Hajj ritual, but can also be undertaken at any time. 

The Swiss Expert Committee on Travel Medicine (ECTM), together with the national malaria groups of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, and Poland, has updated its recommendations on malaria prevention for travellers.

The 2026 update includes revised country-specific recommendations and maps for countries in Africa and the Americas. In addition, updates were made for Afghanistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia due to a marked increase in local malaria incidence. Further details on the methodology are available in the publication.

As of 14 May 2026, Peru reported 231 confirmed and 115 suspected measles cases in Puno Region, marking one of the country’s largest measles outbreaks in recent years. In response, the government declared a 90-day health emergency on 16 May 2026 covering Lima, Callao, and 12 additional departments.

A dog imported from Russia to Germany in February 2026 was confirmed rabid after entering the country with fraudulent vaccination documents as part of a shipment of 24 animals. The incident resulted in eight people receiving post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and prompted extensive contact tracing across multiple transport routes linked to several EU countries. Although Germany retained its terrestrial rabies-free status, the case underscored ongoing gaps in EU pet import controls and the need for stronger regulatory oversight.

As of 15 May 2026, three cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) have been reported among young people in Reading, southeast England, including one case of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (MenB). One person, a student at Henley College in Oxfordshire, has died, while the two remaining cases are receiving treatment. Antibiotic prophylaxis is being offered to close contacts. These cases follow a MenB outbreak confirmed in Kent in March 2026 and a MenB cluster reported in Dorset in April 2026, with no known epidemiological link between the two events.

On 5 May 2026, WHO was alerted of a cluster of unknown febrile illnesses with a high mortality rate in Mongbwalu and Rwampara Health Zones, Ituri Province. Following investigation by rapid response teams, the cause was confirmed to be Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) due to Bundibugyo virus (Orthoebolavirus bundibugyoense) -  a species of Ebola virus - on 15 May with 8/13 positive samples from Rwampara.

On 15 May 2026, the DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak, affecting Rwampara, Mongbwalu, and Bunia Health Zones. Uganda subsequently confirmed two imported cases. On 16 May 2026, WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

As of 20 May 2026 (WHO press releaset):

• More than 600 suspected cases (>500 in DRC, 12 in Uganda) and 139 suspected deaths (131 in DRC, 1 in Uganda. Most suspected cases were reported in Mongbwalu (302 cases, 74 deaths) and Rwampara (136 cases, 74 deaths), Ituri Province.
  
  
• 35 confirmed cases (33 in DRC, 2 in Uganda), including 5 deaths (4 in DRC, 1 in Uganda), corresponding to a CFR of 14.3% (5/35). In DRC, confirmed cases were reported in four health zones in Ituri Province — Rwampara (19), Bunia (6), Nyankunde (4), and Mongbwalu (1) — and three health zones in North Kivu: Butembo (1), Goma (1), and Katwa (1).
  

WHO expects those numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected.

Further cases:

• The US citizen who has tested positive has been transferred to Germany (with six high risk contacts). One other contact will be transferred to Czechia.
  
• South Sudan is investigating a suspected Bundibugyo virus disease case in West Equatoria State after a preliminary positive result in a patient from South Yambio County.
  
• Information regarding transmission chains and affected population groups is currently limited, partly due to the complex context of ongoing insecurity and humanitarian challenges in the affected areas.
  
• Genomes from DRC and Uganda have been published and preliminary analysis shows distinct
  sequences from the previous outbreaks (Virological Ebolavirus/Bundibugyo ebolavirus, 18 May 2026).

Authorities are concerned about the risk of further spread due to population high mobility, insecurity, and the proximity of affected areas to Uganda and South Sudan through a porous border.

The D.R. Congo has experienced several Ebola outbreaks in recent years. The most recent outbreak, in the Kasai provinces (species Orthoebolavirus zairense), was declared over in December 2025. In Ituri Province specifically, Ebola disease due to Ebola virus (Orthoebolavirus zairense) was last documented during the 2018-2020 outbreak. Bundibugyo virus was first reported in 2007 in Bundibugyo district in Uganda during an outbreak. The most recent outbreak due to Bundibugyo virus was in 2012 in DRC.

A cluster of Andes hantavirus infections linked to the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius in the South Atlantic has resulted in multiple cases among passengers and crew from several countries. The outbreak involves Andes virus (ANDV), the only hantavirus known to cause limited person-to-person transmission, typically through close and prolonged contact.

Updates on new reported cases between 8 and 15 May 2026:

New cases - three new cases after the after evacuation from the cruise ship:

• One confirmed case in France – who became symptomatic during repatriation.
  
• One confirmed case in Spain.
• One of the passengers who was evacuated from the ship had a positive result for hantavirus by PCR on 12 May 2026. The person was asymptomatic at the time of testing but successively developed respiratory symptoms. The individual currently remains in isolation.
  
• One inconclusive case was reported in the United States involving an asymptomatic passenger repatriated on 10 May, with conflicting laboratory results (one positive and one negative from separate laboratories). A second US citizen reportedly developed mild symptoms during evacuation, although details remain unclear based on currently available information.
  

Total cases:

• 11 cases (8 confirmed, 2 probable, 1 inconclusive case), including 3 deaths.
  

Other news:

• The cruise ship MV Hondius arrived at the port of Granadilla, Tenerife on Sunday 10 May.
  
• Disembarkation of guests and part of the crew was carried out and completed on 11 May. Disembarked guests and crew members were transported to the airport and repatriated via evacuation flights throughout 10 and 11 May.
  
• Evacuation was carried out from Tenerife to the following countries: Spain (14), France (5), Canada (4), the Netherlands (26), UK (22), Ireland (2), Turkey (3), US (17).
  
• The ship departed Tenerife on 11 May and is expected to arrive in the Netherlands on 17–18 May.
  
• Preliminary genome sequencing analysis showed high genetic similarities between isolates of Andes virus, likely indicating an initial zoonotic spillover event followed by human-to-human transmission.
  
• Investigations into the travel history and potential exposures of the first case in the Southern Cone are ongoing and suggest possible exposure to rodents during bird watching activities.
  
• For details, see ECDC and WHO reports, or on BEACON.
  
• For contact management: see WHO LINK.

Additional cases among cruise ship passengers remain possible due to the long incubation period of hantavirus infection, which can last up to 6–8 weeks. However, current response measures — including quarantine of disembarked passengers, rapid isolation of suspected cases, and contact monitoring — are expected to reduce the risk of further transmission.