The Ugandan Ministry of Health in Kampala recently announced it would soon vaccinate over 1.9 million children against yellow fever.
It is being administered to nine-month-old children as part of its commitment to the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy. All these children will be vaccinated with yellow fever and measles-rubella vaccines.
This announcement on March 15, 2023, is essential as Uganda was one of 14 African countries reporting yellow fever cases in 2022. Recently, cases have been reported near urban areas, such as the capital city of Kampala.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today reported the global cholera situation has deteriorated, with four new countries reporting outbreaks.
In total, 24 countries are reporting cases as of March 20, 2023.
Since the beginning of 2023, cholera outbreaks have spread further in southeast Africa.
And the widespread outbreaks in Malawi and Mozambique remain active.
Additional outbreaks have been reported in Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia since the start of the year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the Republic of Tanzania had confirmed its first-ever cases of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) following reports of cases and deaths in the country’s north-west Kagera region.
Five of the eight cases, including a health worker, have died, and the remaining three are receiving treatment.
A total of 161 contacts have been identified and are being monitored as of March 21, 2023.

As sixteen college basketball teams and fans prepare for playoff games this weekend, many ask if face masks are needed to be protected from the respiratory virus that causes COVID-19.
While there is much debate and research on the benefits of wearing face masks, a new surveillance system helps people visualize their actual risks.
Thanks to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a data-driven way to make informed infection-risk determinations is now open to the public.

As vacationers head south to avoid the cold and snow, many consider visiting Florida instead of Mexico this Spring Break. This change in the destination is based on recent travel alerts issued by local governments.
The Public Health Agency of Canada and the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico recently announced new advice for Spring Break 2023.
Both Canada and the U.S. are advising prospective visitors to many areas in Mexico to practice enhanced precautions as of March 17, 2023.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) today announced it had received notification of the detection of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) linked with the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) in the African countries of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
These are the first instances of cVDPV2 linked with nOPV2 since the roll-out of the vaccine began in March 2021.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) today published an Epidemiological Alert regarding chikungunya outbreaks in the Region of the Americas. The PAHO confirmed this mosquito-borne virus is expanding to new areas with an unusually high number of cases and related fatalities.
During the first eight epidemiological weeks of 2023, 115,539 cases and 33 fatalities due to chikungunya infection were reported.
The greatest incidence rates were observed in Paraguay (1,128 cases per 100,000 pop.) and Brazil (14.2 cases per 100,000 pop.).

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced a ten-day Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) vaccination campaign was launched in northwest Syria.
The WHO confirmed on March 8, 2023, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in coordination with health authorities, the Syria Immunization Group (SIG), and the Global Alliance for Vaccines (GAVI), kicked off this campaign with 1.7 million doses of cholera vaccine that will be used to protect Syrians above one year of age.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently announced two indications the travel industry has recovered from the multi-year pandemic.
On March 3, 2023, the TSA PreCheck® application program surpassed 15 million active members, setting a new record that began in December 2013.
Thirty-two million travelers now benefit from TSA PreCheck expedited airport security screening after being vetted through TSA PreCheck ®, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Global Entry, or another federal vetting program.

Since the measles outbreak began in October 2022, various Republic of South Africa (RSA) provinces have been impacted. However, recent data announced by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases indicates most new measles cases are confirmed in the north.
As of March 2023, a measles outbreak has been declared in the Northern Cape Province in the Francis Baard district.
Specifically, 13 specimens from Limpopo and North West Province had measles virus genotype D8 sequences related to the Zimbabwe 2022 measles outbreak strain.