Optimal mosquito protection 24/7 throughout the country (at dusk and at night against malaria, during the day against dengue and other arboviruses) is important!
Important for all travelers to Costa Rica: In case of fever, malaria should be ruled out with a blood test.
Exposure to potentially rabid animals is common, especially during travel. Rabies can be prevented through pre-exposure vaccination!
Due to the global shortage of rabies immunoglobulins — crucial for unvaccinated individuals after potential rabies exposure — the Swiss Expert Committee for Travel Medicine advises a more generous approach to recommending rabies vaccination before travel. Pre-exposure rabies vaccination for travel should be considered a once-in-a-lifetime investment!
In general: avoid contact with animals and do not feed them.
Behavior after exposure: After an animal bite/scratch: immediately wash the wound with water and soap for 15 minutes, then disinfect and in any case visit a high-quality medical center for post-exposure vaccination as soon as possible!
Wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been detected in a wastewater sample in Hamburg. This marks the first detection of wild poliovirus since routine environmental sampling began in 2021 and the first detection in Europe since 2007, when it was found in Switzerland, as well as in Russia and Tajikistan in 2010.
No human cases of poliomyelitis have been reported in Germany; the last indigenous case occurred over 30 years ago, in 1990. The last two imported cases were detected in 1992 from travelers with a history of travel to and from India and Egypt. Since late 2024, circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) has also been detected in wastewater samples from multiple locations in Germany.
The genome sequence of the isolate from the wastewater in Hamburg shows a very strong similarity to a genetic cluster in Afghanistan, as analyses in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) have shown. The wastewater sample was taken on 6 October 2025 (calendar week 41/2025) and analysed as part of the research project to detect polioviruses in wastewater (PIA).
Globally, WPV1 remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The risk for the general population is considered as low due to the high vaccination coverage in Germany. However, unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated individuals may be at risk for polio.
For all individuals, including refugees and migrants: routine vaccination against polio according to national guidelines is important (Swiss FOPH recommendations | STIKO, Germany recommendations).
Travellers going to countries where wild poliovirus or polio vaccine virus is endemic should get vaccinated against polio, see recommendations on the country pages at www.healthytravel.ch.
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the German Federal Foreign Office advice against non-essential travel to Tanzania.
Following the presidential and parliamentary elections on 28–29 October 2025, several cities have experienced protests and violent clashes, notably in Dar es Salaam and Arusha. These incidents have resulted in fatalities, property damage, and authorities may impose curfews.
In Macapá (state Amapá) and Ibititá (state Bahia) several cases of foodborne Chagas infection have been confirmed.
Chagas is endemic in Brazil. Foodborne transmission with periodic outbreaks are linked to the consumption of contaminated artisanal products—such as açaí, bacaba, and sugarcane juice—and is associated with higher parasite loads and more severe acute illness.
According to media, there is an unusual, significant spring increase in Influenza A and respiratory viruses in multiple regions, including Santiago, Biobío (Concepción), and Chiloé.
There are warnings regarding system overload of Emergency services in Chile from increased respiratory consultations, but most cases are mild; severe cases and ICU occupancy remain lower than in winter.
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