Pandemiology Watch (January 7-13, 2026)
Emerging outbreaks
On January 6, 2026, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries confirmed the first case of chronic wasting disease in a wild deer from Concordia Parish. The infection was identified through routine surveillance, and the deer was euthanized.
MEASLES
US.
According to CIDRAP on January 12, 2026, South Carolina reported 99 new measles cases, bringing the total to 310 cases in the past six months, with most infections among unvaccinated people. Officials say some infections have no identified source, indicating ongoing community transmission. Additionally North Carolina has reported five measles cases since late December with cases linked to the Upstate outbreak. The outbreak is the second-largest in the United States after the Utah-Arizona outbreak with 390 measles cases.
As of January 6, 2026, Center for Disease Control reports a total of 2,065 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. in 2025. 11 % of cases have required hospitalization (235 cases of 2,065), and three deaths have been reported.
Canada.
As of January 5, 2026, Canada has reported 5,425 measles cases where 71% occurred in children, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Ontario accounts for 44% of the cases, followed by Alberta with 37%. 89% were unvaccinated, and 7% required hospitalization. Genotype D8 remains the most frequently detected strain. 2 deaths have been reported.
MPOX
On January 8, 2026, Nature reported that mpox is still evolving, and researchers are investigating how it caused the 2022 global outbreak and the risk of future spread. A recent study in mice found that the virus can stay in reproductive tissues for several weeks and cause damage, which could affect fertility, though this has not been studied in humans. In December 2025, a new mpox variant that combines genetic elements from two existing clades was identified. It is the first known recombinant strain. This demonstrates the virus’s ability to change when circulating in populations.
Figure 3.2.1 from WHO Global MPOX trends illustrates the trends in confirmed mpox cases from late December 2024 to date. The peak was in May 2025 followed by a consistent decline during the rest of the year. The Democratic Republic of the Congo consistently reported the highest weekly numbers followed by Sierra Leone and Uganda. The other half of the year shows shows a shift toward a broader distribution among other West African nations including Liberia, Guinea, and Ghana. Recent case counts may be incomplete due to reporting delays.
Marburg virus
On January 6, 2026, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health announced on Facebook that no new Marburg virus disease cases have been detected in the past 21 days, signaling progress in containing the outbreak. Since the first confirmed case on November 14, 2025, 14 people have tested positive, resulting in nine deaths and five recoveries, according to the Ethiopian Public Health Institute. The outbreak will only be officially declared over after 42 consecutive days without new infections.
POLIO
As of January 7, 2026, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported 36 WPV1-positive environmental samples in Pakistan and two cVDPV2-positive environmental samples in Tanzania.
H5N1
U.S.
As of January 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports has not reported any cases of person-to-person transmission of H5N1 in the United States. The total remains at 71 confirmed human cases and two deaths.
Rift Valley Fever
Senegal.
No new updates on Rift Valley Fever have been reported in Senegal during the period January 7-13 2026. In Africa CDC’s latest update on 24 December 2025, a total of 554 confirmed Rift Valley Fever cases were reported, including 11 new cases since 17 December, along with 19,159 suspected cases.