Travelers heading to popular destinations like Mexico, Brazil, and the Philippines should be on alert. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a new dengue fever advisory, warning of unusually high case numbers across parts of Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific.
The CDC updated its Global Dengue Travel Notice to include 19 countries experiencing higher-than-normal dengue activity in 2025. The list includes hotspots such as Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Fiji, Guatemala, and Saint Lucia, many of which are frequented by American tourists. Health officials caution that dengue is a year-round threat in many tropical and subtropical regions, with outbreaks typically occurring every two to five years. The disease is spread through mosquito bites, and travelers are urged to take precautions.
The updated Global Dengue Travel Notice now includes the following 19 countries: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Comoros, Cuba, Ecuador, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Saint Lucia, Sudan, and Tonga.
What is dengue?
Dengue is a viral illness spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. After exposure, symptoms can take up to two weeks to appear, with the illness typically lasting less than a week.
Common symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, rash, muscle and joint pain, and minor bleeding (like nose or gum bleeding). While many cases are mild, dengue can become severe within hours. Severe dengue is considered a medical emergency and often requires hospitalization.
To reduce the risk of infection, the CDC advises travelers to use an EPA-registered insect repellent, wear long-sleeved clothing and long pants when outdoors, and sleep in air-conditioned rooms or those with screened windows to keep mosquitoes out.
While it’s essential to be prepared, it’s important to note that the advisory is listed as ‘Level 1,’ which is the lowest priority tier, and simply urges travelers to ‘practice usual precautions.’
