This Week in Global Health: Outbreaks, Drug Resistance and Climate-Linked Threats

From Ethiopia’s first Marburg outbreak to Heard Island bird flu, Jamaica’s leptospirosis, cholera, polio and new diabetes research, this week showed both fragility and progress in global health.

Suzan Seherin November 28, 2025 4 minutes read

As the week ending 28 November 2025 closes, global health authorities are tracking several worrying outbreaks alongside promising vaccine and research wins. From Ethiopia’s first Marburg virus cases to bird flu on an Australian territory, experts say the world’s health systems are again being tested by fast-moving threats. Meanwhile, new research on heart disease and diabetes highlights both medical progress and critical gaps.

Outbreaks: Marburg virus emerges in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has confirmed its first-ever outbreak of Marburg virus disease, a highly lethal hemorrhagic fever related to Ebola. The initial cluster was detected around Jinka town in the South Ethiopia Region earlier in November.

As of 20–26 November, health authorities and the CDC report at least 9–12 laboratory-confirmed infections and multiple deaths, with some cases among health workers. More than 200 contacts are under active follow-up while teams investigate a likely link to fruit bats, which are known natural hosts.

Officials warn that the outbreak sits close to South Sudan and other fragile health systems, raising concerns about regional spread if containment fails.

Bird flu: H5N1 confirmed on remote Heard Island

In the Southern Ocean, Australia confirmed H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in southern elephant seals on Heard Island, a remote sub-Antarctic territory.

Scientists noticed unusual seal deaths during an Australian Antarctic Program voyage; samples later tested positive for the H5 clade 2.3.4.4b strain. No abnormal mortality has been seen so far in penguins or other seabirds, but a second expedition is planned from December to February to assess wider wildlife impacts.

Canberra says the finding does not significantly increase risk to mainland Australia, yet it has committed more than $100 million to bird-flu preparedness, including rapid response equipment in every state and territory.

Outbreaks: leptospirosis in Jamaica and dengue across the Pacific

In the Caribbean, Jamaica is battling a leptospirosis surge that has caused at least 14 suspected or confirmed deaths this year, many following Hurricane Melissa and heavy rainfall. The bacterial disease spreads through water contaminated by animal urine, and health officials are urging people to avoid floodwaters and seek early treatment for fever, muscle pain and jaundice.

Meanwhile, dengue fever remains a major concern across the Pacific. Tuvalu has reported hundreds of dengue-like illnesses and over 200 rapid-test positives in an outbreak declared in June, though recent data suggest cases may be slowly declining. Kiribati and other islands are also facing dengue waves, with experts tying the spread to warmer, wetter conditions linked to climate change.

Cholera and polio: persistent and resurgent diseases

The global cholera emergency continues, with WHO’s latest multi-country update listing more than thirty affected nations and highlighting intense transmission in parts of Africa and the Middle East. Conflict, fragile water systems and extreme weather are driving repeated outbreaks, leaving millions at risk of severe dehydration and death.

There was more positive news from Indonesia, where WHO officially declared the country’s type-2 poliovirus outbreak over on 19 November 2025, after almost three years of response. Nearly 60 million additional vaccine doses were delivered to children, and no virus has been detected since June 2024.

However, the CDC updated its Global Polio travel notice this week, keeping polio at Level 2 (“practice enhanced precautions”) for dozens of countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Travelers are advised to be fully vaccinated and consider a one-time adult booster.

Drug resistance: ‘super fungus’ Trichophyton indotineae surges in UK

In the United Kingdom, doctors are warning about a drug-resistant “super fungus”, Trichophyton indotineae, which causes severe ringworm-like rashes in the groin, thighs and buttocks.

Recent data presented at a European disease-control conference show cases in the UK and Ireland rising almost 500% in three years, from 44 before 2022 to 258 by March 2025. The fungus is often resistant to standard antifungal drugs, forcing patients to rely on longer courses of itraconazole, which can damage the liver and heart.

Experts say the surge is another warning sign that antimicrobial resistance is not limited to bacteria but increasingly includes fungi as well.

Research and climate: diabetes breakthrough and COP30 health debates

On the research front, Stanford scientists reported a major advance in treating type 1 diabetes in mice. By combining blood stem-cell and pancreatic islet-cell transplants from unmatched donors, they created a “hybrid” immune system that both prevented and reversed diabetes in animal models, without long-term immunosuppression. While still early-stage, the approach could eventually reshape care for autoimmune diseases and transplant patients.

Another study from Mount Sinai in New York found that widely used heart-attack risk calculators miss nearly half of people who soon suffer a cardiac event, suggesting many high-risk patients are not being flagged for extra testing or preventive treatment. Researchers argue that imaging to detect silent plaque may need a larger role in screening guidelines.

Finally, at the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, health groups welcomed the new Belém Health Action Plan, designed to strengthen disease surveillance and climate-resilient health systems. However, they warned that limited funding and weak commitments on fossil fuels still “jeopardise health” as warming drives more heat deaths and mosquito-borne disease.

Featured image: Shutterstock