Active and emerging infectious disease outbreaks worldwide, monitored for cross-border transmission risk to Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Data sourced from the World Health Organization Disease Outbreak News (DONs) and national health authorities. Last reviewed: June 2026.
| Disease | Affected Regions | Risk to Malaysia | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Avian Influenza (H5N1)
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1
|
Southeast Asia, East Asia, North America, Europe. Circulating in wild bird populations and poultry farms globally. Sporadic human cases from animal exposure. | Moderate | WHO tracked 4 human H5N1 cases in early 2026 (3 in Cambodia; 1 fatal case in a child in Bangladesh) — all from animal contact, with no sustained human-to-human transmission. Clade 2.3.4.4b remains widespread in wild birds, poultry, and (in the Americas) dairy cattle. WHO assesses public health risk as low. Malaysia DVS monitors poultry imports and wild bird reservoirs. |
|
Ebola (Bundibugyo virus)
Orthoebolavirus bundibugyoense
|
Active outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu) with cross-border spread to Uganda. DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak, declared 15 May 2026. | Low (to MY) | WHO declared this outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 17 May 2026. As of mid-June 2026, DRC had reported roughly 900 confirmed cases and over 230 deaths, with around 20 cases in Uganda. This is the Bundibugyo species, for which there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment (unlike Zaire ebolavirus) — early supportive care is lifesaving. WHO risk: very high nationally, high regionally, low globally. No cases in Asia; direct risk to Malaysia is low, but KKM border surveillance applies to travellers from affected regions. |
|
Chikungunya
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) — Aedes-borne
|
Global resurgence flagged by WHO in 2025, with major outbreaks in the Indian Ocean islands, parts of China, and South Asia. Endemic risk across Southeast Asia via the Aedes mosquito. | Watch | Malaysia reported fewer than 100 cases in 2025 with no deaths, but the Aedes vector is well established nationwide. Same prevention as dengue. See our chikungunya guide. |
|
Mpox (Monkeypox)
Monkeypox virus — Clade I & II
|
Central and East Africa (Clade I), global (Clade II). DRC remains the epicentre for Clade I outbreaks with cross-border spread to neighbouring countries. | Low | The second mpox PHEIC (declared Aug 2024) was lifted on 5 September 2025, but transmission continues globally — about 1,300 confirmed cases were reported across 50 countries in January 2026 alone, with WHO assessing overall risk as moderate. Clade Ib continues to spread, mostly through sexual networks. Sporadic imported cases occur in Southeast Asia; Malaysia has confirmed previous imported cases. Jynneos vaccine available at select facilities. |
|
Nipah Virus
Nipah henipavirus
|
India (Kerala — recurrent outbreaks), Bangladesh (seasonal spillover from fruit bats). Malaysia was the site of the original 1998–1999 outbreak in Negeri Sembilan. | Moderate | In January 2026, India confirmed a Nipah cluster in West Bengal — its first geographically distinct cluster outside Kerala — with 9 laboratory-confirmed cases and 4 deaths (WHO Disease Outbreak News, 30 Jan 2026). WHO assesses the risk as low nationally and moderate at sub-national level, with no travel or trade restrictions advised. KKM maintains enhanced border surveillance; no local cases. The high case fatality rate (40–75%) makes early detection a priority. Nipah was first identified in Sungai Nipah, Negeri Sembilan, in 1998. |
|
Cholera
Vibrio cholerae O1 / O139
|
Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Haiti, parts of the Middle East. Multiple countries reporting outbreaks exacerbated by conflict and infrastructure collapse. | Low | Malaysia has robust water treatment infrastructure. Risk confined to travellers returning from endemic areas. Oral cholera vaccine recommended for high-risk travellers. |
|
Measles
Measles morbillivirus
|
Global resurgence. Outbreaks in Europe, South Asia, and parts of Africa linked to declining vaccination coverage post-pandemic. | Moderate | Measles remains in global resurgence through 2025–2026, with sustained outbreaks in Europe, parts of Africa, and South Asia driven by post-pandemic dips in vaccination coverage. Malaysia's MMR coverage has fallen below the 95% herd-immunity threshold in some states; KKM is running catch-up campaigns. Unvaccinated travellers are at risk — check our vaccination guide. |
|
Marburg Virus Disease
Marburg marburgvirus
|
East Africa (Tanzania, Rwanda — recent outbreaks). Egyptian fruit bat reservoir identified in sub-Saharan cave systems. | Low | No cases in Southeast Asia. WHO coordinating regional response. Travel advisory awareness issued for affected regions. High case fatality rate (~50%). |
|
COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2
|
Global endemic phase. New variants continue to emerge but with substantially reduced severity in populations with high vaccination and natural immunity levels. | Endemic | Malaysia transitioned to endemic phase in April 2022. KKM continues weekly sentinel surveillance at healthcare facilities. Booster doses recommended for high-risk groups including elderly and immunocompromised. |
Malaysia's position as a major international travel and trade hub in Southeast Asia makes global disease surveillance particularly important. Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) handles over 50 million passengers annually, with direct flight connections to regions where outbreaks are actively ongoing. The country's extensive land borders with Thailand and maritime proximity to Indonesia and the Philippines create additional pathways for disease introduction.
Malaysia has direct historical experience with emerging zoonotic threats. The Nipah virus was first identified during the 1998–1999 Malaysian outbreak, which resulted in 265 confirmed cases and 105 deaths — primarily among pig farmers in Negeri Sembilan, Perak, and Selangor. The outbreak led to the culling of over one million pigs and fundamentally reshaped Malaysia's approach to zoonotic disease surveillance and agricultural biosecurity.
More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how rapidly a novel pathogen can overwhelm healthcare systems. Malaysia's cumulative experience with SARS (2003), H1N1 influenza (2009), and COVID-19 (2020–2022) has built substantial institutional capacity for outbreak response — but this capacity depends on early detection of threats before they reach Malaysian shores.
Malaysia's Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) under the Ministry of Health operates continuous surveillance at all 66 international entry points — airports, seaports, and land crossings. Under normal conditions, passive health screening is in place for all arrivals. When specific outbreak alerts are issued by WHO or when neighbouring countries report significant outbreaks, KKM activates enhanced protocols including thermal scanning, health declaration forms, and in some cases mandatory testing or quarantine periods.
These enhanced protocols were refined extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain operational infrastructure that can be activated within hours of a risk assessment change. The transition from pandemic-specific systems (MySejahtera) to broader health surveillance platforms means Malaysia now has more capable border health infrastructure than at any previous point in its history.
Malaysia participates in the ASEAN BioDiaspora Virtual Centre (ABVC) and the ASEAN Health Cluster, which facilitate real-time information sharing on emerging threats across Southeast Asia. Regional coordination is particularly important for diseases like Nipah (circulating in the Bangladesh-India corridor) and avian influenza (endemic in poultry populations across mainland and maritime Southeast Asia), where cross-border animal movement and trade create continuous introduction risk.
If you have recently travelled to an outbreak-affected region and experience symptoms consistent with a notifiable disease, contact the KKM CPRC hotline at 03-8881 0200 (24/7) or visit your nearest government hospital emergency department. Do not visit a GP clinic first if you suspect a high-consequence infection — go directly to a hospital where isolation facilities are available. A full list of emergency contacts is available on our resources page.
This page aggregates information from several authoritative sources: the WHO Disease Outbreak News (DONs) published at who.int, Malaysia Ministry of Health (KKM) press statements via their official Telegram channel, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel health notices, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) threat assessments, and regional surveillance data from the ASEAN BioDiaspora Virtual Centre.
For Malaysia-specific disease data including dengue, HFMD, chikungunya, and tuberculosis, visit our Cases by State tracker or explore trends on the Statistics page. To see outbreak locations on a map, visit the Outbreak Map. For the mosquito-borne threat closest to home, see our chikungunya guide.