Eurosurveillance - Volume 31, Issue 24, 18 June 2026

Following the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in May 2026, we reviewed all known Ebola disease cases outside Africa and found that intercontinental transmission risk remains low. We identified 28 confirmed epidemic-linked cases outside Africa; only four involved travellers with latent infection whose symptoms were detected after border screening. Excluding medically evacuated cases, the crude overall risk since 2000 was 0.17 Ebola disease cases outside Africa per 1,000 reported cases in Africa.

As at 9 July 2026^††, 13 cases (12 confirmed and one probable) of Andes orthohantavirus have been reported (case fatality: 23%), linked to the Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship m/v Hondius. The event involved individuals from 23 nationalities and required medical evacuation, repatriation, coordinated international contact tracing, isolation, quarantine and clinical and laboratory testing follow-up. To date, all cases have been passengers (10/121; 8%) or crew members (3/61; 5%). Ongoing monitoring and investigations aim to clarify the source of the outbreak, identify risk factors and prevent further spread.

In January 2026, 2 days after the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Verification Commission (RVC) for the European Region declared the re-establishment of endemic measles transmission in Spain, an outbreak linked to an office building, occurred in the city of Alicante, with 34 cases (median age: 44 years; interquartile range (IQR): 43–47) including 23 women and 11 men. Key factors shaping this outbreak underscore challenges and possible ways to regain transmission control, which might have relevance for re-achieving elimination status in Spain.

In Canada in 2024, an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes occurred, linked to pasteurised plant-based dairy alternative beverage products. The outbreak involved 20 confirmed cases (age range: 7–89 years; 13 females, seven males; 14 having underlying medical conditions) and resulted in three deaths. All cases were infected with the same genetic strain of L. monocytogenes. Nineteen of the 20 outbreak-confirmed cases reported consuming the same brand of plant-based beverage product prior to illness onset, and the outbreak strain was found in six open leftover plant-based beverage samples collected from the homes of six outbreak-confirmed cases. All L. monocytogenes-positive food samples were produced at a single manufacturing facility in Ontario, Canada on the same production line. The outbreak strain was confirmed in post-pasteurisation processing areas at the manufacturing facility. However, the source of contamination was not determined. Leftover case–food sample collection by local public health authorities and laboratory testing were instrumental in the timely identification of the outbreak source - a food recall warning was issued within 2 weeks of initial case–food WGS match. Manufacturer adherence to applicable requirements regarding L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods continues to be critical to prevent Listeria contamination and subsequent illnesses and/or deaths.