New analysis courtesy of Airfinity and Bloomberg News revealed worldwide outbreaks of infectious diseases such as measles, whooping coughs, tuberculosis, or polio. Over 40 countries have reported at least one infectious disease resurgence with cases higher than pre-pandemic records in many regions.

In this blog post by Pacific Prime, we will be discussing the global resurgence in infectious diseases as over 40 countries reported cases even higher than pre-pandemic records in various regions.

Overview: The Global Surge of Infectious Diseases

Recent analysis from Airfinity and Bloomberg News revealed alarming worldwide outbreaks of infectious diseases such as measles, whooping coughs, tuberculosis, polio, dengue, and cholera.

According to data compiled from over 60 organizations and public health agencies, the world saw a resurgence of up to 13 infectious diseases with cases higher than the pre-pandemic era in various regions.

Additionally, over 40 countries or territories reported at least one infectious disease resurgence that’s at least 10 times the severity of the pre-pandemic levels.

Factors That Contributed to the Outbreak

According to the analysis, the severe worldwide outbreak of infectious diseases was caused by three primary factors. These include falling vaccination rates, an overall decline in population immunity, and climate change.

Below are the three factors that contributed to the infectious disease outbreak.

Falling Vaccination Rates

The first factor that contributed to the severe surge of infectious diseases worldwide was the falling vaccination rates. Among the vaccine-preventable diseases are measles, polio, whooping coughs (known medically as pertussis), and tuberculosis.

However, the declining vaccination rates left populations vulnerable and allowed pathogens to spread. For instance, global measles vaccination declined, as evident in 20 countries in Europe dropping below 90% in 2022, including the UK (87%), which experienced a national outbreak.

Austria had its most severe measles outbreak with cases in the first five months of 2024 already being 190% higher than pre-pandemic levels. Others such as Denmark, Bosnia, Canada, Ireland, or the Netherlands could also exceed pre-pandemic levels if transmission persists.

Population Immunity Decline

The other factor that contributed to the surge of infectious diseases worldwide following the decline in vaccination rates was the decline in population immunity during the pandemic.

Social interaction restrictions suppressed the circulation of the influenza virus, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Group A Streptococcus (iGAS). The resurgence could be attributed to susceptible populations along with increased case tests and reports following the pandemic.

For instance, the US’ total influenza cases last season were 28% higher than in 2019 while total influenza cases in Europe last season were 75% higher than in 2019.

Climate Change

The third factor that contributed to the global outbreak of infectious diseases was climate change, which allowed the spread of diseases such as dengue or cholera, as well as pathogens reaching new territories.

For instance, Italy witnessed a marked increase from its first local dengue case in 2020 to 67 cases in 2023 while France saw a 7.2-fold increase of dengue cases from 9 cases in 2019 to 65 reported cases.

Comments from Airfinity

According to Airfinity’s Biorisk analyst, Kristan Piroeva, unvaccinated children are at the greatest risk of the resurgence of diseases such as measles, whooping coughs, polio, or RSV. She also added that these illnesses can be more dangerous to infants and young children than adults.

Thus, sufficient vaccination rates are crucial for the prevention of these infectious diseases for vulnerable groups.

Travel With Peace of Mind: Travel Insurance

Now that you know the global surge in infectious diseases worldwide and the factors that contributed to the worldwide disease outbreak, let’s now move one factor that should never be overlooked should you decide to travel to any of these countries – travel insurance.

Travel insurance offers financial protection in the case of injuries, or luggage loss. Let’s assume you end up sick or injured while abroad, this is where travel insurance comes in by covering medical bills.

If you’re going on a one-off trip for a certain period of time, a single would be sufficient for you. However, if you wish to take more than two trips in one year, the annual or multi-trip alternative is highly recommended as it’s more cost-effective.

On the other hand, the family option is perfect for parents and children under the age of 18 as this option covers both parents and their children in case of injuries, illnesses, or luggage loss.

Secure Travel Insurance with Pacific Prime

As an international health insurance broker, Pacific Prime has over 20 years of experience in matching both expats and local citizens to health insurance plans such as travel insurance, international health insurance, and more that suit both their budget and unique healthcare needs.

Whether you’re an expat overseas or an individual or family looking to stay safe and healthy during a vacation abroad, Pacific Prime’s team of specialists will be more than happy to help you out.

If you have any further questions, please get in touch with us and get a free quote here.

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Wish Sutthatothon

Content Writer at Pacific Prime

Wish Sutthatothon (Nickname: Guy) is currently a content writer at Pacific Prime Thailand, an insurance broker that connects individuals and businesses with insurance providers worldwide. He creates and edits blog articles, guides, reports, webpages, and other types of digital content.

He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts, Media & Communication major (concentration: Creative Content) from Mahidol University International College (MUIC). During the compulsory major elective period in the summer of 2021 and voluntarily during the summer of 2022, he also interned as a video and photo editor at Mbrella Films.

He has experience working as an English Content Writer at a real estate buying/renting/selling platform in Thonglor. There, he crafted company blog posts on a multitude of topics. Topics include market trends, legal issues and disputes in property businesses, financial guides, expat guides, home insurance, home decoration and maintenance, and weekly real estate news quick-recaps. Occasionally, as part of the blog-writing process, he would also translate existing Thai blogs to English.

In his free time, Guy enjoys doing scriptwriting and storytelling for comic strips, watching movies, and listening to music (particularly film scores).

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