Abstract:
Objective To detect global infectious disease events occurring outside China in May 2026 and assess the importation risk to China and international travel risk.
Methods Utilizing open-source intelligence on the internet, this study conducts event-based surveillance of priority infectious diseases and adopts the risk matrix methodology to build an indicator system by integrating disease-, country- and event-specific indicators in terms of transmission likelihood and severity of consequences in order to assess the risk of the importation and the risk of international travel.
Results In May 2026, 15 infectious diseases were detected to form events or outbreaks in 38 countries worldwide. In terms of importation risk to China, there is 3 high-risk events and 18 medium-risk events; in terms of international travel risk, there are 5 high-risk events and 27 medium-risk events.
Conclusion For importation risk, it is recommended to pay close attention to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, dengue fever outbreak in Vietnam, and pay general attention to diphtheria, dengue fever, yellow fever, cholera, chikungunya, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, measles, Norovirus infection, West Nile fever, Zika virus disease in specific countries. For international travel risk, it is recommended to pay close attention to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, diphtheria in Mauritania, cholera in Burundi, and measles outbreaks in Guatemala.