Travel update September 2025

Jane Chiodini brings us up to date with the travel-associated infections report from UKHSA and the latest developments on the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) vaccine

CHIKUNGUNYA AND OROPOUCHE

The latest UKHSA publication of travel-associated infections in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, published on 14 August, reported that the number of imported chikungunya cases increased to 73 in the six-month period from January to June 2025, up from 27 during the same timeframe in 2024. Most cases were reported following travel to Sri Lanka, India and Mauritius, aligning with ongoing local outbreaks in countries in the Indian Ocean region.There were also three cases of Oropouche virus in travellers returning to the UK. This is the first time the UK has reported Oropouche virus cases, with all cases associated with travel to Brazil. Dengue cases were lower at 161, down from 490 during the same period in 2024, with Thailand, Brazil and Indonesia as the most frequently reported travel destinations. More details can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/travel-associated-infections/travel-associated-infections-in-england-wales-and-northern-ireland-january-to-june-2025. It therefore remains very important to discuss mosquito bite avoidance with travellers as one of the measures to combat these diseases if they travel to ‘at risk destinations’.Knowledge of the dengue and chikungunya vaccines is also now necessary, which I wrote about in the last issue (See Practice Nurse May-June 2025;55(4):31).Since that time, the JCVI has published guidance on the use of the Chikungunya vaccines at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chikungunya-vaccine-for-uk-travellers-jcvi-advice-16-july-2025/chikungunya-vaccine-in-uk-travellers-jcvi-advice but publication of the Green Book chapter is still awaited.

Development on guidance of use of Ixchiq, which is the live chikungunya vaccine, took a dramatic turn in the USA on 25 August when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the equivalent of the MHRA in the UK, announced the suspension of the vaccine license, due to serous safety concerns.However, in an updated news item on 29 August from NaTHNaC on TravelHealthPro, advice on vaccine use in the UK has not altered – but it would be wise to keep watch for updates at https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/news/843/chikungunya-vaccination-information. The other chikungunya vaccine, Vimkunya is being marketed for use in the UK and should be available in private travel clinics.The country recommendations for CHIKV are now also available on the country specific pages of TravelHealthPro.

VACCINATOR COMPETENCY ASSESSMENT

My last travel health update discussed the newly published National minimum standards and core curriculum for vaccination training in relation to travel health. Appendix A, the Vaccinator competency assessment tool workbook to accompany this new guidance is now available to download at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688a481f1affbf4bedb7b0f1/UKHSA_Appendix_A_Vaccinator_competency_assessment_tool_workbook.pdf  As a PDF, it appears it would need to be printed out and completed manually, unless you have a recent version of Adobe Acrobat which enables you to complete forms online.

For news of further educational opportunities, including free monthly webinars from the Faculty of Travel Medicine until the end of the year, see the updated events page on my website at https://www.janechiodini.co.uk/links/events/