Global trends of pandemic-prone and epidemic-prone disease outbreaks in 2024
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21880282 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Juan Armando Torres Munguía (0000-0003-3432-6941, University of Göttingen), Inmaculada Martinez-Zarzoso (0000-0002-3247-8557, Universitat Jaume I) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | e020708 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMJ Global Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2059-7908 • E-ISSN: 2059-7908 |
| Publisher | BMJ (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1136/bmjgh-2025-020708 |
| PMID | 41702637 |
| OpenAlex | W7129632428 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
During 2024, the number of pandemic-prone and epidemic-prone disease outbreaks worldwide was estimated at 301. The data highlight a shift in disease outbreak patterns, with a decline in the number of countries reporting public health events of concern linked to COVID-19 and a rise in those reporting outbreaks of viral diseases transmitted by vectors. About 90% of the outbreaks in 2024 were associated with COVID-19, dengue, yellow fever, Oropouche virus disease and influenza (linked to identified zoonotic or pandemic influenza virus). Although disease outbreaks can affect any country anywhere, they tend to disproportionately occur in countries facing many other socio-economic development, climatic and humanitarian challenges. In this regard, sub-Saharan Africa and the subregion of Latin America and the Caribbean—home to just 23.3% of the world’s population—reported the highest number of disease outbreaks in 2024 with about 57% of the total. Particularly, the sub-Saharan Africa region has been the site of nearly 32% of recorded outbreaks since 1996. Future research should include efforts to improve the quality and availability of disease outbreaks data—particularly in the most exposed or vulnerable regions—and to promote the scientific use of such information for foresight purposes and for forecasting future health events of concern to support anticipatory action
Disease · Futures studies · Latin Americans · Outbreak · Pandemic · Public health · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research · Zoonotic diseases and public health
Political instability patterns are obscured by conflict dataset scope conditions, sources, and coding choices
Association between conflict intensity and health outcomes in contemporary conflicts, while accounting for the vulnerability and functioning of healthcare services
What makes an epidemic a disaster
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |