Key points
- WHO has formally declared a pandemic only twice in the modern era: H1N1 in 2009 and COVID-19 in 2020. No new pandemic is active.
- Two public health emergencies of international concern are active: poliovirus and Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus.
- The largest active outbreak is Ebola (Bundibugyo) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: 10,532 confirmed cases and 5,126 confirmed deaths as of 1 November 2026 (UKHSA).
- Every figure on this page is a dated snapshot. Outbreak numbers move weekly; check the official source linked before reusing a figure.
Direct answer: No new pandemic has been declared. WHO has formally declared a pandemic only twice in the modern era — H1N1 in 2009 and COVID-19 in 2020. What is happening now is different: two public health emergencies of international concern are active, and several large outbreaks are running at the same time. This page is a plain-language snapshot dated 7 November 2026, with a link to the official source for every figure.
The two active emergencies
A public health emergency of international concern — a PHEIC — is the strongest alert WHO can issue under the International Health Regulations. Since 2009 there have been nine PHEIC declarations, and two are active now.
The first is the international spread of poliovirus, a PHEIC since 2014 and re-confirmed by the 45th Polio Emergency Committee in May 2026 (statement 25 August 2026). Wild poliovirus type 1 remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan only, and circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus was reported in 12 countries in the first four months of 2026. The second is Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus, declared a PHEIC on 17 May 2026 and still active at the Emergency Committee meeting of 18 August 2026. Neither is a “pandemic emergency” under the amended International Health Regulations — polio was explicitly assessed as not one in August 2026.
Ebola (Bundibugyo): the largest active outbreak
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the largest recorded outbreak of Bundibugyo virus and the second-largest Ebola outbreak of any kind to date. As of 1 November 2026 there were 10,532 confirmed cases and 5,126 confirmed deaths in the DRC, an increase of 472 cases and 239 deaths since the previous report (UKHSA, week 44, published 5 November 2026). Cases have been reported in eight provinces, and imported cases reached Kenya (9 cases, 2 deaths) and Nigeria (1 case, evacuated to Switzerland). Uganda’s separate outbreak was declared over on 27 August 2026. WHO assesses the risk as very high in the DRC, high for bordering countries, and low globally. The full picture is in the Ebola guide on this site.
Cholera, dengue and measles
Cholera remains a global threat — the seventh pandemic, running since 1961. WHO’s cholera fact sheet (29 September 2026) records 451,499 cases and 7,870 deaths in 47 countries in 2025, the highest annual death toll since 1999. In 2026, 275,284 cases and 2,601 deaths were reported from 28 countries between 1 January and 30 August — lower than the same period in 2025, but WHO warns that reporting delays mean this is no proof transmission has fallen.
Dengue has caused more than 2 million cases and more than 1,000 deaths since the start of 2026 (ECDC, September 2026), with local transmission now established in parts of Europe — 76 locally acquired cases in Italy and 8 in France as of 28 October 2026 — and a record outbreak in Florida, United States. Measles is resurging worldwide: the United States alone recorded 5,182 confirmed cases as of 5 November 2026, more than double its whole 2025 total of 2,289 (CDC, updated 6 November 2026). Each disease has its own guide on this site.
Mpox, bird flu and the outbreaks that ended
Mpox is no longer a public health emergency — the PHEIC ended on 5 September 2025 — but the multi-country outbreak continues: 65,784 cases and 264 deaths were reported from 1 January 2025 to 31 July 2026 across 105 countries, and WHO’s standing recommendations have been extended until August 2027. Bird flu (H5N1) still causes only sporadic human cases, almost all after close contact with animals; the joint FAO/WHO/WOAH assessment of 18 May 2026 rates the risk to the general public as low, with no sustained human-to-human transmission. COVID-19 is still circulating at low levels, but its PHEIC ended on 5 May 2023 — it is not an active pandemic.
One outbreak recently ended: Marburg virus disease in Ethiopia, the country’s first outbreak, was declared over on 26 January 2026 (14 confirmed cases, 9 deaths). There is no active Marburg outbreak.
What this page does not cover
Some outbreaks are too thin or too unverified to carry a page of their own, and this site does not build one for them. Nipah and MERS appear only as sporadic cases in 2026 with no confirmed totals; Shamonda virus is a single human case in France, under investigation; and a Russian report of pneumonia of undetermined etiology has no confirmed cause — it must not be published as a plague outbreak. West Nile virus in Europe needs its own dated research before it is covered. Where a figure cannot be confirmed at an official source, this site leaves it out rather than guessing.
How to use this page
Treat every number here as a snapshot with a date, not a live count. This site runs no live outbreak tracker and no case counter: figures are re-checked by a person on a schedule — weekly while a PHEIC is active, monthly for cholera, dengue, measles and mpox, quarterly for bird flu — and the “as of” date moves with each check. For the newest numbers, follow the WHO Disease Outbreak News listing, the UKHSA weekly “Outbreaks under monitoring” page, and the CDC and ECDC pages linked in Sources. For practical preparation, see the Emergency Preparedness Checklist on this site.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a pandemic happening now?
No. WHO has formally declared a pandemic only twice in the modern era, H1N1 in 2009 and COVID-19 in 2020. Several outbreaks and two public health emergencies are active, which is not the same thing.
Which emergencies are active right now?
Two: the international spread of poliovirus, a public health emergency since 2014, and Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus, declared in May 2026.
How often is this page updated?
It is a snapshot dated 7 November 2026 and is re-checked monthly, or weekly while a public health emergency is active. Figures older than their re-check interval are labelled stale.