Public Health Bonaire monitors which infectious diseases are present on our island throughout the year. We provide a brief update every quarter. This helps everyone stay informed about what’s happening and what you can do to stay healthy.
Influenza (flu)
Since December 2025, an early and more severe flu season has been reported worldwide, including in France, Australia, the U.S., Canada, Argentina, and Bolivia. The A (H3N2) subclade K (“super K”) appears to be the most prevalent this season. This has drawn significant media attention and raised questions about a possible new “superflu.”
Most people with influenza experience typical flu symptoms. In some people, the virus can cause more severe symptoms, such as pneumonia. This occurs primarily in people with weakened immune systems. In most countries, it is mainly older adults (65+) who are hospitalized or die from the virus. Often, these are people who have not been vaccinated against the flu.
There is not yet a flu epidemic in the European part of the Netherlands (source: RIVM). Influenza A is more common on the French Caribbean islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, and Saint Barths. More people there also visit their primary care physician with flu-like symptoms (source: Santé Publique France).
Public Health Bonaire is working with laboratories, primary care physicians, and the hospital to monitor respiratory viruses. Influenza A has been more prevalent on Bonaire since late October. Normally, we see more cases of influenza on Bonaire between January and April. The fact that the virus is appearing earlier than usual is consistent with reports from other countries regarding the flu. It is not yet known whether the same subtype found in other countries is also present on Bonaire.
Mosquito-borne diseases
From October through December, fewer people visited their primary care physician with symptoms of a mosquito-borne disease, such as dengue. During this period, there were a total of 18 cases of dengue. That is significantly fewer than during the same period in 2024, when 45 cases of dengue were reported, just before the second major outbreak on the island.
Public Health Bonaire asks everyone to be on the lookout for potential mosquito breeding sites around their homes. Mosquitoes on Bonaire can also transmit diseases other than dengue, such as Chikungunya.
In 2025, several cases of chikungunya were reported in Cuba. New chikungunya infections were also reported in Barbados in November. The first case of chikungunya was reported in French St. Maarten in December (source: PAHO). Public Health Bonaire is closely monitoring the situation in the area. No cases of chikungunya have been reported yet on the six Dutch Caribbean islands. The last major outbreak on the six islands occurred between 2014 and 2016.
Do you have any questions about mosquito-borne diseases? Please consult the frequently asked questions section via www.bonairegov.com/muggen.
Travel Vaccinations
Since early 2025, there has been an outbreak of yellow fever in Brazil and Colombia (source: PAHO). In March 2025, the Bonaire Municipal Health Service (GGD Bonaire) issued a press release to draw the attention of travelers to South America to the importance of yellow fever vaccination. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the GGD conducted a total of 120 traveler consultations. These primarily concerned trips to Colombia, Suriname, Peru, and Paraguay.
Yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for travelers who have been in a high-risk area within seven days prior to arrival on Bonaire. This also applies to infants aged 9 months and older.
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