RecordWeek 8 of 2026 (16–22 Feb)Outbreaks
India: 16 chickenpox outbreaks in week 8 of 2026, the most since week 14 of 2017.
What happened
- Week 8 of 2026
- 16
- 2017-W14
- 16
Why it matters
A record says how long it has been since the series was this high or this low. It puts a single value in the context of the whole published history.
For chickenpox outbreaks, neither a rise nor a fall is better in itself, so the observatory marks this movement as unusual rather than good or bad.
Historical context
461 consecutive earlier weeks were lower. It extends a run of new highests that began earlier.
The underlying data
| Period | Value | Release | Where in the document |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 8 of 2026 | 16 | IDSP weekly outbreak report, 2026 week 8 (2026-02-16 to 2026-02-22) | IDSP weekly outbreak report 2026-W08, count over 16 rows for all States/UTs: p.3 AS/BIS/2026/8/246, p.5 CT/JAN/2026/8/251, p.8 JH/DHA/2026/8/256, p.8 JH/DUM/2026/8/257, p.8 JH/EAS/2026/8/258, p.9 JH/JAM/2026/8/259, p.12 KL/KOZ/2026/8/265, p.13 KL/PAL/2026/8/267, p.21 TN/DIN/2026/8/286, p.22 TN/KAR/2026/8/287, p.22 TN/PUD/2026/8/288, p.23 TN/PUD/2026/8/289, p.23 TN/SAL/2026/8/290, p.24 TN/TIR/2026/8/292, p.28 BH/SUP/2026/8/299, p.29 TN/THA/2026/8/301 |
| Week 14 of 2017 | 16 | IDSP weekly outbreak report, 2017 week 14 (2017-04-03 to 2017-04-09) | IDSP weekly outbreak report 2017-W14, count over 16 rows for all States/UTs: p.3 AS/BPT/2017/14/0452, p.3 BH/ARW/2017/14/0453, p.4 BH/MBN/2017/14/0454, p.4 BH/MBN/2017/14/0456, p.4 BH/MZP/2017/14/0457, p.4 BH/PTN/2017/14/0458, p.4 BH/SHK/2017/14/0459, p.5 GJ/GAN/2017/14/0460, p.6 PB/MNS/2017/14/0469, p.7 AS/KMM/2017/14/0475, p.8 BH/MBN/2017/14/0476, p.8 BH/MZP/2017/14/0477, p.8 KN/TUM/2017/14/0479, p.9 MP/RTM/2017/14/0484, p.10 UP/FAT/2017/14/0489, p.10 UP/KSN/2017/14/0490 |
Source and method
More signals for chickenpox outbreaks in India
- India: 18 chickenpox outbreaks in the 4 weeks to week 25 of 2026, against a median of 10 for the same weeks in 2023–25.
- India: 21 chickenpox outbreaks in the 4 weeks to week 24 of 2026, against a median of 13 for the same weeks in 2023–25.
- India: 26 chickenpox outbreaks in the 4 weeks to week 16 of 2026, against a median of 17 for the same weeks in 2023–25.
- India: 33 chickenpox outbreaks in the 4 weeks to week 12 of 2026, against a median of 18 for the same weeks in 2023–25.
- India: 47 chickenpox outbreaks in the 4 weeks to week 11 of 2026, against a median of 18 for the same weeks in 2023–25.
- India: 57 chickenpox outbreaks in the 4 weeks to week 10 of 2026, against a median of 17 for the same weeks in 2023–25.
Cite this
According to the India Health Observatory, India: 16 chickenpox outbreaks in week 8 of 2026, the most since week 14 of 2017. Source: Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, National Centre for Disease Control, MoHFW, IDSP weekly outbreak report, 2026 week 8 (2026-02-16 to 2026-02-22). https://indiahealthobservatory.com/signals/chickenpox-outbreaks--india--2026-w08--record
See also India and 16 in context.