RecordWeek 9 of 2026 (23 Feb–1 Mar)Outbreaks
India: 17 chickenpox outbreaks in week 9 of 2026, the most since week 18 of 2016.
What happened
- Week 9 of 2026
- 17
- 2016-W18
- 22
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
510 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 9 of 2026 | 17 | IDSP weekly outbreak report, 2026 week 9 (2026-02-23 to 2026-03-01) | IDSP weekly outbreak report 2026-W09, count over 17 rows for all States/UTs: p.3 AP/ANA/2026/9/303, p.6 CT/DUR/2026/9/311, p.10 JH/EAS/2026/9/317, p.11 KN/MYS/2026/9/319, p.12 KL/ERN/2026/9/322, p.16 KL/WAY/2026/9/329, p.16 MP/CHH/2026/9/330, p.21 TN/KAL/2026/9/340, p.22 TN/KAL/2026/9/341, p.22 TN/KAL/2026/9/342, p.23 TN/KRI/2026/9/344, p.23 TN/PER/2026/9/345, p.24 TN/SAL/2026/9/346, p.24 TN/SAL/2026/9/347, p.31 AP/CHI/2026/9/359, p.31 AP/PRA/2026/9/360, p.33 CT/RAJ/2026/9/364 |
| Week 18 of 2016 | 22 | IDSP weekly outbreak report, 2016 week 18 (2016-05-02 to 2016-05-08) | IDSP weekly outbreak report 2016-W18, count over 22 rows for all States/UTs: p.3 JK/KLM/2016/18/980, p.7 PB/LDN/2016/18/1000, p.7 PB/SUR/2016/18/1001, p.7 SK/GTK/2016/18/1004, p.9 UA/DEH/2016/18/1010, p.9 UP/GBN/2016/18/1011, p.9 UP/GRK/2016/18/1012, p.9 UP/HRD/2016/18/1013, p.9 UP/KAJ/2016/18/1014, p.9 UP/LAL/2016/18/1015, p.9 UP/LKW/2016/18/1016, p.12 BH/BAN/2016/18/1027, p.12 BH/RHT/2016/18/1029, p.12 CH/MNI/2016/18/1032, p.14 NL/PHK/2016/18/1045, p.15 UP/GBN/2016/18/1049 and 6 more |
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: 17 chickenpox outbreaks in week 9 of 2026, the most since week 18 of 2016. Source: Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, National Centre for Disease Control, MoHFW, IDSP weekly outbreak report, 2026 week 9 (2026-02-23 to 2026-03-01). https://indiahealthobservatory.com/signals/chickenpox-outbreaks--india--2026-w09--record
See also India and 17 in context.