Current Travel Health News

From August 2012 to April 2013, an outbreak of hepatitis A with 28 laboratory confirmed cases occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A new and potentially ongoing outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni infections associated with consumption of raw milk occurred in Alaska, USA.

Sudan is facing an outbreak of hepatitis E, with 170 cases diagnosed recently.

There was an outbreak of dengue fever in Mombasa of Kenya.

The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has notified WHO of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus infection. The fatal case was reported from Al-Qaseem region in the Central part of the country and is not related to the cluster of cases reported from Al-Ahsa region in the Eastern part of the country. The patient was a 63-year-old man with an underlying medical condition who was admitted to a hospital with acute respiratory distress on 15 May 2013 and died on 20 May 2013. Investigation into contacts of this case is ongoing.

Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 44 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection including 22 deaths.

The Department of Health (DH) is closely monitoring two additional cases of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus and one probable case reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by Tunisia. According to the WHO, the two laboratory confirmed cases are a 34-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman who are siblings. Both developed mild respiratory illnesses and did not require hospitalisation. Retrospective investigation into the cases revealed that the probable case, their 66-year-old father, with an underlying illness, became ill three days after returning from a visit to Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on May 3. He was admitted to a hospital for acute respiratory disease. His condition deteriorated and he passed away on May 10. Initial laboratory testing on his specimen produced negative results for novel coronavirus. These are the first confirmed cases of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus in Tunisia.

(Source: The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health 22 May 2013)

In the Mainland, one sample from a chicken in Fuli market, Licheng, Zengcheng City of Guangdong was tested positive for Avian Influenza virus subtype H7N9.

(Source: World Organisation for Animal Health 21 May 2013)

In Cataluna of Spain, there was an outbreak of low pathogenic H7N1 avian influenza virus infection.