Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (25 March 2014 - 31 March 2014)
Take precautions against dengue fever when travelling abroad
Dengue fever is now endemic in more than 100 countries in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. The American, South-east Asia and the Western Pacific regions are the most seriously affected. Various popular tourist attractions among Hong Kong people including Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia observe high activities of dengue fever.
Travellers planning to travel in these areas should take precautions against the disease.
Cumulative reported number of dengue cases since 01/01/2014 *
|
Cumulative reported no.
of cases since 01/01/2014 |
Source of information and date of report |
Australia |
455 |
World Health Organization, 25 March 2014 |
Brazil |
18,580 |
World Health Organization, 20 March 2014 |
Cambodia |
152 |
World Health Organization, 25 March 2014 |
Mainland China |
24
2
|
National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China,7 March 2014
Department of Health of Guangdong Province, 14 March 2014
|
India |
1,203 |
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 28 February 2014 |
Lao PDR |
250 |
World Health Organization, 25 March 2014 |
Malaysia |
21,967 |
World Health Organization, 25 March 2014 |
Mexico |
3,042 |
World Health Organization, 20 March 2014 |
New Caledonia |
106 |
World Health Organization, 25 March 2014 |
Philippines |
11,019 |
World Health Organization, 25 March 2014 |
Singapore |
3,714 |
Singapore National Environment Agency, 28 March 2014 |
Sri Lanka |
6,444 |
Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 27 March 2014 |
Taiwan |
56 |
CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 31 March 2014 |
Thailand |
3,790 |
Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 25 March 2014 |
Vietnam |
2,373 |
World Health Organization, 25 March 2014 |
Remark:
* Dengue reporting systems vary by country.
Travellers should stay vigilant against dengue fever and adopt the following personal preventive measures against mosquito bite:
| * |
Always wear loose, light-coloured long-sleeved tops and trousers; |
| * |
Stay in air-conditioned residence or places with mosquito screens; |
| * |
If mosquito screen or air-conditioning is absent, aerosol insecticide and bed nets are advised; |
| * |
Use insect repellents containing DEET on exposed skin and clothing; |
| * |
Use insect repellents containing DEET apart from applying sunscreen while staying in beaches; |
| * |
Re-apply insect repellents according to instructions during the trip; |
| * |
Carry a portable bed nets and apply permethrin on it as well as to clothes if travelling to rural areas where dengue fever is prevalent. |
Travellers returning from areas where dengue fever is prevalent should seek medical advice as soon as possible if they feel unwell and provide travel details to their doctors.
Nigeria: Lassa Fever
Nigeria continues to experience an outbreak of
Lassa fever in different parts of the country. From 1 Jan 2014 to 16 Mar 2014, a total of 208 cases including 17 deaths were recorded.
(Source: ProMED-mail 28 March 2014)
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) yesterday (March 27) received notification of an additional human case of
avian influenza A(H7N9) in Huizhou. As of yesterday, a total of 391 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (138 cases), Guangdong (95 cases), Jiangsu (44 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Fujian (21 cases), Hunan (19 cases), Anhui (10 cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (three cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang), Hebei (one case) and Jilin (one case).
(Source: The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health 28 March 2014)
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
The Department of Health (DH) is today (March 28) closely monitoring six additional cases of
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This brings the latest global number of confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome to 206, including 86 deaths.
(Source: The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health 28 March 2014)
Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone: Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever [Update]
The total number of cases in the ongoing
Ebola haemorrhagic fever outbreak in
Guinea was 103, including 66 deaths. Investigations on reported cases in
Liberia and
Sierra Leone along the border with Guinea are ongoing.
(Source: World Health Organization 27 March 2014)
United Arab Emirates: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
WHO has been informed of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in
United Arab Emirates (UAE). Globally WHO has been informed of a total of 200 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 85 deaths.
(Source: World Health Organization 26 March 2014)
Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone: Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever [Update]
The total number of cases in the ongoing
Ebola haemorrhagic fever outbreak in
Guinea was 86, including 62 deaths. Investigations on reported cases in
Liberia and
Sierra Leone along the border with Guinea are ongoing.
(Source: World Health Organization 26 March 2014)
Canada: Measles
The outbreak of
measles was ongoing in British Columbia,
Canada. Since 8 March, 228 confirmed cases were reported so far.
(Source: CDC, Taiwan 26 March 2014)
Japan: Hepatitis A
The number of
hepatitis A cases in 2014 has surged since week 3 in
Japan. As of 13 March, there were 177 cases, which was more than the number of reported cases in each of the past three years (176 cases in 2011, 157 cases in 2012, 128 cases in 2013).
(Source: National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan 25 March 2014)
Mainland: Avian Influenza, poultry
Outbreaks of H7N9
avian influenza were reported in Guangdong. 80376 birds were destroyed.
(Source: World Organisation for Animal Health 24 March 2014)
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) yesterday (March 25) received notification of an additional human case of
avian influenza A(H7N9) in Guangzhou from the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province. As of yesterday, a total of 390 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (138 cases), Guangdong (94 cases), Jiangsu (44 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Fujian (21 cases), Hunan (19 cases), Anhui (10 cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (three cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang), Hebei (one case) and Jilin (one case).
(Source: The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health 26 March 2014)
United Arab Emirates: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
WHO has been informed of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in
United Arab Emirates (UAE). Globally WHO has been informed of a total of 199 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 84 deaths.
(Source: World Health Organization 25 March 2014)
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) yesterday (March 24) received notification of an additional human case of
avian influenza A(H7N9) in Shenzhen from the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province. As of yesterday, a total of 389 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (138 cases), Guangdong (93 cases), Jiangsu (44 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Fujian (21 cases), Hunan (19 cases), Anhui (ten cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (three cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang), Hebei (one case) and Jilin (one case).
(Source: The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health 25 March 2014)
Guinea: Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever [Update]
(Source: World Health Organization 24 March 2014)
Egypt: Avian Influenza, human
(Source: ProMED-mail 24 March 2014)
Syria: Poliomyelitis
As of 20 March 2014, 37 cases of wild
poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) have been reported in
Syria.
(Source: World Health Organization 21 March 2014)