Current Travel Health News

Dengue fever is now endemic in more than 100 countries in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. This includes various popular tourist destinations for Hong Kong people including the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Travellers planning to travel in these areas should take precautions against the disease.

Cumulative reported number of dengue cases since 01/01/2016 *

	Cumulative reported no. of cases since 01/01/2016	Source of information and date of report
Australia	1,683	World Health Organization, 20 September 2016
Brazil	1,426,005	World Health Organization, 14 September 2016
Cambodia	1,771	World Health Organization, 20 September 2016
Guangdong	258	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 21 September 2016
India	36,110	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 11 September 2016
Japan	244#	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 20 September 2016
Lao PDR	3,455	World Health Organization, 20 September 2016
Malaysia	78,077	World Health Organization, 20 September 2016
Mexico	67,809	World Health Organization, 14 September 2016
Philippines	101,401	World Health Organization, 20 September 2016
Singapore	11,827^	Singapore National Environment Agency, 22 September 2016
Sri Lanka	41,093	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 22 September 2016
Taiwan	377”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 22 September 2016
Thailand	42,670	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 20 September 2016
Vietnam	36,639	World Health Organization, 20 September 2016

Remarks:
* Dengue reporting systems vary by country.
“ Locally-acquired
^ Cumulative cases since 3 January 2016
# Cumulative cases since 4 January 2016.

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.

Brazil: Chikungunya Fever [Update]

So far this year, 216,102 cases of Chikungunya fever were reported in Brazil.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 26 September 2016)

 

Mainland (Chaozhou): Dengue fever

As of 23 September, 110 local cases of dengue fever were reported in Chaozhou, Mainland China.

(Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Chaozhou 24 September 2016)

 

Mainland (Chaozhou): Dengue fever

As of 22 September, 107 local cases of dengue fever were reported in Chaozhou, Mainland China.

(Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Chaozhou 23 September 2016)

 

Mainland (Chaozhou): Dengue fever

As of 19 September, 90 local cases of dengue fever were reported in Chaozhou, Mainland China.

(Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Chaozhou 20 September 2016)

 

Austria: Middle-East respiratory syndrome [Update]

On 8 September 2016, the National IHR Focal Point for Austria notified WHO of a laboratory confirmed case of Middle-East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. This is the second case of MERS-CoV in Austria.

(Source: World Health Organization 20 September 2016)