Current Travel Health News
Current Travel Health News
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. 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. |
Source of information and date of report |
Brazil |
1,496,282 |
World Health Organization, 31 January 2017 |
Cambodia |
1,771 |
World Health Organization, 13 December 2016 |
Guangdong |
545 |
Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 5 January 2017 |
India |
111,880 |
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 31 December 2016 |
Philippines |
176,411 |
World Health Organization, 31 January 2017 |
Vietnam |
110,854 |
World Health Organization, 31 January 2017 |
Cumulative reported number of dengue cases since 01/01/2017 *
|
Cumulative reported no. |
Source of information and date of report |
Australia |
74 |
World Health Organization, 31 January 2017 |
Japan |
20# |
National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 7 February 2017 |
Lao PDR |
117 |
World Health Organization, 31 January 2017 |
Malaysia |
5,592 |
World Health Organization, 31 January 2017 |
Mexico |
1,357 |
World Health Organization, 1 February 2017 |
Singapore |
417 |
Singapore National Environment Agency, 9 February 2017 |
Sri Lanka |
9,886 |
Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 8 February 2017 |
Taiwan |
0” |
CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 9 February 2017 |
Thailand |
3,036 |
Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 7 February 2017 |
Remarks:
* Dengue reporting systems vary by country.
“ Locally-acquired
# Cumulative cases since 2 January 2017.
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.
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human [Update]
The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring three additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in the Mainland, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
The Health and Family Planning Commission of Henan Province reported that a female farmer aged 35 from Nanyang who has a history of exposure to live poultry presented with minor symptoms.
Separately, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning reported that a male patient aged 68 with history of exposure to live poultry is now in critical condition. His close contacts remain asymptomatic. This case was classified as an imported case from Hebei.
Moreover, according to the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning, a male patient aged 58 was under treatment.
(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 13 February 2017)
Bosnia/Herzegovina: Avian Influenza, poultry
Bosnia and Herzegovina reported its first case of avian influenza, after the H5 strain was detected at a hen farm in the north-western town of Prijedor.
(Source: OIE 13 February 2017)
The ministry of Health confirmed the first case of yellow fever in Bolivia after 10 years of not having been reported. The affected individual is a Danish tourist who has visited a jungle area in Caranavi.
(Source: ProMED-mail 11 February 2017)
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]
The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring 17 additional cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), including four deaths, reported to the World Health Organization by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of health risks in the places they visit.
The patients are 12 men and five women aged from 27 to 75 (median age: 57). Among them, 13 have underlying illnesses, nine had contact with camels or consumed camel milk, and one is a health care worker who had contact with a previously confirmed patient.
(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 13 February 2017)
Mainland, Guangzhou: Avian Influenza, Alert
Among the recent human cases of avian influenza in Guangzhou, all of them had a contact history with live poultry. The Guangzhou Regional Government called on the public to avoid contact with live poultry. According to the latest surveillance report, more than 30% of the markets in Guangzhou have different levels of contamination by H7N9 avian influenza virus.
(Source: Guangzhou Regional Government 10 February 2017)
South Korea: Foot and mouth disease, bovine
An outbreak of Foot and mouth disease has been reported in Yeoncheon-gun, South Korea.
[Editor's note: Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock. The disease mainly affects cattle and swine, as well as sheep. FMD is not readily transmissible to humans.]
(Source: ProMED-mail 9 February 2017)
An outbreak of Ross River Virus was reported in Victoria, Australia, with a total of 654 cases recorded in January this year.
(Source: ProMED-mail 9 February 2017)
An outbreak of measles has been confirmed in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Five confirmed cases were identified at a school in the town.
(Source: ProMED-mail 9 February 2017)
Two cases of Lassa fever were reported in Nimba county of Liberia.
(Source: ProMED-mail 9 February 2017)
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human [Update]
The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring three additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in the Mainland, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
The Health and Family Planning Commission of Henan Province reported that a male farmer aged 54 from Dengzhou, Nanyang, is in critical condition. His close contacts remain asymptomatic.
Separately, the Health and Family Planning Commission of Sichuan Province reported that two male patients aged 55 and 75 from Suining are now hospitalised for isolation and management and are in critical condition. Their close contacts remain asymptomatic.
(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 9 February 2017)
So far, 1,060 cases of yellow fever and 166 deaths were reported in Brazil.
(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 9 February 2017)
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human [Update]
The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring an additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in the Mainland, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.
The Health and Family Planning Commission of Henan Province reported that the male patient aged 38 from Kaifeng lives in Zhengzhou and was under treatment in critical condition.
(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 7 February 2017)
Myanmar: Avian Influenza, poultry
Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N6 were reported in Myanmar.
(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 7 February 2017)