Travel Health Service Year 2017

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 01/01/2017 *

	Cumulative reported no. of cases since 01/01/2017	Source of information and date of report
Australia	939	World Health Organization, 5 December 2017
Brazil	219,040	World Health Organization, 27 October 2017
Cambodia	3,056	World Health Organization, 5 December 2017
India	153,635	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 10 December 2017
Guangdong	1,343	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 14 November 2017
Japan	236^#	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 12 December 2017
Lao PDR	10,820	World Health Organization, 5 December 2017
Macau	6"	Health Bureau of Macau, 27 October 2017
Malaysia	79,023	World Health Organization, 5 December 2017
Mexico	58,697	World Health Organization, 27 October 2017
Philippines	97,287	World Health Organization, 5 December 2017
Singapore	2,636	Singapore National Environment Agency, 14 December 2017
Sri Lanka	178,434	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 14 December 2017
Taiwan	10”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 14 December 2017
Thailand	50,033	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 13 December 2017
Vietnam	173,169	World Health Organization, 5 December 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.

Venezuela: Diphtheria

In 2017, Venezuela has reported 609 probable cases of diphtheria through the end of November and fatality rate was reported as more than 20 percents.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 16 December 2017)

Yemen: Cholera [Update]

The World Health Organization announced that as of 11 December 2017, there were 983 486 cases of Cholera in Yemen. Some 2225 people have died on the disease since 27 April 2017.

(Source: ProMED-mail 16 December 2017)

USA: Influenza

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of USA claimed that 1,232 laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations were reported from 1 October to 9 December 2017. The majority of hospitalizations (87.4%) were associated with influenza A virus. The CDC also reported that one human infected a novel influenza A virus (H3N2v) after contact with swine. So far this year, there were 62 H3N2v cases, 4 H1N2v cases, and 1 H1N1v infection.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 15 December 2017)

South Africa: Listeriosis [Update]

In a follow-up on the listeriosis outbreak in South Africa, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported 602 laboratory-confirmed cases as of 13 December 2017, including 40 deaths.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 15 December 2017)

Canada: Escherichia Coli

Canada reported an outbreak of Escherichia coli O157. There are 30 cases of E. coli O157 illness under investigation in five provinces and one person has died. Many patients reported eating romaine lettuce before their illnesses occurred.

(Source: ProMED-mail 15 December 2017)

Mainland: Plague

Health authorities in Gansu province of China have confirmed the death of a herder from septicemic plague. Authorities had placed 12 people who had close contact with the patient under quarantine, and no abnormalities had been found.

(Source: ProMED-mail 15 December 2017)

Greece: Measles

A measles outbreak currently occurred in Greece. Hellenic center for disease control & prevention reported 780 measles as of 14 December 2017, including 1 death. Vaccination with the combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is recommended for travellers to Greece.

(Source: Hellenic Center for Disease Control & Prevention 14 December 2017)

Madagascar: Foodborne illness, toxic sardines

The consumption of toxic sardinella during the rainy season has killed 8 people in northern Madagascar

(Source: ProMED-mail 14 December 2017)

Bangladesh: Diphtheria [Update]

From 3 November 2017 through 12 December 2017, a total of 804 suspected diphtheria cases including 15 deaths were reported among the displaced Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar of Bangladesh.

(Source: The World Health Organization 13 December 2017)

Samoa: Dengue Fever

Samoa health officials are reporting an outbreak of dengue fever that was first detected in October. A total of 1,522 confirmed cases were recorded as of December 3rd, including 4 deaths.

(Outbreak News Today December 13, 2017)

Australia: Salmonella

New South Wales of Australia reported 201 cases of reported 201 cases of Salmonella poisoning across the state last month.

(Source: Outbreak News Today December 13, 2017)

Korea: Avian Influenza, poultry

Korea has reported a novel emerging highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N6) virus isolated from both wild birds and domestic poultry. One H5N6 virus was isolated from wild birds on Jeju Island. There was one case of H5N6 in a duck farm in Jeonbuk province.

(Source: ProMED-mail 12 December 2017)

Cambodia: Avian Influenza, poultry

Cambodia reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus infection in a local chicken farm, which started on 22 November 2017.

(Source: ProMED-mail 12 December 2017)