Travel Health Service Year 2016

Current Travel Health News

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.
of cases since 01/01/2016

Source of information and date of report

Brazil

1,496,282

World Health Organization, 6 February 2017

India

111,880

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 31 December 2016

Philippines

176,411

World Health Organization, 14 March 2017


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

278

World Health Organization, 14 March 2017

Cambodia

104

World Health Organization, 14 March 2017

Guangdong

13

Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 15 March 2017

Japan

31#

National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 21 March 2017

Lao PDR

438

World Health Organization, 14 March 2017

Malaysia

16,398

World Health Organization, 14 March 2017

Mexico

4,084

World Health Organization, 3 March 2017

Singapore

678

Singapore National Environment Agency, 23 March 2017

Sri Lanka

24,315

Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 23 March 2017

Taiwan

0”

CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 23 March 2017

Thailand

6,539

Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 21 March 2017

Vietnam

6,565

World Health Organization, 14 March 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.


South Africa: Malaria

Cases of malaria have been reported in parts of three provinces in South Africa where transmission of the disease does not usually occur.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 2 Alert, and recommends that travellers to the western Waterberg district of Limpopo Province take malarial prophylaxis.

(Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 27 March 2017)

 

Canada: Norovirus infection

To date, a total of 304 cases of Norovirus infection have been reported in Canada from eating raw oysters from the West Coast.

(Source: ProMED-mail 25 March 2017)

 

Nigeria: Meningococcal meningitis

As of 19 March 2017, a total of 1,407 suspected cases of meningococcal meningitis and 211 deaths were reported from 40 local government areas of Nigeria since December 2016.

(Source: World Health Organization 24 March 2017)

 

USA: Hepatitis A

From August 2016 to 21 March 2017, 107 confirmed cases of hepatitis A were reported in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties, and the city of Detroit in USA.

(Source: ProMED-mail 24 March 2017)

 

Mainland: Avian Influenza, human [Update]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health received notification from the National Health and Family Planning Commission that 18 additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9), including two deaths, were recorded from March 17 to 23. The CHP strongly urges the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

The 11 male and seven female patients, aged from 37 to 86, had their onset from March 9 to 15. The cases were five cases from Guangxi, four cases in Hunan, two cases each from Hubei and Zhejiang and one case each from Anhui, Fujian, Guizhou, Henan and Jiangxi. Among them, 16 were known to have exposure to poultry or poultry markets.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 24 March 2017)

 

Zambia: Cholera

Cholera has broken out in two districts of northern Zambia, with 70 people hospitalised.

(Source: ProMED-mail 23 March 2017)

 

Mozambique: Cholera [Update]

A cholera outbreak in Mozambique has infected more than 1,200 people after heavy rains.

(Source: ProMED-mail 23 March 2017)

 

Somalia: Cholera

At least 855 people were hospitalised for the treatment of cholera in Somalia.

(Source: ProMED-mail 23 March 2017)

 

Oman: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever

Since the beginning of 2017, 3 fatal cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic feverwere reported in Oman.

(Source: ProMED-mail 23 March 2017)

 

Vietnam: Avian Influenza, poultry

An outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza was reported in Can Tho, Vietnam.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 22 March 2017)

 

Botswana: Malaria

There have been recent increases in the number of malaria cases in Okavango, Ngami, Chobe, Boteti, Tutume and Bobirwa of Botswana.

(Source: ProMED-mail 21 March 2017)

 

Australia: Cryptosporidiosis

So far this year, there have been 71 cases of cryptosporidiosis in New South Wales, Australia.

(Source: ProMED-mail 21 March 2017)