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. 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.
For more information on dengue fever, including the latest situation in neighbouring and overseas countries and areas, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage at https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/38847.html
Take precautions against Mpox (also known as monkeypox) when travelling abroad
Mpox (also known as monkeypox) is a zoonotic disease caused by Mpox virus. Often found in tropical forest regions of Central and West Africa. It is mainly transmitted by contact with infected animals, human-to-human transmission is limited. Incubation period is mainly from 6 to 13 days, symptoms are similar with Smallpox infection, but less severe.
Since 6 May 2022, multiple outbreaks were reported in Europe and North America countries, and many patient are self-identified as bisexual or men who have sex with men. Travellers planning to travel in these areas should avoid contact with infected person. Travellers returning from these areas shall notify the doctor to seek medical treatment and inform the travel situation if feeling unwell.
For more information on Mpox, including the latest situation in overseas countries or places, please visit the World Health Organization and Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpages at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/monkeypox#tab=tab_1
https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/105683.html
Burkina Faso: Dengue Fever and Chikungunya Fever [Update]
20 November 2023
Officials in Burkina Faso in West Africa are reporting an unprecedented surge in Dengue Fever this year. In the past week (November 10-17), the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 23,747 additional cases and 72 deaths. Cumulatively, 155,426 cases and 421 deaths have been reported in all 13 regions of the country.
The dengue epidemic had been accompanied since September by the appearance of another mosquito-borne disease, Chikungunya. The MOH has reported 473 cumulative cases (238 confirmed and 235 suspected) and no deaths.
20 November 2023
20 November 2023
20 November 2023
Through October 2023, Malaysia has reported a more than 100 percent rise in Dengue cases in 2023, reporting 96,443 cumulative cases, a significant increase from the 48,109 cases reported in 2022 during the same period. Dengue fatalities are also up this yea—73 deaths from dengue-related complications were recorded by 22 October 2023, compared to 29 deaths during the same period in 2022.
In the Philippines as of mid-October, a total of 155,823 dengue cases have been reported. The number of cases is 30% lower compared to the same period in 2022 (n=221,597). From 1 January to 14 October 2023, there have been 543 deaths (CFR 0.38%) as compared to 788 deaths (CFR 0.36%; 31% decrease) reported in the same period in 2022.
Health authorities in Laos report that as of November 15, 33,609 dengue fever cases have been reported since the beginning of the year. This total is up from the approximately 28,000 cases reported during the same period in 2022. There have now been 19 deaths reported in 2023.
The Thailand Bureau of Epidemiology has reported 132,126 total dengue cases through mid-November 2023. This includes 142 dengue related fatalities. This compares to the 48,679 cases and 32 deaths reported in all of 2022.
The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated on November 14 that according to statistics, there were 1,358 new local cases of dengue fever from November 7 to November 13 this year. This brings the total for 2023 to date to a total of 23,256 local cases, with 20,084 cases in Tainan City, 1,749 cases in Kaohsiung City and 671 cases in Yunlin County.
The National Environment Agency in Singapore, 8,591 dengue cases have been reported in the first 45 weeks of 2023. Cases are down dramatically from last year’s numbers when some 30,000 cases were reported at this time.
Through the end of October 2023, Vietnam health officials have reported 127,907 cumulative dengue cases including 33 deaths (CFR: 0.02%), which is a decrease by 55.3% compared to the same period in 2022 (286,361 cases including 136 deaths).
The Directorate General of Health Services in Bangladesh reports 299,964 total dengue cases with about one third of the cases reported in Dhaka City and the remaining two thirds reported outside the city. The death toll now resides at 1,543. Both the total cases and deaths in Bangladesh this year dwarfs the previous records of 101,000 and 281, respectively.
India’s National Center for Vector Borne Diseases Control reports 94,198 total dengue cases through September 17, including 91 deaths. This compares to the 233,251 cases and 303 deaths recorded in 2022.
The Government of Sri Lanka reports a total of 70,390 dengue cases, an increase 1532 cases from the previous week. In all of 2022, Sri Lanka reported 76,689 total dengue cases.
Pakistan, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Nigeria and Somalia: Poliomyelitis [Update]
20 November 2023
Six countries reported more Polio cases this week, including Pakistan, which reported its fifth wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of the year, according to the latest weekly update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The Pakistani patient is from Sindh province. The five other countries, all in Africa, reported more vaccine-derived cases. Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guinea, Nigeria, and Somalia reported more circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases. The DRC also reported four more cases involving circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1).
Mauritania and South Africa: Diphtheria
17 November 2023
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Mauritanian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported suspected cases of Diphtheria in mid-October. The first case had onset of symptoms on 8 October 2023. Through November 11, the MOH has reported a cumulative 20 suspected diphtheria cases, including five deaths from Bassiknou district.
South Africa’s Department of Health reported 11 new diphtheria cases (9 confirmed and 2 suspected) and one new death among inmates at Pollsmoor Correctional Centre in Western Cape province.
Bangladesh: Dengue Fever [Update]
16 November 2023
Zambia and Zimbabwe: Anthrax [Update]
15 November 2023
In Zambia, officials reported 17 new suspected cases and no new deaths of Anthrax. Cumulatively, 352 suspected cases and four deaths (CFR: 1.1 %) of cutaneous anthrax have been reported this year from seven of 10 provinces in Zambia.
Zimbabwe officials reported 15 new suspected cases and no new deaths of cutaneous anthrax from Gokwe South and North districts, Midlands province. Cumulatively, 384 suspected cases and no deaths of cutaneous anthrax have been reported from one of 10 provinces in Zimbabwe.
15 November 2023
15 November 2023
15 November 2023