Current Travel Health News

The number of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease cases in Singapore reached another record high, rising to 1 610 for the week 6 - 12 May.

(Source: ProMED-mail 19 May 2012)

Since January 2012, New Brunswick, Canada had been experiencing an outbreak of Pertussis (whooping cough). As of 22 May 2012, 548 confirmed cases had been reported. It is a significant increase compared with recent non-outbreak years.

(Source: ProMED-mail 23 May 2012)

In Argentina, as of 30 April 2012, there had been 597 confirmed cases of Pertussis (whooping cough). It is 90% more than the number (315) in the same period of 2011.

(Source: ProMED-mail 20 May 2012)

After the severe flooding of the Amazon River in March 2012, Leptospirosis cases were reported throughout Peru, with 90% of cases from Iquitos district in Loreto. As of 17 May 2012, 462 cases of Leptospirosis (86 confirmed) and 5 deaths had been reported in Loreto.

(Source: NaTHNaC 23 May 2012)

The outbreak of Lassa Fever in Nigeria is continuing. As of 11 May 2012, 22 out of the 36 states in Nigeria had reported cases; a total of 869 suspected cases of Lassa Fever had been reported including 143 laboratory confirmed cases and 92 deaths.

(Source: NaTHNaC 21 May 2012)

From 1 January to 17 April 2012, outbreaks of Meningococcal Meningitis had been reported in 10 out of the 14 countries of the African Meningitis Belt. The 10 countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Sudan) reported a total of 11 647 cases including 960 deaths.

(Source: WHO 24 May2012)

As widespread violent clashes occurred in many cities across Syria, including Daraa, Latakia, Damascus, Baniyas, Aleppo, Homs and Hama, resulting in serious casualties, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has raised the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for Syria to Black. Residents are urged to avoid all travel to the country. Those already there should attend to their personal safety and avoid protests and large gatherings of people.

For more information, please visit the OTA webpage.

(Source: Security Bureau, Government of Hong Kong SAR 26 April 2011)

Following the hostage taking incident in the Philippines which had caused casualties, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has raised the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for the Philippines to Black. Hong Kong residents are urged to avoid all travel to the Philippines. Those already there should attend to their personal safety and stay alert.

For more information, please visit the OTA webpage.

(Source: Security Bureau, Government of Hong Kong SAR 20 September 2010)

For more information, please visit the World Health Organization webpage.