Travel Health Service Year 2016

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
Australia	532	World Health Organization, 5 April 2016
Brazil	495,266	World Health Organization, 1 April 2016
Cambodia	663	World Health Organization, 5 April 2016
Guangdong	22	Health Department of Guangdong Province, 15 March 2016
India	2,929	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 31 March 2016
Japan	75^#	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 5 April 2016
Lao PDR	237	World Health Organization, 5 April 2016
Mexico	18,561	World Health Organization, 1 April 2016
Philippines	18,790	World Health Organization, 5 April 2016
Singapore	6,523^{^}	Singapore National Environment Agency, 7 April 2016
Sri Lanka	13,639	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 6 April 2016
Taiwan	371	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 7 April 2016
Thailand	14,156	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 5 April 2016
Vietnam	13,086	World Health Organization, 5 April 2016

Remark:
* Dengue reporting systems vary by country.
^ Cumulative cases since 3 January 2016
# Cumulative cases since 4 January 2016.

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: Zika virus infection

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health today (April 10) received notification of an additional imported case of Zika virus Infection in the Mainland from the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, and again urged the public to adopt strict anti-mosquito measures during travel. Pregnant women and those planning pregnancy should consider deferring their trip to the affected areas.

The patient is a 7-year-old girl who lives in Venezuela. She arrived at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou on April 4 and subsequently went to Enping, Jiangmen. She developed skin rash on the night she arrived at Enping. She is now under treatment at home in stable condition.

To date, 16 imported cases of Zika Virus Infection have been notified in the Mainland.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 10 April 2016)

Angola: Yellow Fever [update]

The outbreak of yellow fever continued to affect Angola. Up to now, a total of 1,600 suspected and confirmed cases and 230 deaths had been reported.

(Source: ProMED-mail 9 April 2016)

Americas, Africa, Asia and other areas: Zika virus infection

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (April 8) closely monitoring the latest Zika virus update of the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, health advice for women planning pregnancy has been revised.

According to the WHO, Vietnam recently reported mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission. To date, over 60 countries/areas have documented Zika virus transmission since 2007 and are detailed in the attachment. Based on a growing body of preliminary research, there is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

"Taking reference to the latest albeit limited information available so far and international recommendations, we advise women preparing for pregnancy to continue to adopt contraception for at least two months, extended from 28 days, after returning from areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission," a spokesman for the CHP said.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 8 April 2016)

Tanzania: Anthrax

Five suspected cases of Anthrax including one death were reported in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania.

(Source: ProMED-mail 7 April 2016)

Mainland: Zika virus infection

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (April 1) received notification of two additional imported cases of Zika virus infection in the Mainland from the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province. The CHP again urged the public to adopt strict anti-mosquito measures during travel. Pregnant women and those planning pregnancy should consider deferring their trip to the affected areas.

The two patients are sisters aged 12 and 13 who returned to Enping, Jiangmen, Guangdong, from Venezuela. The younger sister developed skin rash on March 24 which later subsided. She was under isolation at home. Her elder sister presented with rash on her abdomen on March 29 and was hospitalised for isolation.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 1 April 2016)