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.
Cumulative reported number of dengue cases since 01/01/2016 *
|
Cumulative reported no. |
Source of information and date of report |
Australia |
1,760 |
World Health Organization, 2 November 2016 |
Brazil |
1,452,284 |
World Health Organization, 28 October 2016 |
Cambodia |
1,771 |
World Health Organization, 2 November 2016 |
Guangdong |
434 |
Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 25 October 2016 |
India |
86,451 |
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 6 November 2016 |
Japan |
309# |
National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 8 November 2016 |
Lao PDR |
4,658 |
World Health Organization, 2 November 2016 |
Malaysia |
87,890 |
World Health Organization, 2 November 2016 |
Mexico |
99,759 |
World Health Organization, 28 October 2016 |
Philippines |
101,401 |
World Health Organization, 2 November 2016 |
Singapore |
12,586^ |
Singapore National Environment Agency, 10 November 2016 |
Sri Lanka |
45,531 |
Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 10 November 2016 |
Taiwan |
377” |
CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 10 November 2016 |
Thailand |
54,008 |
Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 9 November 2016 |
Vietnam |
63,504 |
World Health Organization, 2 November 2016 |
Remarks:
* Dengue reporting systems vary by country.
“ Locally-acquired
^ 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.
Denmark: Avian influenza, wild birds
Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) have been reported in Copenhagen and Stege, Denmark.
(Source: ProMED-mail 14 November 2016)
Netherlands: Avian influenza, wild birds
Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) have been reported in Monnickendam, Netherlands.
(Source: ProMED-mail 14 November 2016)
Austria: Avian influenza, poultry [Update]
Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) have been reported in Bregenz, Austria.
(Source: ProMED-mail 14 November 2016)
Israel: Avian influenza, poultry
Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) have been reported in Israel.
(Source: ProMED-mail 14 November 2016)
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]
The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring 13 additional cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), including four deaths, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reported to the World Health Organization (WHO), and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of health risks in the places they visit.
According to the WHO, among the 11 male and two female patients aged 33 to 73 (median age 55), seven had underlying illnesses. Investigations revealed that one case was a household contact of a confirmed MERS case, one had contact with camels and their raw meat, and two had contact with camels and consumed their raw milk. Another case transported one of the above patients to a hospital where MERS subsequently occurred with three other cases involved in this hospital outbreak. The remaining five patients' sources of infection are still under investigation.
(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 14 November 2016)
A fatal case of melioidosis was reported in Peru. The 19-year-old victim toured in the north coast.
(Source: ProMED-mail 14 November 2016)
Switzerland: Avian influenza, wild birds
Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza(H5N8) have been reported in Switzerland.
(Source: ProMED-mail 13 November 2016)
So far this year, 37 fatal cases of scrub typhus were reported in Himachal Pradesh, India.
(Source: ProMED-mail 13 November 2016)
Mainland: Avian influenza, human [Update]
The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health received notification of two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) from the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel. The two patients are:
1. A female farmer aged 77 from Huzhou, Zhejiang, in serious condition. She bought poultry from a live poultry market before onset; and
2. A man aged 89 from Suzhou, Jiangsu, in serious condition.
(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 11 November 2016)
Myanmar: Japanese Encephalitis
69 cases of Japanese encephalitis were reported in Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar.
(Source: ProMED-mail 10 November 2016)
Croatia: Avian influenza, wild birds
Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) have been reported in Croatia. There are signs of spread along the Baltic.
(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 10 November 2016)
Germany: Avian influenza, wild birds
Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) have been reported in Germany.
(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 8 November 2016)
Austria: Avian influenza, wild birds
Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) have been reported in Austria.
(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 8 November 2016)