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

Australia

1,496

World Health Organization, 9 August 2016

Brazil

1,399,480

World Health Organization, 5 August 2016

Cambodia

1,771

World Health Organization, 9 August 2016

Guangdong

78

Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 27 July 2016

India

15,099

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 28 July 2016

Japan

188#

National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 9 August 2016

Lao PDR

2,365

World Health Organization, 9 August 2016

Mexico

41,986

World Health Organization, 5 August 2016

Philippines

59,585

World Health Organization, 9 August 2016

Singapore

10,396^

Singapore National Environment Agency, 10 August 2016

Sri Lanka

33,429

Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 10 August 2016

Taiwan

376

CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 10 August 2016

Thailand

28,586

Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 9 August 2016

Vietnam

48,798

World Health Organization, 9 August 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.


Republic of Congo: Yellow Fever

As of 3 August 2016, 193 suspected cases of yellow fever have been reported in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. This is the first report of yellow fever in the city.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 15 August 2016)

 

Fiji: Leptospirosis

From January to 3 August this year, the Fiji Ministry of Health has reported 430 cases of leptospirosis.

(Source: ProMED-mail 13 August 2016)

 

South Africa: Rabies

Two human cases of rabies were reported in Gauteng province of South Africa.

(Source: ProMED-mail 12 August 2016)

 

India: Scrub typhus

So far this year, 96 cases of scrub typhus have been reported in Himachal Pradesh, India.

(Source: ProMED-mail 12 August 2016)

 

Mainland: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

In the first six months in 2016, a total of 1,305,593 cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease were reported in China.

(Source: ProMED-mail 14 August 2016)

 

Malaysia: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Between 3 January and 6 August 2016, a total of 23,454 cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease were reported in Malaysia.

(Source: ProMED-mail 14 August 2016)

 

Angola: Yellow Fever [update]

As of 4 August 2016, a total of 3,867 suspected cases of yellow fever have been reported in Angola.

(Source: ProMED-mail 14 August 2016)

 

Mainland: Avian influenza, human

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health received notification of five 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.

According to the NHFPC, two patients in Fujian were a 79-year-old man who had visited a market and died on July 10, and a 78-year-old man who had poultry exposure and is currently in serious condition. A patient in Beijing is a 35-year-old male who had poultry exposure in Jiangxi and is currently in serious condition. Two patients in Hebei are a 13-year-old girl and a 68-year-old woman, and both are in stable condition. They live together and the 13-year old patient had accompanied the above patient in Beijing back to Jiangxi.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 12 August 2016)

 

Nigeria: Poliomyelitis

2 cases of poliomyelitis were reported in Nigeria.

(Source: World Health Organization 11 August 2016)

 

India: Leptospirosis

So far this year, 45 confirmed cases of leptospirosis were reported in India.

(Source: ProMED-mail 11 August 2016)

 

Pakistan: Measles

A measles outbreak occurred in Bar Qamber Khail area in Pakistan.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 August 2016)

 

France: Avian Influenza, poultry

An outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza among ducks was reported in France.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 10 August 2016)

 

USA: Hepatitis A [Update]

135 confirmed cases of hepatitis A were reported in Hawaii, USA.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 August 2016)

 

USA: Hantavirus infection

A fatal case of Hantavirus infection has been reported in Utah county of USA.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 August 2016)

 

USA: Zika virus infection [update]

4 more locally-acquired cases of Zika virus infection were reported in Florida, USA.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 9 August 2016)

 

Oman: Brucellosis

55 cases of brucellosis were reported during the period May to July 2016 in the north of Oman.

(Source: ProMED-mail 9 August 2016)

 

Kenya: Chikungunya fever

On 28 May 2016, the Ministry of Health of Kenya notified WHO of an outbreak of Chikungunya in Mandera East sub-county.

(Source: World Health Organization 9 August 2016)