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

1,282

World Health Organization, 12 July 2016

Brazil

1,244,583

World Health Organization, 15 July 2016

Cambodia

1,771

World Health Organization, 12 July 2016

Guangdong

48

Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 15 June 2016

India

8,307

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

Japan

163#

National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 19 July 2016

Lao PDR

1,530

World Health Organization, 12 July 2016

Mexico

36,037

World Health Organization, 15 July 2016

Philippines

52,177

World Health Organization, 12 July 2016

Singapore

9,781^

Singapore National Environment Agency, 21 July 2016

Sri Lanka

25,365

Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 20 July 2016

Taiwan

375

CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 21 July 2016

Thailand

22,566

Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 13 July 2016

Vietnam

25,441

World Health Organization, 12 July 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.


Taiwan: Avian Influenza, poultry

Outbreaks of highly pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N8 among chickens were reported in Taiwan.

(Source: ProMED-mail 25 July 2016)

 

USA: Hepatitis A [Update]

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

(Source: ProMED-mail 21 July 2016)

 

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Yellow Fever [Update]

The Democratic Republic of Congo reported 1,866 cases of yellow fever, including 85 deaths, since January 2016.

(Source: ProMED-mail 21 July 2016)

 

Netherlands: Tick-borne Encephalitis

The 1st case of tick-borne encephalitis was reported in Netherlands.

(Source: ProMED-mail 21 July 2016)

[Editor's note: Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral infection. It is transmitted by bite of infective ticks or by consumption of infected milk. The incubation period ranges from 7 to 14 days. Patients may present with fever, malaise, headache, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, neck stiffness, confusion, and paralysis. In general, the mortality rate is 1-2%. Travellers should adopt measures similar to the protection against mosquitoes to avoid tick bites and avoid consumption of unpasteurised milk.]

 

Mainland: Avian influenza, human

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health received notification of three 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, the patients were a 61-year-old man in Jiangsu who had poultry contact, a 54-year-old woman in Anhui who had no poultry exposure, and a 52-year-old man who worked in a market in Zhejiang. The patient in Zhejiang has died while the remaining two cases are in a serious condition.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 21 July 2016)

 

United Kingdom: E.coli infection

On 1 July 2016, the United Kingdom notified the WHO of an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. Coli O157 PT34 infection in England and Wales.

(Source: World Health Organization 21 July 2016)

 

France: Avian Influenza, poultry

Outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza among poultry were reported in the southwest of France.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 19 July 2016)

 

Colombia: Chikungunya fever

So far this year, Colombia reported 17,446 cases of chikungunya fever in total.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 19 July 2016)

 

Pakistan: Leishmaniasis

Recently, 193 cases of Leishmaniasis were reported in Pakistan.

(Source: ProMED-mail 17 July 2016)