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

1,044

World Health Organization, 31 May 2016

Brazil

1,130,316

World Health Organization, 26 May 2016

Cambodia

1,771

World Health Organization, 31 May 2016

Guangdong

39

Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 13 May 2016

India

3,962

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 30 April 2016

Japan

133#

National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 31 May 2016

Lao PDR

583

World Health Organization, 31 May 2016

Mexico

25,814

World Health Organization, 26 May 2016

Philippines

33,748

World Health Organization, 31 May 2016

Singapore

8,278^

Singapore National Environment Agency, 2 June 2016

Sri Lanka

17,801

Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 1 June 2016

Taiwan

372

CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 2 June 2016

Thailand

18,044

Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 31 May 2016

Vietnam

16,967

World Health Organization, 31 May 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 received notification of an additional imported case of Zika Virus Infection from the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, and again urged the public to adopt strict anti-mosquito measures and safe sex during travel. Pregnant women and those planning pregnancy should not travel to affected areas.

A 32-year-old female patient who lives in Venezuela arrived in Guangdong on May 30. She subsequently developed fever and skin rash and was then hospitalised for isolation and management. To date, 21 imported cases of Zika Virus Infection have been notified in the Mainland.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 6 June 2016)

 

Dominican Republic: Cholera

In the Dominican Republic, 714 suspected cases of cholera and 16 deaths have been reported so far in 2016.

(Source: World Health Organization 6 June 2016)

 

Honduras: Chikungunya fever

So far in 2016, Honduras reported a total of 9,489 cases of chikungunya fever

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 6 June 2016)

 

Mainland: Avian Influenza, human

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring an additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Beijing and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

According to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning, the case is a male patient aged 49 from Tongzhou.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 3 June 2016)

 

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Yellow Fever

On 22 March 2016, the National IHR Focal Point of the Democratic Republic of Congo notified WHO of cases of yellow fever in connection with an ongoing outbreak in Angola. As of 31 May, a total of 700 suspected cases, including 63 deaths, had been reported.

(Source: World Health Organization 2 June 2016)

 

Israel: West Nile Virus Infection

The Israeli Health Ministry has warned of an outbreak of the West Nile virus in Israel, after 4 cases were reported in the last 2 months since March 2016.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 May 2016)