Travel Health Service Year 2017

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 01/01/2017 *

 

Cumulative reported no.
of cases since 01/01/2017

Source of information and date of report

Australia

556

World Health Organization, 20 June 2017

Brazil

144,326

World Health Organization, 23 June 2017

Cambodia

535

World Health Organization, 20 June 2017

India

11,402

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 31 May 2017

Guangdong

42

Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 14 June 2017

Japan

84#

National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 4 July 2017

Lao PDR

2,138

World Health Organization, 20 June 2017

Malaysia

43,807

World Health Organization, 20 June 2017

Mexico

3,782

World Health Organization, 23 June 2017

Philippines

33,760

World Health Organization, 20 June 2017

Singapore

1,470

Singapore National Environment Agency, 5 July 2017

Sri Lanka

79,118

Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 5 July 2017

Taiwan

0”

CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 6 July 2017

Thailand

18,521

Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 5 July 2017

Vietnam

29,701

World Health Organization, 20 June 2017

Remarks:
* Dengue reporting systems vary by country.
“ Locally-acquired
# Cumulative cases since 2 January 2017.

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.


Nigeria: Lassa fever [Update]

So far this year, 308 suspected cases of Lassa fever with 50 deaths were reported in Nigeria.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 July 2017)

 

India: Japanese Encephalitis [Update]

India reported 6 fatal case of Japanese encephalitis this year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 July 2017)

 

Nepal: Scrub Typhus

In the past 2 weeks, 2 cases of scrub typhus have been reported in Nepal.

(Source: ProMED-mail 9 July 2017)

 

Malaysia: Rabies

A total of 4 rabies cases were reported in Sarawak, Malaysia.

(Source: ProMED-mail 9 July 2017)

 

Yemen: Cholera [Update]

297,438 suspected cholera cases were reported in Yemen. 1,706 people died.

(Source: ProMED-mail 9 July 2017)

 

Malaysia: Japanese Encephalitis

A case of Japanese encephalitis was reported in Sarawak, Malaysia.

(Source: ProMED-mail 8 July 2017)

 

Taiwan: Japanese Encephalitis [Update]

So far this year, 11 cases of Japanese encephalitis have been confirmed in Taiwan, including the most recent case in Taoyuan City.

(Source: Taiwan Centers for Disease Control 7 July 2017)

 

Mainland: Avian influenza, human [Update]

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is monitoring a notification from the National Health and Family Planning Commission that one additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) was recorded from June 30 to July 6 in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and strongly urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

The 35-year-old male patient, who was known to have sold and slaughtered live chickens at market, had onset on June 23 and subsequently passed away on June 30.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 7 July 2017)

 

Taiwan: Japanese Encephalitis [Update]

So far this year, 9 cases of Japanese encephalitis have been confirmed in Taiwan, including the most recent case in Changhua County.

(Source: Taiwan Centers for Disease Control 5 July 2017)

 

France: Hepatitis A

9 of cases of Hepatitis A were reported in Centre-Val de Loire, France.

(Source: ProMED-mail 5 July 2017)

 

Syrian Arab Republic: Poliomyelitis [Update]

To date, 24 cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2s (cVDVP2s) were reported in Syria this year.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 5 July 2017)

 

Lebanon: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is closely monitoring an additional case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by Lebanon, and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of the health risks in the places they visit.

"Travellers to the Middle East, particularly in the summer vacation, should avoid going to farms, barns or markets with camels, avoid contact with sick persons and animals, especially camels, birds or poultry, and avoid unnecessary visits to healthcare facilities. We strongly advise travel agents organising tours to the Middle East to abstain from arranging camel rides and activities involving direct contact with camels, which are known risk factors for acquiring MERS Coronavirus," a spokesman for the CHP said.

According to the WHO, the patient is a 39-year-old Lebanese man living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). He travelled to Lebanon on June 11 and developed symptoms on June 15. The patient tested positive for MERS Coronavirus on June 16. The case was placed in home isolation and the patient was released from home isolation in Lebanon on June 23. He did not have contact with camels or individuals with respiratory symptoms.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 5 July 2017)

 

Pakistan: Amoebic meningoencephalitis

A fatal case of amoebic meningoencephalitis has been recorded in Sindh province of Pakistan. The amoeba is commonly found in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers, ponds and canals.

(Source: ProMED-mail 4 July 2017)