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 01/01/2017 *
|
Cumulative reported no. |
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.
India: Japanese Encephalitis [Update]
Malaysia: Japanese Encephalitis
Taiwan: Japanese Encephalitis [Update]
Mainland: Avian influenza, human [Update]
Taiwan: Japanese Encephalitis [Update]
Syrian Arab Republic: Poliomyelitis [Update]
Lebanon: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
"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.
Pakistan: Amoebic meningoencephalitis