Travel Health Service Year 2017

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	723	World Health Organization, 29 August 2017
Brazil	214,990	World Health Organization, 5 September 2017
Cambodia	1,838	World Health Organization, 29 August 2017
India	36,635	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 20 August 2017
Guangdong	171	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 24 August 2017
Japan	145^#	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 5 September 2017
Lao PDR	6,730	World Health Organization, 29 August 2017
Macau	6"	Health Bureau of Macau, 22 August 2017
Malaysia	63,092	World Health Organization, 29 August 2017
Mexico	7,073	World Health Organization, 28 August 2017
Philippines	58,598	World Health Organization, 29 August 2017
Singapore	1,958	Singapore National Environment Agency, 7 September 2017
Sri Lanka	149,654	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 7 September 2017
Taiwan	3”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 7 September 2017
Thailand	34,459	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 5 September 2017
Vietnam	90,626	World Health Organization, 29 August 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.

Pakistan: Chikungunya fever [Update]

More than 2,500 cases of Chikungunya fever were reported in Pakistan.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 September 2017)

Angola: Malaria

33,100 cases of malaria including 91 deaths were reported in Cunene province of Angola.

(Source: ProMED-mail 9 September 2017)

Philippines: Japanese Encephalitis

Since January this year, at least 6 cases of Japanese encephalitis have been reported in Cordillera of Philippines.

(Source: ProMED-mail 9 September 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 an additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) was recorded from September 1 to 7 in Hunan, and strongly urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

The 67-year-old male patient in Zhangjiajie had onset on August 27 and was admitted to hospital for severe pneumonia. He had exposure to a live poultry market before onset.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 8 September 2017)

Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring 12 additional cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome including one death reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), 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.

Among the six male and six female patients aged from 10 to 69, seven had underlying illnesses, three had contact with camels, one consumed camel milk and five had contact with confirmed patients.

In addition, a previously confirmed patient has died.

To date, 2 079 cases have been reported to the WHO, with at least 722 deaths. There have been 1 863 cases in 10 Middle East countries comprising 1 710 in the KSA, 84 in the United Arab Emirates, 28 in Jordan, 19 in Qatar, eight in Oman, six in Iran, four in Kuwait, two in Lebanon, and one each in Yemen and Bahrain.

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

Uganda: Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

Eight cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, including 2 deaths have been reported in central Uganda as of 28 Aug 2017.

(Source: ProMED-mail 6 September 2017)

Italy: Malaria

A four-year old girl who had not been abroad has died of malaria in northern Italy.

(Source: ProMED-mail 6 September 2017)

Yemen: Cholera [Update]

612,703 suspected cholera cases were reported in Yemen. 2,048 people died.

(Source: ProMED-mail 5 September 2017)

Brazil: Chikungunya Fever [Update]

So far this year, Brazil reported 134,747 cases of Chikungunya fever.

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

Brazil: Leishmaniasis

So far this year, 9 cases of Leishmaniasis have been reported in the city of Tocantinópolis, Brazil.

(Source: ProMED-mail 5 September 2017)