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 |
501 |
World Health Organization, 23 May 2017 |
Brazil |
144,326 |
World Health Organization, 29 May 2017 |
Cambodia |
302 |
World Health Organization, 23 May 2017 |
Guangdong |
27 |
Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 12 May 2017 |
India |
11,402 |
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 31 May 2017 |
Japan |
73# |
National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 6 June 2017 |
Lao PDR |
1,071 |
World Health Organization, 23 May 2017 |
Malaysia |
35,004 |
World Health Organization, 23 May 2017 |
Mexico |
8,222 |
World Health Organization, 20 April 2017 |
Philippines |
26,433 |
World Health Organization, 23 May 2017 |
Singapore |
1,192 |
Singapore National Environment Agency, 8 June 2017 |
Sri Lanka |
59,760 |
Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 7 June 2017 |
Taiwan |
0” |
CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 8 June 2017 |
Thailand |
12,670 |
Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 6 June 2017 |
Vietnam |
29,701 |
World Health Organization, 23 May 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.
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human [update]
The eight male and four female patients, aged from 4 to 68, had onset from May 20 to June 3. Three of them are from Beijing, two each from Anhui, Chongqing and Henan, and one each from Jiangsu, Shaanxi and Shandong. Two cases reported in Beijing were likely infected in Hebei and Shanxi while the case reported in Shaanxi was likely infected in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Among them, nine were known to have exposure to poultry, poultry markets or mobile stalls.
Iran: Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever
Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]
In the KSA, 25 cases of MERS were reported between April 21 and May 29. The patients comprised 22 men (including six fatal cases) and three woman aged from 25 to 81, with 14 having underlying illnesses. Among them, six patients had contact with camels and consumed camel milk while ten cases (including four healthcare workers) had contact with confirmed MERS Coronavirus cases.
In UAE, two cases involved two men with underlying illnesses were reported on May 16. Both patients, aged 45 and 69 respectively, had contact with camels. The 45-year-old man remained asymptomatic and was identified during contact tracing of the 69-year-old case.
In Qatar, the case involved a 29-year-old man was reported on May 23. The patient has reported frequent contact with camels.