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	752	World Health Organization, 12 September 2017
Brazil	214,990	World Health Organization, 8 September 2017
Cambodia	2,102	World Health Organization, 12 September 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	157^#	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 12 September 2017
Lao PDR	7,708	World Health Organization, 12 September 2017
Macau	6"	Health Bureau of Macau, 22 August 2017
Malaysia	66,906	World Health Organization, 12 September 2017
Mexico	30,519	World Health Organization, 8 September 2017
Philippines	67,601	World Health Organization, 12 September 2017
Singapore	2,002	Singapore National Environment Agency, 14 September 2017
Sri Lanka	151,820	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 14 September 2017
Taiwan	3”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 14 September 2017
Thailand	35,836	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 13 September 2017
Vietnam	108,925	World Health Organization, 12 September 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.

South Africa: Avian Influenza, poultry [Update]

Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) continued in South Africa.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 18 September 2017)

Italy: Avian Influenza, poultry [Update]

Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) continued in Italy.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 18 September 2017)

Italy: Chikungunya fever

14 locally-acquired cases of Chikungunya fever were reported in Italy. 6 of them were in Rome and the other cases were in Anzio district.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 18 September 2017)

Cyprus: Malaria

3 malaria cases were reported in northern Cyprus.

(Source: ProMED-mail 17 September 2017)

Greece: Malaria

As of 17 August, 5 locally-acquired cases of malaria have been reported in Greece this year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 16 September 2017)

Pakistan: Chikungunya fever [Update]

3,455 cases of Chikungunya fever were reported in Karachi, Pakistan.

(Source: ProMED-mail 16 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 8 to 14 in Liaoning, and strongly urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

The 54-year-old male patient in Tieling, known to have bred live poultry, had onset on September 3 and was admitted to hospital for severe pneumonia.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 15 September 2017)

Cote d' Ivoire: Yellow Fever

A recent yellow fever outbreak has killed at least 15 people in Cote d' Ivoire.

(Source: ProMED-mail 14 September 2017)

Nigeria: Cholera

In northeast Nigeria, a total of 1,283 suspected cholera cases have been reported including 35 deaths.

(Source: ProMED-mail 14 September 2017)

Yemen: Cholera [Update]

635,752 suspected cholera cases were reported in Yemen. 2,062 people died.

(Source: ProMED-mail 13 September 2017)

Oman: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring one additional case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by Oman, 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.

According to the WHO, the patient is a 54-year-old man with underlying illness in Oman. He developed symptoms on August 9 and was admitted to hospital on August 21. He tested positive for MERS Coronavirus on August 29. Investigations into the source of infection are ongoing.

To date, 2 080 cases have been reported to the WHO, with at least 722 deaths. There have been 1 864 cases in 10 Middle East countries comprising 1 710 in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 84 in the United Arab Emirates, 28 in Jordan, 19 in Qatar, nine 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 13 September 2017)