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 01/01/2016 *

	Cumulative reported no. of cases since 01/01/2016	Source of information and date of report
India	111,880	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 31 December 2016

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	411	World Health Organization, 25 April 2017
Brazil	70.843	World Health Organization, 20 April 2017
Cambodia	206	World Health Organization, 25 April 2017
Guangdong	20	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 14 April 2017
Japan	61^#	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 25 April 2017
Lao PDR	561	World Health Organization, 25 April 2017
Malaysia	27,405	World Health Organization, 25 April 2017
Mexico	8,222	World Health Organization, 20 April 2017
Philippines	26,433	World Health Organization, 25 April 2017
Singapore	880	Singapore National Environment Agency, 27 April 2017
Sri Lanka	38,819	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 27 April 2017
Taiwan	0”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 27 April 2017
Thailand	8,858	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 25 April 2017
Vietnam	23,848	World Health Organization, 25 April 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 Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health received notification from the National Health and Family Planning Commission that 17 additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9), including two deaths, were recorded from April 21 to 27 in the Mainland, and strongly urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

The nine male and eight female patients, aged from four to 74, had onset from April 6 to 23. Five of the patients were from Sichuan, two each from Beijing, Guangdong and Shandong, and one each from Chongqing, Fujian, Gansu, Henan, Hunan and Jiangsu. Among them, 16 were known to have had exposure to poultry, poultry markets or mobile stalls.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 28 April 2017)

Saudi Arabia and Qatar: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is closely monitoring 14 additional cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, including two deaths, reported to the World Health Organization by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The CHP again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of health risks in the places they visit.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 28 April 2017)

Brazil: Yellow Fever [Update]

Apart from Para, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Espirito Santo, and Minas Gerais, Tocantins in Brazil has also reported human case of yellow fever.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 27 April 2017)

Hong Kong: Zika Virus Infection

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is investigating an imported case of Zika Virus Infection. The female patient, aged 31 with good past health, presented with headache, sore throat, nausea and vomiting since April 21. She developed generalised skin rash since April 23. She attended Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital on April 24 and was admitted on the same day for management. She has been in a stable condition all along and has now been put under isolation. Her urine specimen tested positive for Zika virus.

Initial enquiries revealed that the patient had travelled to Ecuador and Peru on April 8 and returned to Hong Kong on April 21. She could not recall mosquito bites during travel or in Hong Kong. Ecuador and Peru are classified as areas with new introduction or re-introduction with ongoing transmission of Zika Virus Infection by the World Health Organization.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 26 April 2017)

Sweden: Avian influenza, poultry [Update]

An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) has been reported in a hen farm in eastern Sweden.

(Source: ProMED-mail 26 April 2017)

Somalia: Measles

Almost 5,700 suspected cases of measles were reported across Somalia since the start of 2017.

(Source: ProMED-mail 26 April 2017)

Slovakia: Measles

Slovakia reported the first case of imported measles.

(Source: ProMED-mail 26 April 2017)

United Arab Emirates: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring two additional cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), including one death, reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the United Arab Emirates. The CHP again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of health risks in the places they visit.

According to the WHO, the two cases identified in Abu Dhabi were two men aged 31 and 43, who were roommates. The former passed away on April 16.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 25 April 2017)

Burundi: Malaria

A malaria epidemic has been declared by the Burundi Ministry of Health.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that travellers to Burundi take prescription medicine to prevent malaria.

(Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 24 April 2017)

India: Hepatitis A

As on 23 Apr 2017, 40 cases of hepatitis A were reported in Kerala, India.

(Source: ProMED-mail 24 April 2017)

Pakistan: Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

Two cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever were reported in Balochistan, Pakistan in April 2017.

(Source: ProMED-mail 24 April 2017)

Mainland: Avian influenza, human [Update]

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring a human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Jilin, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

According to the Health and Family Planning Commission of Jilin Province, the male patient from Tonghua City, aged 34, has been hospitalised for management and his condition is critical now.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 24 April 2017)

South Sudan: Cholera [Update]

Cholera has been confirmed in 14 counties of South Sudan, with at least 172 deaths since June 2016.

(Source: ProMED-mail 23 April 2017)

Niger: Hepatitis E

Since the beginning of April 2017, Niger reported 86 cases of hepatitis E, including 25 deaths, in the Diffa Region.

(Source: ProMED-mail 23 April 2017)

[Editor’s notes: Hepatitis E is a viral liver disease. Typical symptoms include jaundice, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and fever. It is transmitted mainly through the faecal-oral route due to faecal contamination of drinking water. The incubation period ranges from 3 to 8 weeks.]

Portugal: Measles [Update]

A fatal case of measles has been reported in Lisbon, Portugal.

(Source: ProMED-mail 21 April 2017)

Italy: Measles [Update]

So far this year, more than 1,600 cases of measles have been reported in Italy.

(Source: ProMED-mail 21 April 2017)

India: Japanese Encephalitis

India reported the first fatal case of Japanese encephalitis in Zirakpur this year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 21 April 2017)