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	939	World Health Organization, 5 December 2017
Brazil	219,040	World Health Organization, 27 October 2017
Cambodia	3,056	World Health Organization, 5 December 2017
India	157,220	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 24 December 2017
Guangdong	1,704	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 15 December 2017
Japan	243^#	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 26 December 2017
Lao PDR	10,820	World Health Organization, 5 December 2017
Macau	6"	Health Bureau of Macau, 27 October 2017
Malaysia	79,023	World Health Organization, 5 December 2017
Mexico	58,697	World Health Organization, 27 October 2017
Philippines	97,287	World Health Organization, 5 December 2017
Singapore	2,735	Singapore National Environment Agency, 28 December 2017
Sri Lanka	183,046	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 28 December 2017
Taiwan	10”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 28 December 2017
Thailand	51,582	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 26 December 2017
Vietnam	173,169	World Health Organization, 5 December 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: Influenza A

Pakistan reported a rise in swine flu patients (influenza A H1N1 virus) in Multan city. Five people had died of the disease during the last two weeks.

(Source: ProMED-mail 1 January 2018)

Iran: Avian Influenza, poultry

Iran reported a recent outbreak of avian influenza. Around 17 million chickens have been culled so far.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 December 2017)

Switzerland: Avian Influenza, wild birds

Switzerland reported its first detection of a new highly pathogenic influenza A H5N6 virus on a wild swan. Laboratory preliminary results indicated that it was related to the H5N8/H5N6 strains recently detected in Europe.

(Source: ProMED-mail 29 December 2017)

Russia: Avian Influenza, poultry

Russia reported its first outbreak of a highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N2 virus on a commercial poultry farm.

(Source: ProMED-mail 29 December 2017)

Brazil: Hepatitis A

Brazil had an outbreak of hepatitis A in the city of São Paulo in 2017. There were 656 hepatitis A cases, including two deaths in the first 11 months of 2017, compared with just 60 cases reported in 2016. The Municipal Health Secretary of São Paulo claimed the increase in hepatitis A was mainly related to the homosexual population.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 28 December 2017)

USA: Escherichia Coli

USA is investigating a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 infections in 13 states. Seventeen illnesses have been reported. The source of infections has not been identified.

(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States 28 December 2017)