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	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
Japan	70^#	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 30 May 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	1,128	Singapore National Environment Agency, 1 June 2017
Sri Lanka	55,377	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 31 May 2017
Taiwan	0”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 1 June 2017
Thailand	11,797	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 31 May 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.

South Korea: Avian Influenza, poultry

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, South Korea, confirmed that small flocks of farm chickens on the southern island of Jeju have tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8) virus.

(Source: ProMED-mail 5 June 2017)

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Poliomyelitis

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, two separate circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2s (cVDVP2s) have been confirmed.

(Source: World Health Organization 2 June 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 eight additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) were recorded from May 26 to June 1, and strongly urges the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

The five male and three female patients, aged 35 to 67, had onset from May 12 to 29. Two of them are from Shandong and one each from Anhui, Guangxi, Hebei, Hubei, Shaanxi and Sichuan. The case reported in Shaanxi was likely infected in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Among them, six were known to have exposure to poultry, poultry markets or mobile stalls.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 2 June 2017)

Zimbabwe: Avian Influenza, poultry

An outbreak of highly infectious H5N8 bird flu has hit a poultry farm in Zimbabwe¡¦s Mashonaland East province.

(Source: OIE 1 June 2017)

Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region: Avian Influenza, human

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring the first human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 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 Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a male patient, residing in Wuyuan County of Bayannur City, is in a stable condition. Epidemiological investigation revealed that the source of infection was probably poultry reared in his place of residence.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 1 June 2017)

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Avian Influenza, poultry

The Democratic Republic of the Congo reported its first H5 avian flu outbreaks in village birds in Ituri province

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 May 2017)