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
India	157,220	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 24 December 2017

Remarks:
* Dengue reporting systems vary by country/area.

Cumulative reported number of dengue cases since 01/01/2018 *

	Cumulative reported no. of cases since 01/01/2018	Source of information and date of report
Australia	162	World Health Organization, 29 March 2018
Brazil	66,425	World Health Organization, 3 May 2018
Cambodia	247	World Health Organization, 29 March 2018
Guangdong	9	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 13 April 2018
Japan	31	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 2 May 2018
Lao PDR	24^#	World Health Organization, 29 March 2018
Macau	0”	Health Bureau of Macau, 21 April 2018
Malaysia	1,079^&	World Health Organization, 29 March 2018
Mexico	5,318	World Health Organization, 3 May 2018
Philippines	15,599	World Health Organization, 29 March 2018
Singapore	842^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 3 May 2018
Sri Lanka	17,214	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 3 May 2018
Taiwan	0”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 3 May 2018
Thailand	8,720	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 2 May 2018
Vietnam	12,360	World Health Organization, 29 March 2018

* Dengue reporting systems vary by country/area.
@ Cumulative cases since 31 December 2017.
“ Locally-acquired
# data of week 10
& data of week 11

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.

Reunion Island: Dengue [Update]

So far, a total of 2,119 cases of dengue fever were reported in 2018 on Reunion Island.

(Source: ProMED-mail 7 May 2018)

Spain: Measles

An outbreak of measles with a total of 13 cases was reported in the city of Tortosa, Catalonia, Spain. The outbreak originated in the Hospital Verge de la Cinta in March.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 6 May 2018)

USA: Hepatitis A [Update]

Kentucky-Indiana hepatitis A outbreak in USA becomes worse by the week. As of 30 April, 294 cases have been confirmed in Louisville, and more than a dozen have been confirmed in Indiana communities like Clark and Floyd counties. Arkansas health officials reported 13 cases of hepatitis A this year. The number of hepatitis A cases nationwide so far this year is 1,122 compared to last year's 604 cases.

(Source: ProMED-mail 3 May 2018)

Japan: Measles [Update]

The Government of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan has reported 85 confirmed cases of measles so far.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 2 May 2018)

France: Measles [Update]

As of the end of April, French health officials have reported 1,999 measles cases. About half the cases reported from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. 88% of measles cases occurred in unvaccinated or inadequately vaccinated individuals.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 2 May 2018)

Nigeria: Lassa Fever [Update]

Nigeria reported four new confirmed cases of Lassa fever and one death last week. The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has recorded 420 confirmed Lassa fever cases, including 106 deaths, from January 1 to April 29. So far, 37 healthcare workers from 8 states have been sickened in the outbreak.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 2 May 2018)

Reunion, France: Dengue Fever [Update]

Reunion of France has a spike of dengue fever cases recently. Since January, Reunion has recorded 1,816 cases of the flavivirus disease, with 428 probable and confirmed cases reported from April 16 to April 23.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 2 May 2018)

USA: Escherichia Coli [Update]

The multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to romaine lettuce in USA has recorded 121 cases. Fifty-two people out of 102 have been hospitalized. One death was reported from California.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 2 May 2018)

Japan: Measles [Update]

Okinawa Prefecture of Japan reported six new measles cases on April 30. As of April 30, there have been 386 suspected measles cases and 82 confirmed cases reported.

(Source: Centers for Disease Control, R.O.C (Taiwan)2 May 2018)

Czech Republic: Measles [Update]

Health officials in Czech Republic reported 103 measles cases this year to date. And 70 cases of them were in Prague.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 1 May 2018)