Travel Health Service Year 2018

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 01/01/2018 *

	Cumulative reported no. of cases since 01/01/2018	Source of information and date of report
Australia	673	World Health Organization, 22 November 2018
Brazil	228,042	World Health Organization, 6 December 2018
Cambodia	8,439	World Health Organization, 22 November 2018
Guangdong, China	2,752	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 14 November 2018
India	40,868	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 30 September 2018
Japan	181	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 4 December 2018
Lao PDR	5,732	World Health Organization, 22 November 2018
Macao, China	5”	Health Bureau of Macau, 6 November 2018
Malaysia	64,701	World Health Organization, 22 November 2018
Mexico	72,197	World Health Organization, 6 December 2018
Philippines	106,386	World Health Organization, 22 November 2018
Singapore	2,847^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 6 December 2018
Sri Lanka	45,701	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 6 December 2018
Taiwan, China	183”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 6 December 2018
Thailand	76,936	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 28 November 2018
Vietnam	77,355	World Health Organization, 22 November 2018

* Dengue reporting systems vary by country/area.
@ Cumulative cases since 31 December 2017.
“ Locally-acquired

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.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The number of cases has reached 498 and the total number of deaths is 285.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 10 December 2018)

Uruguay: Leishmaniasis

Uruguay health officials reported the first human case of leishmaniasis last week. The sandfly vector was first identified within the country in 2010.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 9 December 2018)

Malaysia: Rabies [Update]

The Malaysian Ministry of Health announced two additional suspected human rabies cases in Sarawak. One of the patients died, with both patients’ blood samples pending disease confirmation.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 9 December 2018)

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The number of cases has reached 471 and the total number of deaths is 273.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 6 December 2018)

USA: Hepatitis A infection [Update]

As of November 30, 2018, Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) has reported 698 hepatitis A outbreak cases, including two deaths.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 6 December 2018)

Panama: Hantavirus infection [Update]

There have been a total of 93 confirmed cases of Hantavirus infectionreported in the Los Santos Province. Of these, 46 cases were classified as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) including 4 deaths.

In January 2019, World Youth Day will be hosted in Panama. This mass gathering event, which is expected to host approximately 150,000 to 1 million participants, will mainly take place in Panama City but side events will occur in other provinces. Participants to the World Youth Day should have awareness in order to reduce the risk of infection; outdoor activities such as camping or hiking can increase the risk of exposure. Health awareness campaigns for health personnel and the general public are planned for the coming weeks.

(Source: ProMED-mail 5 December 2018)

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The number of cases has reached 458 and the total number of deaths is 263.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 5 December 2018)

Malaysia: Rabies [Update]

The Malaysian Ministry of Health announced one additional death from human rabies case in Sarawak. This is the 13th death out of 14 cases since the end of June 2017.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 5 December 2018)

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The number of cases has reached 453 and the total number of deaths is 268.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 4 December 2018)

The Philippines: Measles [Update]

As of 28 November 2018, a recent measles outbreak in the province of Sarangani, The Philippines has affected 84 persons, including 18 deaths.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 4 December 2018)

USA: Adenovirus infection

The University of Maryland is experiencing an outbreak of adenovirus infection, in which at least 22 students were infected and one died of the disease.

(Source: Pro-MED Mail 4 December 2018)