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 01/01/2018 *

	Cumulative reported no. of cases since 01/01/2018	Source of information and date of report
Australia	457	World Health Organization, 2 August 2018
Brazil	171,582	World Health Organization, 9 August 2018
Cambodia	3,868	World Health Organization, 2 August 2018
Guangdong	100	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 24 July 2018
India	14,233	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 22 July 2018
Japan	73	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 7 August 2018
Lao PDR	2,823	World Health Organization, 2 August 2018
Macau	1”	Health Bureau of Macau, 19 June 2018
Malaysia	36,191	World Health Organization, 2 August 2018
Mexico	18,837	World Health Organization, 9 August 2018
Philippines	20,108	World Health Organization, 2 August 2018
Singapore	1,663^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 9 August 2018
Sri Lanka	33,858	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 9 August 2018
Taiwan	13”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 9 August 2018
Thailand	41,094	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 8 August 2018
Vietnam	32,174	World Health Organization, 2 August 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.

China: Anthrax

Eight people were allegedly infected with anthrax in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region due to a suspected outbreak of the sheep and cattle disease

(Source: ProMED-mail 13 August 2018)

Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

So far, The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health reported 52 cases of hemorrhagic fevers, 25 of which were confirmed to be Ebola Virus Disease(EVD). Another 48 suspected cases were also reported. The latest death toll of the outbreak is 38.

(Source: ProMED-mail 13 August 2018)

China: Anthrax

14 cutaneous anthrax cases have been confirmed in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province by local authorities on 10 Aug 2018.

(Source: ProMED-mail 12 August 2018)

India: Japanese Encephalitis [Update]

Health officials of India reported an additional case of death from Japanese encephalitis last year. So far in 2018, 66 cases of death from Japanese encephalitis have been reported countrywide.

(Source: ProMED-mail 12 August 2018)

Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health reported 49 cases of hemorrhagic fevers, 22 of which were confirmed to be Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Another 53 suspected cases were also reported.

(Source: ProMED-mail 12 August 2018)

Spain: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

A 74 year old man in Spain has died from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV). He has been taking part in a hunting activity near the Badajoz town of Helechosa de los Montes before disease onset.

(Source: ProMED-mail 11 August 2018)

Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

For the current Ebola outbreak in North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) health ministry said the number of cases remained at 44, including 17 confirmed and 27 probable cases, but it said 54 suspected cases are being nvestigated, up from 47 in yesterday's report. One more death has been reported in a confirmed case-patient, raising that total to 37.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 9 Aug 2018)

Czech Republic : Tick-borne encephalitis

The reported number of cases of tickborne encephalitis in South Moravia [Jihomoravský in Czech] has more than tripled. By the end of July [2018], 38 cases of the potentially fatal disease had been reported, up from roughly a dozen in the 2 previous summers.

(Source: ProMED-mail 9 Aug 2018)

India: Malaria [Update]

34 fresh cases were reported last week in India. The total number of malaria cases in Delhi has reached 207 this year.

(Source: Pro-MED Mail 8 Aug 2018)

Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health reported 43 cases of hemorrhagic fevers, 16 of which were confirmed to be Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). 2 deaths of confirmed cases and 46 suspected cases were also reported. Genome sequencing results confirmed that the virus strain was completely different from that of the last outbreak, meaning that the current epidemic in the territory of Beni is a distinct epidemic, unrelated to the previous one in Équateur, and that the vaccine rVSV-ZEBOVcan be used as a response strategy.

(Source: Pro-MED Mail 8 Aug 2018)

Greece: West Nile Virus infection

Greek health officials have reported 21 additional confirmed human West Nile virus cases during the past week, bringing the country total to 43 in 2018.

(Source: Pro-MED Mail 8 Aug 2018)

Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]

During the period 1 Jun 2018 to 6 Aug 2018, there have been 20 newly confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection in Saudi Arabia, making a total of 1864 cases reported by Saudi Arabia to the World Health Organization.

(Source: Pro-MED Mail 7 Aug 2018)