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, 27 March 2018
Brazil	51,930	World Health Organization, 12 April 2018
Cambodia	247	World Health Organization, 27 March 2018
Guangdong	5	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 15 March 2018
Japan	27	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 10 April 2018
Lao PDR	24^#	World Health Organization, 29 March 2018
Macau	0”	Health Bureau of Macau, 8 March 2018
Malaysia	1,079^&	World Health Organization, 29 March 2018
Mexico	4,458	World Health Organization, 12 April 2018
Philippines	15,599	World Health Organization, 29 March 2018
Singapore	659^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 12 April 2018
Sri Lanka	15,220	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 12 April 2018
Taiwan	0”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 12 April 2018
Thailand	6,565	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 11 April 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

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.

Europe: Measles [Update]

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) last week reported a spike in measles activity in the last month. The ECDC has recorded 13 deaths from the disease in 2018. Romania has been hit the hardest with 1,709 cases so far this year, followed by Greece (1,463), France (1,346), and Italy (411). The measles cases in France and Italy have almost tripled and more than doubled, respectively, in the last month.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 16 April 2018)

Japan: Measles

Health officials in Okinawa Prefecture of Japan reported an outbreak of measles. Since the first measles case (a traveller from Taiwan) had been confirmed in late March 2018, forty-six confirmed cases of measles have been recorded as of April 13.

(Source: Centers for Disease Control, R.O.C (Taiwan)16 April 2018)

Bangladesh: Avian Influenza, poultry

Bangladesh reported an H5N1 avian influenza outbreak involving poultry in a farm in the southwestern part of the country.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 16 April 2018)

Ukraine: Measles [Update]

Health officials of Ukraine have reported 9,091 measles cases since the beginning of 2018, including 7 deaths.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 16 April 2018)

South Korea: Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome

South Korea reported the first confirmed case of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome this year in Jeju, which is transmitted through the bites of infected ticks.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 15 April 2018)

Brazil: Yellow Fever [Update]

Brazil has reported 1,127 confirmed cases of yellow fever including 331 deaths from 1 July 2017 to 10 April 2018. The Ministry of Health is reinforcing the importance of vaccination to the population in the new areas of risk in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Bahia.

(Source: ProMED-mail 15 April 2018)

Thailand: Dengue Fever

Thailand health officials have reported 6,565 total dengue cases. Phuket has been hit the hardest, followed by Samutsakorn and Pangnga.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 15 April 2018)

United Kingdom: Scarlet Fever [Update]

Health officials in England are reporting 20,372 cases of scarlet fever since September 2017. The number of cases is dramatically higher than average of 9,461 for the same period over the last 5 years.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 13 April 2018)

Hong Kong: Avian Influenza, Bird Garden

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today conducted follow-up investigations in response to the detection of H5 avian influenza virus on a swab sample taken at a pet bird shop in Yuen Po Street Bird Garden in Mong Kok.

Officers of the CHP conducted a site visit at the Bird Garden this morning. A total of 33 stall operators and workers were interviewed and provided with health advice on avian influenza. All of them have remained asymptomatic so far and have been put under medical surveillance. Contact tracing is ongoing.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 13 April 2018)

Pakistan: Chikungunya

Pakistan reported 10 more chikungunya suspected cases throughout Karachi in a week. A total of 4,868 chikungunya suspected cases have been reported throughout the Sindh province last year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 11 April 2018)

Liberia: Monkeypox

Liberian health officials reported a possible outbreak of monkeypox. Currently there are 4 confirmed cases of the disease recorded.

(Source: ProMED-mail 11 April 2018)

Nigeria: Lassa Fever [Update]

Nigeria has reported 8 new confirmed cases of Lassa fever last week, including three deaths. Since January, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control has recorded 101 deaths in confirmed cases and 9 deaths in probable cases. There are now 408 confirmed cases in Nigeria's Lassa outbreak.

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

France: Dengue Fever

A total of 755 dengue fever cases have been reported in Reunion Island of France since the beginning of the year. Health officials reported the current epidemic could continue to intensify in the coming weeks.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 10 April 2018)