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	375	World Health Organization, 5 July 2018
Brazil	161,154	World Health Organization, 12 July 2018
Cambodia	2,159	World Health Organization, 5 July 2018
Guangdong	38	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 14 June 2018
India	11,592	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 8 July 2018
Japan	62	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 10 July 2018
Lao PDR	1,461	World Health Organization, 5 July 2018
Macau	1”	Health Bureau of Macau, 19 June 2018
Malaysia	32,435	World Health Organization, 5 July 2018
Mexico	15,131	World Health Organization, 12 July 2018
Philippines	20,108	World Health Organization, 5 July 2018
Singapore	1,467^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 12 July 2018
Sri Lanka	27,523	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 12 July 2018
Taiwan	2”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 12 July 2018
Thailand	28,732	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 11 July 2018
Vietnam	22,842	World Health Organization, 5 July 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.

Nigeria: Lassa Fever [Update]

Nigerian has recorded a total of 2,115 suspected cases of Lassa fever from 1 January to 8 July 2018. Of these, 446 were confirmed cases, including 115 deaths.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 16 July 2018)

Brazil: Measles

A measles outbreak is growing in Brazil after cases were imported from neighboring Venezuela. More than 460 cases of the disease have been confirmed in 2 Brazilian border states.

(Source: ProMED-mail 16 July 2018)

USA: Hepatitis A [Update]

The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) has now reported 1,094 cases of hepatitis A in the current outbreak. Of this total, 628 people required hospitalization and eight died.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 15 July 2018)

South Korea: Japanese Encephalitis

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert for Japanese encephalitis on Friday, July 6th in response to mosquito surveillance results in South Jeolla Province confirming Culex tritaeniorhynchus, the main vector of JE.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 14 July 2018)

Ukraine: Diphtheria [Update]

The 4th case of diphtheria was reported in Ukraine, in an 11-year-old boy.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 14 July 2018)

Malaysia: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Malaysia health officials are reporting a 28 percent increase in hand, foot and mouth cases during the first six months of 2018. As of June 30, 2018, the number of cases reported was 27,296 cases compared to just 21,303 cases in the same period in 2017.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 13 July 2018)

Africa: Cholera

The Central and West African regions are under siege from a cholera outbreak that has infected over 1,000 people in Nigeria, Cameroun, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Congo-Brazzaville.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 13 July 2018)

USA: Cyclosporiasis

USA has confirmation of approximately 90 cases of cyclosporiasis. The initial investigation indicates a link to consumption of McDonald’s salads produced for McDonald’s restaurants.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 12 July 2018)

Peru: Zika Virus Infection

Since the beginning of the year to 22 June 2018, Peru has reported 900 Zika cases, with over 50% of cases found in Amazonas and Piura. 1600 cases and 6100 cases were reported in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

(Source: Peru Health Bureau 12 July 2018)

Russia: Avian Influenza, poultry

Russia reported eight more H5 avian influenza outbreaks in backyard poultry in the west.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 12 July 2018)

Taiwan: Avian Influenza, poultry

Taiwan reported one more H5N2 avian influenza outbreak at a commercial poultry farm.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 12 July 2018)

United Kingdom: Measles [Update]

England has reported 170 additional measles cases in the past five weeks. Since the beginning of the year, England has reported 757 laboratory-confirmed measles cases, with London (268), the South East (161), South West (118), West Midlands (85), and Yorkshire and Humberside (73) reporting the most cases.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 11 July 2018)

France: Avian Influenza, poultry

An outbreak of H7N7 avian influenza was reported in a poultry farm in France.

(Source: ProMED-mail 11 July 2018)

Liberia: Lassa Fever [Update]

From January 2018 to 27 June 2018, 130 suspected cases of Lassa fever, with 20 confirmed were reported in Liberia.

(Source: ProMED-mail 11 July 2018)

Shanghai: Norovirus

Health officials of Shanghai report an outbreak of norovirus infection that sickened more than 40 students at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 11 July 2018)

Ukraine: Measles [Update]

Additional 1,021 measles cases were reported in the past week in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the year, 25,008 people – 10,085 adults and 14,923 children – have affected.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 10 July 2018)

Ukraine: Diphtheria

An additional diphtheria case was reported in Ukraine, the third of the year, in a 15-year-old teenager.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 10 July 2018)

Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]

In June 2018, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reported 4 new laboratory confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome, including 1 death. Since January 2018, 94 MERS cases were confirmed globally, with 92 of them in Saudi Arabia.

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

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Poliomyelitis [Update]

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, three different circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreaks have been detected.

(Source: World Health Organization 10 July 2018)