Travel Health Service Year 2017

Current Travel Health News

Travel Health News

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

Philippines

131,827

World Health Organization, 13 February 2018

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

# Cumulative cases since 2 January 2017.

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

93

World Health Organization, 13 February 2018

Brazil

9,396

World Health Organization, 22 February 2018

Cambodia

90

World Health Organization, 13 February 2018

Guangdong

3

Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 15 February 2018

Japan

11

National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 20 February 2018

Lao PDR

12

World Health Organization, 13 February 2018

Macau

0

Health Bureau of Macau, 24 January 2018

Malaysia

1,200

World Health Organization, 13 February 2018

Mexico

1,295

World Health Organization, 22 February 2018

Singapore

394@

Singapore National Environment Agency, 22 February 2018

Sri Lanka

10,116

Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 22 February 2018

Taiwan

0”

CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 22 February 2018

Thailand

2,526

Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 20 February 2018

Vietnam

7,044

World Health Organization, 13 February 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.


Netherland: Avian Influenza, poultry

Netherland reported outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N6 avian influenza in poultry farms.

(Source: ProMED-mail 26 February 2018)

 

Vietnam: Avian Influenza, poultry

Vietnam reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N6 avian influenza in backyard birds.

(Source: ProMED-mail 26 February 2018)

 

Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]

Saudi Arabia reported 6 new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) over the weekend. Totally there were 1,805 cases of MERS-CoV and 733 deaths that have been reported since 2012.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 26 February 2018)

 

Yemen: Cholera [Update]

Yemen reported 1,063,786 suspected cholera cases and 2258 associated deaths from 27 April 2017 to 18 February 2018. Children under 5 years old represented 28.8% of total suspected cases.

(Source: ProMED-mail 25 February 2018)

 

Europe: Measles

World Health Organisation Europe reported there has been a 400 percent increase of measles cases during 2017, with more than 21 000 cases and 35 deaths. Large outbreaks of measles last year affected 15 of the 53 countries in the European region. Romania was worst affected with 5562 cases, followed by Italy with 5006 and Ukraine with 4767. The problem of low rates of immunisation against the disease has been concerned.

(Source: ProMED-mail 24 February 2018)

 

Uganda: Cholera

Uganda Ministry of Health reported that there were 668 cholera cases and 26 deaths in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Hoima District in western Uganda, as of 22 February 2018.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 24 February 2018)

 

Taiwan: Avian Influenza, poultry

Taiwan reported four more highly pathogenic H5N2 outbreaks in poultry, involving Taichung city as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, and Yunlin counties.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 23 February 2018)

 

Pakistan: Typhoid

A major outbreak of typhoid fever in Pakistan, which began in Hyderabad in November 2016, may have been caused by a highly drug-resistant microbe. The typhoid strain behind the outbreak, has acquired an extra piece of DNA that renders it resistant to multiple antibiotics. Local media reports claimed more than 800 cases of drug-resistant typhoid were detected in Hyderabad alone over a 10-month period between 2016 and 2017.

(Source: ProMED-mail 23 February 2018)

 

Cambodia: Avian Influenza, poultry

Cambodia reported another outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza involving backyard birds.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 22 February 2018)

 

France: Avian Influenza, poultry

France reported poultry farm outbreaks of avian influenza involving two low-pathogenic strains, H5N2 and H5N3.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 22 February 2018)

 

Tanzania: Cholera [Update]

Health officials of Tanzania reported that an outbreak of cholera in central Tanzania's Dodoma region has recorded 470 cholera cases and 18 deaths in recent 4 months. From 15 August 2015 to 7 January 2018, 33,421 cholera cases and 542 deaths have been reported across Tanzania.

(Source: ProMED-mail 22 February 2018)

 

Brazil: Yellow Fever [Update]

Brazil has reported 545 yellow fever cases and 164 deaths in the period from 1 July 2017 to 20 February 2018.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 22 February 2018)

 

USA: Salmonella

USA Federal health officials investigated a multistate outbreak of Salmonella. To date, 28 cases have been reported in 20 states. The investigation indicated Infections linked to the consumption of kratom in pills, powder, or tea. The kratom products could be contaminated with Salmonella.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 21 February 2018)

 

Korea: Norovirus [Update]

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a total of 283 norovirus cases have been confirmed as of 18 February 2018.

(Source: ProMED-mail 20 February 2018)

 

Sweden: Avian Influenza, wild birds

Sweden reported highly pathogenic H5N6 avian influenza in a white-tailed eagle.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 20 February 2018)

 

Nigeria: Lassa Fever [Update]

Nigeria reported 615 suspected cases of Lassa fever and 57 deaths between 1 January and 11 February 2018. There were 19 new cases, including 6 deaths, reported last week.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 20 February 2018)

 

USA: Salmonella

USA reported a salmonella outbreak in Iowa, which linked to chicken salad. As of 20 February 2018, 115 probable cases have been reported.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 20 February 2018)