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	415	World Health Organization, 19 July 2018
Brazil	171,582	World Health Organization, 19 July 2018
Cambodia	2,957	World Health Organization, 19 July 2018
Guangdong	100	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 24 July 2018
India	11,592	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 8 July 2018
Japan	65	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 24 July 2018
Lao PDR	2,064	World Health Organization, 19 July 2018
Macau	1”	Health Bureau of Macau, 19 June 2018
Malaysia	36,191	World Health Organization, 19 July 2018
Mexico	16,438	World Health Organization, 19 July 2018
Philippines	20,108	World Health Organization, 19 July 2018
Singapore	1,560^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 26 July 2018
Sri Lanka	30,786	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 26 July 2018
Taiwan	5”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 26 July 2018
Thailand	35,754	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 25 July 2018
Vietnam	19,938	World Health Organization, 19 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.

Central African Republic: Monkeypox [Update]

A total of 29 monkeypox cases have been detected in the Central African Republic since the outbreak was confirmed in March this year.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 30 July 2018)

Boston: Measles

The Boston Public Health Commission alerted the public of a potential measles exposure at two Boston locations, in a restaurant and Logan Airport, after receiving notification of a confirmed case of measles on 26 July 2018.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 29 July 2018)

Malaysia: Hand, Foot and Mouth disease [Update]

Malaysia health officials have reported 35,886 HFMD cases this year as of 21 July, with one case of death of a child notified on 28 July.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 29 July 2018)

Costa Rica: Hepatitis A

The Costa Rican Ministry of Health reported an outbreak of hepatitis A in a town in the eastern sector of capital San José, with 3 confirmed cases and 8 suspected in the canton of Goicoechea.

(Source: ProMED-mail 29 July 2018)

Uganda: Malaria

The Ugandan Ministry of Health has identified the disease that has claimed 14 lives of people in Manafwa district back in May 2018 as blackwater fever, a severe complication of malaria.

(Source: ProMED-mail 28 July 2018)

Taiwan: Japanese encephalitis [Update]

The 1st case of Japanese encephalitis in Yunlin County was reported to the public on 28 July 2018, making it a total of 32 cases diagnosed in Taiwan this year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 28 July 2018)

Romania: West Nile Virus

Five citizens in Romania were diagnosed with meningitis caused by the West Nile virus last week.

(Source: ProMED-mail 27 July 2018)

USA: cyclosporiasis [Update]

Federal health officials reported on 26 Jul 2018 an additional 123 cases of cyclospora infection were notified in an outbreak linked to McDonald's salads that began in May. The total number of laboratory-confirmed illnesses from this outbreak is now 286.

(Source: ProMED-mail 27 July 2018)

Panama: Hantavirus infection

49 cases of Hantavirus infection have been reported in Panama since this year, with this year’s 3rd case of death notified on 25th July.

(Source: ProMED-mail 26 July 2018)

Taiwan: Japanese encephalitis [Update]

Taiwan health officials confirmed 5 more new cases of Japanese encephalitis as of 24th July 2018, bringing the total number of cases in 2018 to 31.

(Source: ProMED-mail 26 July 2018)

India: Scrub typhus

Fresh cases of scrub typhus infection were reported in India since July 2018, including 3 deaths.

(Source: ProMED-mail 26 July 2018)

USA: Hepatitis A

Indiana health officials have reported 283 outbreak cases of Hepatitis A infection since November 2017, including one death, far more than the average of 20 cases of A per 12-month period.

(Source: Outbreak News Today, 25 July 2018)

Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola virus disease [Update]

Democratic Republic of Congo declared the end of the latest outbreak of Ebola on 24 July 2018, in which no new cases were reported over the previous 42 days.

(Source: Outbreak News Today, 24 July 2018)

USA: Cyclosporiasis [Update]

The Illinois Department of Public Health reports that as of 24 July, 458 cases of cyclosporiasis are reported in counties across Illinois, with people becoming ill starting in mid-May. Health officials report 178 Illinois cases reported eating salads from McDonald’s in the days before becoming ill and 135 Illinois cases are linked to a private event held in a golf club.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 24 July 2018)

Malaysia: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease [Update]

Malaysian health officials reported an additional 3,852 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease during the week of July 15-21, bringing the outbreak total for the year to 35,886 cases.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 24 July 2018)

Uganda: Rift Valley Fever [Update]

An outbreak of Rift Valley fever was confirmed on 28 Jun 2018. As of 17 Jul 2018, 8 cases, including 3 deaths, were reported from west and central Uganda.

(Source: ProMED-mail 24 July 2018)