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	279	World Health Organization, 24 May 2018
Brazil	101,863	World Health Organization, 31 May 2018
Cambodia	694	World Health Organization, 24 May 2018
Guangdong	17	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 14 May 2018
India	5,613	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 29 April 2018
Japan	46	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 29 May 2018
Lao PDR	28^#	World Health Organization, 24 May 2018
Macau	0”	Health Bureau of Macau, 21 April 2018
Malaysia	1,290^&	World Health Organization, 24 May 2018
Mexico	8,801	World Health Organization, 31 May 2018
Philippines	20,108	World Health Organization, 24 May 2018
Singapore	1,096^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 31 May 2018
Sri Lanka	19,459	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 18 May 2018
Taiwan	0”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 31 May 2018
Thailand	13,164	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 30 May 2018
Vietnam	18,422	World Health Organization, 24 May 2018

* Dengue reporting systems vary by country/area.
@ Cumulative cases since 31 December 2017.
“ Locally-acquired
# data of week 19
& data of week 20

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.

Cameroon: Cholera

Since 18 May 2018, Mayo Oulo's Health Zone has reported three cases of cholera in two border health areas with Nigeria.

(Source: World Health Organization 4 June 2018)

Cameroon: Monkeypox [Upadate]

The number of cumulative monkeypox cases in Cameroon has risen to 16.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 4 June 2018)

Liberia: Lassa Fever [Update]

From January 2018 to 2nd week of May, 73 suspected cases of Lassa fever, with 13 confirmed were reported in Liberia.

(Source: ProMED-mail 4 June 2018)

France: Escherichia Coli

French health officials are investigating an outbreak of E. coli O26 infections suspected linked to reblochon cheese. There were 14 children aged one to five years affected, including 6 children with Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 3 June 2018)

South Korea: Measles

Three confirmed measles cases were reported at Hanlim Arts School in Seoul, South Korea.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 3 June 2018)

Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

As of June 1 2018, the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded a total of 57 cases of Ebola Virus Disease (37 confirmed cases), including 25 deaths.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 3 June 2018)

Chad: Measles

Chad has reported a measles outbreak on 30 May 2018. A total of 474 cases and 18 deaths have been reported. Only one in four children aged 12-23 months (25%) is fully immunized.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 2 June 2018)

India: Nipah Virus [Update]

As of June 2, there have been 19 reported cases (18 confirmed) in the Nipah virus outbreak of India. Out of 19 reported cases 17 died, from the two affected districts in Kerala State.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 2 June 2018)

Sri Lanka: Dengue Fever

Health officials in Sri Lanka have reported 20,443 suspected dengue cases so far this year. In 2017, there were 186,101 suspected cases of dengue fever, including 320 deaths, which was the largest dengue outbreak in the country for last three decades.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 1 June 2018)

USA: Escherichia Coli [Update]

In a update of the multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli linked to romaine lettuce in USA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 197 cases in 35 states and 5 deaths in this outbreak. Eighty-nine people have been hospitalized, including 26 people who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 1 June 2018)

Afghanistan: Poliomyelitis [Update]

Afghanistan reported 1 new case of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in the latest update, which brought the total number of recorded WPV1 cases in 2018 to 8.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 1 June 2018)

Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]

Sources in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reported that 7 people from one family were infected with the MERS-CoV. The infection was diagnosed in Najran [in the south], and the patients were transferred to Riyadh, according to the Ministry of Health.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 May 2018)

Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

From 4 April through 27 May 2018, a cumulative total of 54 Ebola virus disease cases including 25 deaths have been reported from three health zones (Bikoro, Iboko and Wangata) in Equateur Province.

(Source: World Health Organization 30 May 2018)

Nepal: Avian Influenza, poultry

Some ducks reared in a backyard in Tarkeshwor, Nepal, were tested positive to H5N1 avian influenza virus.

(Source: ProMED-mail 30 May 2018)

Global: Influenza [Update]

As the Southern Hemisphere approaches its winter season, flu activity has increased in some tropical regions of the Americas. In Brazil, flu is rising with influenza A viruses predominant. South Africa started its flu season in early May with 2009 H1N1 predominant but the activity is still at low levels. New Caledonia and Ethiopia has seen a rise in 2009 H1N1 activity. In other parts of the world, flu levels were declining, were low, or had returned to interseasonal levels.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 29 May 2018)