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
Brazil	251,783	World Health Organization, 1 February 2018
Guangdong	1,752	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 15 January 2018
India	157,220	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 24 December 2017
Philippines	131,827	World Health Organization, 30 January 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	55	World Health Organization, 30 January 2018
Cambodia	36	World Health Organization, 30 January 2018
Japan	5	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 30 January 2018
Lao PDR	16	World Health Organization, 30 January 2018
Macau	0"	Health Bureau of Macau, 24 January 2018
Malaysia	1,153^@	World Health Organization, 30 January 2018
Mexico	988	World Health Organization, 1 February 2018
Singapore	282^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 1 February 2018
Sri Lanka	6,353	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 1 February 2018
Taiwan	0”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 1 February 2018
Thailand	1,279	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 30 January 2018
Vietnam	4,635	World Health Organization, 30 January 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.

Ireland: Avian Influenza, wild birds

Ireland found the highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza in one wild wigeon.

(Source: World Organisation for Animal Health 2 February 2018)

Nigeria: Lassa Fever [Update]

The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control reported there were 15 new cases of Lassa fever in the last week of January. Between January 1 and January 25, a total of 297 suspected cases of lassa fever has been reported in 13 Nigerian states, including 22 deaths.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 5 February 2018)

Iran: Avian Influenza, wild birds

Iran reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N6 avian influenza in wild ducks.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 5 February 2018)

Nigeria: Avian Influenza, poultry

Nigeria reported an outbreak of H5N8 avian influenza in a farm of Nasarawa state.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 5 February 2018)

Kazakhstan: Hepatitis A

Kazakhstan reported a hepatitis A outbreak in the Karaganda region. Totally 51 cases of hepatitis A have been registered, and thirty-four of the patients are schoolchildren.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 4 February 2018)

Uruguay: Vibrio Vulnificus Infection

The Uruguay Ministry of Public Health has reported four serious cases of vibrio vulnificus infections this year, of which 3 died.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 2 February 2018)

South Africa: Avian Influenza, wild birds and poultry

South Africa reported several H5N8 avian influenza events from December 2017 to January 2018, including 10 new outbreaks involving wild birds and 3 more outbreaks involving commercial ostriches.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 2 February 2018)

Taiwan: Avian Influenza, poultry

Taiwan reported four new H5N2 outbreaks on February 1, of which two involved native chickens in Taipei City. The others occurred in a commercial duck farm of Yunlin County and a commercial poultry farm of Pingtung County.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 2 February 2018)

South Korea: Avian Influenza, poultry [Update]

A highly pathogenic strain of H5N6 avian influenza virus was detected in two chicken farms in Gyeonggi province, South Korea.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 January 2018)

Brazil: Yellow Fever [Update]

Between 1 Jul 2017 and 30 Jan 2018, 213 confirmed cases of yellow fever including 81 deaths were recorded in Brazil.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 January 2018)

Zimbabwe: Anthrax

Nine human cases of anthrax were recorded in Zimbabwe in the first two weeks of January this year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 30 January 2018)