Travel Health Service Year 2018

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	569	World Health Organization, 11 October 2018
Brazil	203,157	World Health Organization, 18 October 2018
Cambodia	7,165	World Health Organization, 11 October 2018
Guangdong, China	1,389	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 15 October 2018
India	40,868	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 30 September 2018
Japan	153	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 30 October 2018
Lao PDR	5,053	World Health Organization, 11 October 2018
Macao, China	4”	Health Bureau of Macau, 16 October 2018
Malaysia	56,608	World Health Organization, 11 October 2018
Mexico	48,926	World Health Organization, 25 October 2018
Philippines	106,386	World Health Organization, 11 October 2018
Singapore	2,396^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 1 November 2018
Sri Lanka	41,228	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 1 November 2018
Taiwan, China	169”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 30 October 2018
Thailand	70,146	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 31 October 2018
Vietnam	67,414	World Health Organization, 11 October 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.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

A total of 300 cases of Ebola Virus Disease were reported in Democratic Republic of the Congo with 265 confirmed and 35 probable cases. In addition, 186 deaths have been reported.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 5 November 2018)

Ethiopia: Yellow Fever

An outbreak of yellow fever has been confirmed in the Wolaita Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ (SNNP) Region of Ethiopia, located in the south-western part of the country. So far, 35 suspected yellow fever cases have been reported and 10 deaths were recorded.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 5 November 2018)

Ukraine: Measles [Update]

Ukraine continues to report measles at high levels. Since the beginning of the year, 35,233 people have suffered from measles and 15 people have died, including 11 children.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 4 November 2018)

Madagascar: Plague [Update]

An additional case of plague was reported in the district of Tsiroanomandidy, Madagascar. This brings the total plague cases to 38 since August 1. A breakdown of the cases reported shows 32 bubonic plague cases, including four deaths and six pneumonic plague cases, of which all have perished. Plague is endemic in Madagascar. Cases are typically recorded from September to April.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 4 November 2018)

Thailand: Dengue Fever [Update]

In a two week period, Thailand health officials reported an additional 4,000 dengue fever cases and eight deaths. As of October 29, a total of 70,146 cases were reported from 77 provinces. In addition, 92 dengue fatalities have been reported this year-to-date.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 4 November 2018)

Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health is closely monitoring eight additional cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), including three deaths, reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) between September 17 and October 15, 2018, and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of the health risks in the places they visit.

According to the WHO, among the seven male patients and one female patient, aged 22 to 66, seven of them had underlying illnesses, two had contact with camels and consumed camel milk, and four had contact with previously confirmed patients.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 2 November 2018)

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

According to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s update on Ebola Virus Disease, the number of cases has now reached 285. The total number of deaths is 180.

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

Israel: Measles

According to the Israel Ministry of Health, the recent surge of measles cases has brought the total number of to 1,150 this year, with most of them originating from Jerusalem.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 1 November 2018)

Afghanistan: Poliomyelitis [Update]

Afghanistan has recorded 25 cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) poliomyelitis so far this year.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 1 November 2018)

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

According to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s update on Ebola Virus Disease, the number of cases has now reached 276. The total number of deaths is 175.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 30 October 2018)

Nigeria: Lassa fever [Update]

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed 3 new cases of Lassa fever with 2 new deaths.

(Source: ProMED-mail 30 October 2018)