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 01/01/2018 *

 

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, 2 August 2018

Cambodia

2,957

World Health Organization, 19 July 2018

Guangdong

100

Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 24 July 2018

India

14,233

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 22 July 2018

Japan

71

National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 31 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

18,837

World Health Organization, 2 August 2018

Philippines

20,108

World Health Organization, 19 July 2018

Singapore

1,607@

Singapore National Environment Agency, 2 August 2018

Sri Lanka

32,456

Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 2 August 2018

Taiwan

7”

CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 2 August 2018

Thailand

37,793

Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 1 August 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.


Nepal: Scrub typhus

The Nepal Epidemiology and Disease Control Division reported that as of Aug. 1, there have been 105 scrub typhus cases reported in the country in just the past two months, compared with 168 cases recorded over last year.

(Source: Pro-MED Mail 6 Aug 2018)

 

Papua New Guinea: Poliomyelitis [Update]

The National Department of Health of Papua New Guinea and the World Health Organization announced a case of polio in a 3-year old boy on 6 Aug 2018, making it the third case since June this year.

(Source: Pro-MED Mail 6 Aug 2018)

 

Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health reported that 33 deaths are suspected to be linked to the latest Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the country. The current epidemic is the 10th for DRC. It started on 1 Aug 2018, just 1 week after the end of the 9th epidemic.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 5 Aug 2018)

 

Uganda: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever [Update]

The World Health Organization (WHO) says 42 suspected cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) have been detected in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in northern Uganda. Efforts to identify the source of the outbreak are still underway. Teams from the government and the WHO are working on outbreak responses.

(Source: ProMED-mail 4 August 2018)

 

The Philippines : Chikungunya fever

The Municipality of Maripipi, in the province of Biliran, Philippines was declared with an outbreak of chikungunya. As of Aug. 2, there were 101 cases reported in the city.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 4 August 2018)

 

Ukraine : Measles [Update]

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Ukraine, the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine reports 822 cases in week 30 of 2018, bringing the case total to 27,502 this year.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 3 August 2018)

 

South Sudan: Guinea worm disease

3 people in South Sudan have been diagnosed with Guinea worm disease, the first cases locally for more than 18 months.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 2 Aug 2018)

 

USA: Salmonellosis [Update]

As of 13 Jul 2018, 212 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella have been reported from 44 states since the outbreak started in February 2018. 34 persons were hospitalized.

(Source: ProMED-mail 1 August 2018)

 

China: Avian Influenza virus

A human H9N2 Avian influenza virus case was reported in the Shenzhen city of Guangdong province on Sun 29 Jul 2018. The patient did not have any live poultry contact before symptom onset.

(Source: ProMED-mail 1 August 2018)

 

Italy: West Nile virus infection

A life-threatening West Nile virus outbreak is sweeping through Italy via mosquitos, with one death and 11 other infections already reported.

(Source: ProMED-mail 1 August 2018)

 

Myanmar: Schistosomiasis

According to Myanmese health officials, an outbreak of schistosomiasis has been ongoing in Myanmar since March this year. At least 500 cases of the disease have been confirmed as of mid-July.

(Source: ProMED-mail 1 August 2018)

 

Democratic Republic of Congo: Ebola virus disease [Update]

On Sat 28 Jul 2018, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health was notified of 26 cases of fever with hemorrhagic signs, including 20 deaths, from the province of North Kivu which is situated near the DRC-Uganda border. 4 out of 6 samples taken from hospitalized patients were positive for Ebola virus disease (EVD). This marks the 10th EVD epidemic in DRC, just 1 week after the end of the 9th epidemic. At this stage, there is no indication that these 2 epidemics, separated by more than 2500 km, are related.

(Source: ProMED-mail 1 August 2018)

 

USA: Hepatitis A

Since 1 Aug 2017, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) has identified 1170 cases of acute hepatitis A. Statewide outbreak was declared in November 2017.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 July 2018)

 

Iran: Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

Iranian officials have confirmed that a total of 56 people have been diagnosed with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Iran, in which 7 people died.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 July 2018)

 

France: Food poisoning

At least 50 people were victims of food poisoning on 29 Jul 2018 after eating tuna sandwiches, distributed by a bakery in the region of Ile-de-France.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 July 2018)

 

Malta: Salmonellosis

The number of salmonellosis cases reported to the Maltese health authorities so far in July 2018 has surpassed that in previous years, peaking at 20 cases in July alone. Since the beginning of 2018, 67 cases have been brought to the authorities' attention.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 July 2018)

 

USA: Norovirus

A food court illness that sickened 350 people in Kentucky in mid-July 2018, including many of the food court employees, has norovirus identified as the infectious agent.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 July 2018)