Travel Health Service Year 2019

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 01/01/2019 *

	Cumulative reported no. of cases since 01/01/2019	Source of information and date of report
Australia	429	World Health Organization, 9 May 2019
Brazil	586,569	World Health Organization, 5 June 2019
Cambodia	1,330	World Health Organization, 28 February 2019
Guangdong, China	105	Health Commission of Guangdong Province, 15 May 2019
Japan	124^{^}	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 4 June 2019
Lao PDR	2,405	World Health Organization, 9 May 2019
Malaysia	43,065	World Health Organization, 9 May 2019
Mexico	12,900	World Health Organization, 5 June 2019
The Philippines	67,106	World Health Organization, 9 May 2019
Singapore	4,463^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 4 June 2019
Sri Lanka	19,622	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 4 June 2019
Taiwan, China	16”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 5 June 2019
Thailand	26,430	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 5 June 2019
Vietnam	57,880	World Health Organization, 9 May 2019

* Dengue reporting systems vary by country/area.
@Cumulative cases since 30 December 2018.
^ Cumulative cases since 31 December 2018.
” 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.

Ukraine: Measles [Update]

Ukraine continues to report measles at high levels. 53,112 cases have been reported across the country this year, including 18 deaths.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 10 June 2019)

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

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The total number of cases has reached 2,062. The total number of deaths is 1,390.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 10 June 2019)

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Measles [Update]

Measles activity in Democratic Republic of the Congo is in increasing trend. As of 18 May, 87,000 cases have been reported this year, including over 1,560 deaths.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 10 June 2019)

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

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The total number of cases has reached 2,039. The total number of deaths is 1,373.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 7 June 2019)

Southeast Asia: Dengue Fever [Update]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health reported the latest number of cases of dengue fever (DF), and again urged the public to maintain strict environmental hygiene, mosquito control and personal protective measures both locally and during travel.

From May 24 to June 5, the CHP recorded three imported DF cases. The patients had been to Cambodia (one case), Singapore (one case) and Thailand (one case) during the incubation period.

As of June 5, 54 cases had been confirmed this year, all of which were imported. The cases were mainly imported from Malaysia (11), Thailand (11) and Indonesia (10).

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 6 June 2019)

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

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The total number of cases has reached 2,025. The total number of deaths is 1,357.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 5 June 2019)

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

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The total number of cases has reached 2,008. The total number of deaths is 1,346.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 4 June 2019)

Ukraine: Measles [Update]

Ukraine continues to report measles at high levels. 52,034 cases have been reported across the country this year as of 31 May, including 17 deaths.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 4 June 2019)