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 01/01/2018 *

	Cumulative reported no. of cases since 01/01/2018	Source of information and date of report
Australia	824	World Health Organization, 3 January 2019
Brazil	247,393	World Health Organization, 10 January 2019
Cambodia	9,885	World Health Organization, 3 January 2019
Guangdong, China	3,250	Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province, 14 December 2018
India	89,974	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 25 November 2018
Japan	201	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 11 January 2019
Lao PDR	6,204	World Health Organization, 3 January 2019
Macao, China	5”	Health Bureau of Macau, 6 November 2018
Malaysia	80,615	World Health Organization, 3 January 2019
Mexico	78,621	World Health Organization, 10 January 2019
Philippines	199,271	World Health Organization, 3 January 2019
Thailand	84,830	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 3 January 2019
Vietnam	113,850	World Health Organization, 3 January 2019

Remarks:
* Dengue reporting systems vary by country/area.
“ Locally-acquired
# Cumulative cases since 2 January 2017.

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
Singapore	365^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 10 January 2019
Sri Lanka	1,058	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 10 January 2019
Taiwan, China	0”	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 10 January 2019

* Dengue reporting systems vary by country/area.
@Cumulative cases since 30 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.

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

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The number of cases has reached 649 and the total number of deaths is 396.

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 14 January 2019)

Tanzania: Anthrax

77 cases of Anthrax including 4 deaths were reported in Songwe region, Tanzania . The source of infection was believed to be consumption of tainted meat.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 13 January 2019)

Switzerland: Tick-borne encephalitis [Update]

Switzerland health authorities have recorded 380 cases of tick-borne encephalitis in 2018, compared with an average of 100 per year in previous years

(Source: Pro-MED Mail 13 January 2019)

Ukraine: Measles [Update]

Ukraine continues to report measles at high levels. From 28 Dec 2018 to 3 Jan 2019, 2,305 cases have been reported across the country.

(Source: Pro-MED Mail 12 January 2019)

Nigeria: Lassa fever [Update]

During 1-6 Jan 2019, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed 25 new cases of Lassa fever this year, including 7 deaths.

(Source: Pro-MED Mail 11 January 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 January 4 to 10, the CHP confirmed two imported DF cases. The patients had been to the Philippines (one case) and Sri Lanka (one case) during the incubation period.

As of January 10, six cases had been confirmed this year, all of which were imported cases. The cases were imported from Malaysia (two), Maldives (one), the Philippines (one), Sri Lanka (one) and Vietnam (one).

DF remains endemic in some areas of Asia and beyond. The latest figures revealed that 365 cases have been recorded in Singapore since December 30, 2018, and 201 cases in Japan last year. In Taiwan, no local cases have been recorded to date in 2019. In the Americas, the latest figures indicated that 247,393 and 78,621 cases were filed in Brazil and Mexico respectively in 2018.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection of Department of Health 11 January 2019)

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

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The number of cases has reached 630 and the total number of deaths is 385.

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

Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) recorded 4 cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome since the beginning of 2019. 3 of the cases were reported from capital Riyadh.

(Source: Pro-MED Mail 9 January 2019)

Argentina: Hantavirus Infection

24 cases of Hantavirus infection were reported since late November 2018in southern Argentina, including 8 deaths.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 9 January 2019)

USA: Measles [Update]

Since September 2018, 170 cases of measles have been reported in State of New York, USA. It is the largest outbreak in the country since 1990’s.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 8 January 2019)

Oman: Dengue fever [Update]

Oman health authorities confirmed at 40 cases of locally transmitted dengue fever from 12 December 2018 to 6 January 2019.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 8 January 2019)