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	1,073	World Health Organization, 10 October 2019
Brazil	1,993,271	World Health Organization, 10 October 2019
Guangdong, China	2,005	Health Commission of Guangdong Province, 11 September 2019
India	5,504	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 26 May 2019
Japan	349^{^}	National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 8 October 2019
Lao PDR	30,662	World Health Organization, 10 October 2019
Malaysia	102,734	World Health Organization, 10 October 2019
Mexico	129,479	World Health Organization, 10 October 2019
The Philippines	322,693	World Health Organization, 10 October 2019
Singapore	12,766^@	Singapore National Environment Agency, 10 October 2019
Sri Lanka	53,579	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 10 October 2019
Taiwan, China	510	Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, 10 October 2019
Thailand	98,714	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 9 October 2019
Vietnam	124,751	World Health Organization, 10 October 2019

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

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]

15 October 2019

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The total number of cases has reached 3,220 and the total number of deaths is 2,150. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern on 17 July 2019. For more information on Ebola virus disease, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage: https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/34199.html

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

The Philippines: Dengue fever [Update]

15 October 2019

The Philippines Department of Health has declared a National dengue fever alert on 15 July 2019. Until 21 September 2019, 322,693 dengue cases, including 1,272 deaths have been recorded.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 14 October 2019)

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

14 October 2019

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The total number of cases has reached 3,210 and the total number of deaths is 2,146. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern on 17 July 2019. For more information on Ebola virus disease, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage: https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/34199.html

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 11 October 2019)

Sri Lanka: Dengue Fever [Update]

14 October 2019

Sri Lanka is seeing high activity of dengue fever this year, including capital Colombo. 53,689 cases have been recorded this year. 70 deaths have been recorded.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 13 October 2019)

Thailand: Chikungunya fever [Update]

14 October 2019

Thailand health officials reported continuous Chikungunya fever outbreak activity, especially in southern provinces of Pattani, Ranong, Phuket, Tak and Songkhla. As of 6 October, 8,104 cases have been reported this year.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 11 October 2019)

Southeast Asia: Dengue Fever [Update]

14 October 2019

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

From October 4 to 10, the CHP confirmed eight imported DF cases. The patients had been to the Philippines (three cases), India (one case), Indonesia (one case), Thailand (one case), Vietnam (one case) and multiple countries (one case, who had been to Malaysia and Singapore) during the incubation period.

As of October 10, 165 cases had been recorded this year, as compared with 120 cases recorded in the same period last year. All the cases in 2019 were imported, mainly from Thailand (32), Malaysia (24) and the Philippines (22).

The CHP has been closely monitoring the latest DF situation in neighbouring and overseas areas. DF is endemic in many tropical and subtropical areas of the world. According to the World Health Organization, some Asian countries are experiencing unusually high numbers of DF cases for this time of year. The number of cases in several countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam was about two to six times the number for the same period in 2018.

According to the Health Commission of Guangdong Province, Guangdong is still in the epidemic season of DF. In Taiwan, as of October 10, 510 cases (including 94 local cases) have been recorded in 2019.

Detailed information on the latest DF situation in Hong Kong as well as neighbouring and overseas countries and areas this year has been uploaded to the CHP's website (www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/df_imported_cases_and_overseas_figures_eng.pdf). Members of the public should stay vigilant and carry out effective mosquito prevention and control measures.

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

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

11 October 2019

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The total number of cases has reached 3,208 and the total number of deaths is 2,144. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern on 17 July 2019. For more information on Ebola virus disease, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage: https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/34199.html

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

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

10 October 2019

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The total number of cases has reached 3,207 and the total number of deaths is 2,144. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern on 17 July 2019. For more information on Ebola virus disease, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage: https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/34199.html

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 9 October 2019)

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Measles [Update]

10 October 2019

Measles activity in Democratic Republic of the Congo remains high. 203,179 cases have been reported this year, including 4,096 deaths. For more information on measles, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage: https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/100419.html

(Source: Outbreak News Today 9 October 2019)

Malaysia: Rabies [Update]

10 October 2019

The Malaysia Ministry of Health announced that the latest rabies epidemic in Sarawak since July 2017 has reached 21 confirmed cases, including 20 deaths. The latest fatal case was recorded on 21 August this year.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 9 October 2019)

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

9 October 2019

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo continues. The total number of cases has reached 3,206 and the total number of deaths is 2,143. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern on 17 July 2019. For more information on Ebola virus disease, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage: https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/34199.html

(Source: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy 8 October 2019)

Bangladesh: Dengue fever [Update]

9 October 2019

Bangladesh is seeing the largest outbreak of dengue fever cases in history since July this year. 90,278 cases have been recorded this year, including 81 deaths registered officially.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 8 October 2019)

10 October 2019