Current 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 01/01/2019 *
|
Cumulative reported no. |
Source of information and date of report |
Australia |
1,325 |
World Health Organization, 5 December 2019 |
Brazil |
2,120,142 |
World Health Organization, 12 December 2019 |
Guangdong, China |
5,986 |
Health Commission of Guangdong Province, 13 December 2019 |
India |
136,422 |
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 30 November 2019 |
Japan |
439^ |
National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 10 December 2019 |
Lao PDR |
38,026 |
World Health Organization, 5 December 2019 |
Malaysia |
119,524 |
World Health Organization, 5 December 2019 |
Mexico |
251,445 |
World Health Organization, 12 December 2019 |
The Philippines |
402,694 |
World Health Organization, 5 December 2019 |
Singapore |
15,406@ |
Singapore National Environment Agency, 12 December 2019 |
Sri Lanka |
87,364 |
Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 12 December 2019 |
Taiwan, China |
614 |
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control, 12 December 2019 |
Thailand |
123,320 |
Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 12 December 2019 |
Vietnam |
241,863 |
World Health Organization, 5 December 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]
17 December 2019
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Measles [Update]
17 December 2019
17 December 2019
Bangladesh: Dengue fever [Update]
17 December 2019
17 December 2019
For more information on seasonal influenza, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage: https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/content/24/29.html
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]
13 December 2019
13 December 2019
The Philippines: Measles [Update]
13 December 2019
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]
12 December 2019
Mainland China: Zika Virus Infection
12 December 2019
The male patient aged 33 returning from Cambodia arrived at Shenzhen International Airport on December 8. He was detected as febrile upon arrival. The case was laboratory confirmed subsequently, and he was under isolation and management in stable condition.
For more information on Zika Virus Infection, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage: https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/43086.html
Pakistan: Dengue fever [Update]
12 December 2019
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Virus Disease [Update]
11 December 2019
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Plague [Update]
11 December 2019
11 December 2019
Mainland China: Avian Influenza, Human [update]
11 December 2019
The two unrelated cases include–A 4-year-old girl from Sanming City, Fujian Province. She developed symptoms on 26 October this year, and her condition was mild. The other was a 5-year-old girl from Fuyang City, Anhui Province, with disease onset on 12 November. She has recovered, and both cases had a history of poultry or poultry slaughterhouse exposure before onset.
For more information on avian influenza, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage: https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/24244.html