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. 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.
For more information on dengue fever, including the latest situation in neighbouring and overseas countries and areas, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage at https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/38847.html
Take precautions against Mpox (also known as monkeypox) when travelling abroad
Mpox (also known as monkeypox) is a zoonotic disease caused by Mpox virus. Often found in tropical forest regions of Central and West Africa.
It is mainly transmitted by contact with infected animals, human-to-human transmission is limited. Incubation period is mainly from 6 to 13 days, symptoms are similar with Smallpox infection, but less severe.
Since 6 May 2022, multiple outbreaks were reported in Europe and North America countries, and many patient are self-identified as bisexual or men who have sex with men. Travellers planning to travel in these areas should avoid contact
with infected person. Travellers returning from these areas shall notify the doctor to seek medical treatment and inform the travel situation if feeling unwell.
For more information on Mpox, including the latest situation in overseas countries or places, please visit the World Health Organization and Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpages at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/monkeypox#tab=tab_1
https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/105683.html
Taiwan: Dengue Fever [Update]
7 September 2023
Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Tuesday that there were 3 new local cases of
Dengue Fever deaths last week. In addition, there were 1,311 new local cases of dengue fever in Taiwan last week (August 29 to September 4, 2023).
USA: Dengue Fever [Update]
7 September 2023
The Florida Department of Health reported three additional locally acquired
Dengue Fever cases in the past week in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. This brings the total autochthonous cases in the state to 19–Broward (3), Hardee, Miami-Dade (14), and Polk counties with onsets in January, March, June (3), July (10), and August (4).
Dominican Republic: Dengue Fever [Update]
7 September 2023
So far this year (updated to 08/28/2023) there have been 5,145 probable cases of
Dengue throughout
Dominican Republic, which compared to 2022 (4,716 cases) represents an increase of approximately 10%. The reports of the last 4 weeks show that the provinces or Health Areas that have registered the highest number of cases are La Romana, Barahona Area III (Santo Domingo north), San Cristóbal and La Vega.
Nigeria: Diphtheria [Update]
7 September 2023
Nigeria is experiencing its second
Diphtheria wave of the year, with 9,000 suspected cases across 17 states, 307 of them fatal.
(Source: CIDRAP 7 September 2023)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Cholera [Update]
6 September 2023
Health officials in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo reported that the Shabunda health zone recorded 67 cases of
Cholera in two weeks, including 11 deaths.
Nigeria and Guinea: Diphtheria [Update]
6 September 2023
From May 2022 through July 2023, Nigeria has reported 4,160 suspected Diphtheria cases, including 1,534 confirmed cases. Of the confirmed cases, 137 deaths (CFR: 8.9%) were reported.
From the beginning of the outbreak on 4 July to 27 August in Kankan region of Guinea, a total of 117 suspected cases were reported, including seven confirmed cases. In total, 37 deaths have been reported, including all confirmed cases.
Senegal: Chikungunya Fever
6 September 2023
112
Chikungunya cases have been recorded in three departments in the Kedougou region of
Senegal, in the south of the country–Kedougou, Salemata, and Saraya departments.
South Africa: Rabies [Update]
6 September 2023
South Africa health officials reported two additional human
Rabies cases in August in Zululand and eThekwini districts of KwaZulu-Natal Province, respectively, bringing the total for 2023 to eight confirmed human rabies cases.
Chad: Dengue Fever
6 September 2023
The Ministry of Health in
Chad officially declared an outbreak of
Dengue Fever on August 15. From 3 August to 27 August 2023, a total 47 suspected cases, including 26 confirmed cases and one death for Dengue fever were reported in three provinces, namely Ouadai/Abeche (n=28), Wadi Fira/Biltine (n=11) and N’Djamena (n=8).
Kyrgyzstan: Measles [Update]
6 September 2023
As of 21 August 2023, 1774 suspected cases of
Measles were reported in
Kyrgyzstan (945 laboratory confirmed cases, 323 clinically confirmed cases, and 506 are epidemiologically linked), including 2 deaths.
USA: Meningococcal Infection
6 September 2023
Virginia state health officials report a statewide outbreak of
Meningococcal Disease. Twenty-seven cases of meningococcal disease, caused by the bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis type Y, have been reported in eastern, central, and southwest Virginia since June 2022.
Bangladesh: Dengue Fever [Update]
6 September 2023
Bangladesh health officials reported an additional 2,832
Dengue cases Sunday, further padding the most cases in a single year total to 133,134. Another 12 fatalities were also reported, bringing the record death tally to 646 in the country this year.
Bolivia: Pertussis [Update]
6 September 2023
Bolivia reported 892 cases of
Pertussis since the beginning of the outbreak, 178 remain active.
Mongolia: Plague [Update]
6 September 2023
Health authorities in
Mongolia reported a confirmed bubonic
Plague death Tuesday in a teen in Tseel soum, Govi-Altai province in the west of the country.
Afghanistan: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever [Update]
6 September 2023
The World Health Organization reports the total number of suspected
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever cases and associated deaths in
Afghanistan have reached to 949 and 96, respectively (CFR 10.1%) since the beginning of the year and through August 23.
Vietnam: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease [Update]
6 September 2023
Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) cases in
Vietnam up to this point are increasing by more than 52% over the same period last year. Since the beginning of the year, the whole country recorded 68,096 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, of which 18 died.
USA: Hantavirus [Update]
6 September 2023
Washington health officials report investigating a
Hantavirus case in a teenage King County resident. This person was hospitalized in early August and is now recovering. The patient reported being exposed to a mouse infestation at his house in Issaquah and also bitten by a rodent in the woods in a residential area in Issaquah, Washington.
Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen: Poliomyelitis [Update]
6 September 2023
In Africa, Chad reported 4 cases involving circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), raising its total for the year to 29.
Also, the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported 16 cVDPV2 cases, pushing its 2023 total to 81. The illnesses were mostly in Kasai Oriental province, but also in Tanganyika, Bas Uele, and Haut Lomami provinces. The country also reported 6 cases involving circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1), bringing that total to 54 and the total of vaccine-derived cases to 135.
In the Middle East, Yemen reported one cVDPV2 case, marking its first of the year. The patient is from Alhudiadah, and officials are planning a surveillance review to identify any gaps in case finding. Last year, Yemen reported 162 cVDPV2 cases.
(Source: CIDRAP 2 September 2023)
Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
6 September 2023
From 13 September 2022 to 12 August 2023, three laboratory-confirmed cases of
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), including two deaths, were reported to WHO by the Ministry of Health of
Saudi Arabia. Of the three cases, two had a history of contact with dromedary camels and all three cases had a history of consumption of raw camel milk in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms.
(Source: WHO 29 August 2023)