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
Singapore: Zika
15 May 2023
The
Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) have confirmed three local cases of
Zika virus infection. All three cases either reside or work in the Kovan area. Two are currently recovering at home while one is hospitalized and is stable. None of the three cases is pregnant.
Afghanistan: Poliomyelitis
15 May 2023
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in Afghanistan reports the first wild poliovirus 1 (WPV1) case of the year in a four-year-old child in Nangarhar province, according to a local media report.
The only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic are Pakistan and Afghanistan, while 99% of the world has eradicated the disease.
Taiwan: Swine Influenza A(H1N2) variant virus
15 May 2023
The
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday a new case of human infection with
Swine Influenza A(H1N2) variant virus. Testing and gene sequencing by the agency shows it is similar to the genetic composition of the first case of H1N2v infection in Taiwan in 2021.
Ethiopia: Dengue Fever
15 May 2023
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a
Dengue Fever outbreak has been reported in the Afar Region in northeastern
Ethiopia. Over 1,000 suspected dengue cases in Mile and Adar have been estimated as of 28 April.
Sri Lanka: Dengue Fever
15 May 2023
The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) in
Sri Lanka reports a total of 33,656
Dengue Fever cases, including 20 deaths since the beginning of the year. This includes about 4,000 cases reported during the first two week of this month, raising grave concerns of a potential epidemic.
Equatorial Guinea: Marburg Virus Disease [Update]
15 May 2023
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States reissued a travel notice Friday for Equatorial Guinea due to the ongoing Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) outbreak.
Since the declaration of the outbreak on 13 February 2023, a total of 17 laboratory-confirmed cases of MVD and 23 probable cases have been reported as of 1 May. Among laboratory-confirmed cases, 12 deaths were recorded.
Zimbabwe: Cholera
15 May 2023
Government officials in
Zimbabwe report cholera cases are on the rise. Since the first
Cholera case was recorded in February in the town of Chegutu in northwest Zimbabwe, 834 cases had been recorded from the country’s 10 provinces. Government has attributed the outbreak to poor sanitation, contaminated water supplies and cross-border mobility.
South Sudan: Hepatitis E
15 May 2023
On 14 April 2023, the Ministry of Health (MoH) of
South Sudan declared an outbreak of the
Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in Wau city, the capital of Western Bahr el-Ghazal state and one of the largest cities in South Sudan. Between 23 March 2023 and 13 April 2023, a total of 91 HEV suspected cases have been reported from Wau, of which 35 are confirmed; there have been five deaths reported (case fatality ratio [CFR] 5.5%).
South Africa: Mumps
12 May 2023
According to the
South Africa National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the country is reporting a
Mumps outbreak. From epidemiological week 01 in 2013 to week 12 2023, 1322 mumps IgM positives and 30 mumps PCR positives (11 (37%) in 2023) were identified from 20813 combined tests.
Argentina: Chikungunya Fever [Update]
12 May 2023
In the period between epidemiological week 31 of 2022 and week 16 of 2023, 1,642 cases of
Chikungunya fever were registered in
Argentina, of which 1,001 are autochthonous, 347 are in investigation and 294 are imported.
Peru: Leptospirosis [Update]
12 May 2023
The regional director of health for Piura,
Peru said that the region has seen 251 confirmed cases of
Leptospirosis and 311 suspect cases.
Peru: Dengue Fever [Update]
12 May 2023
The
Peru Ministry of Health prepares the extension of the emergency declaration due to the
Dengue outbreak, which will last for 120 days and will include 20 regions and 226 districts. To date, Peru has registered 69,534 cases of dengue and 72 deaths, with Piura, Loreto, Ucayali, Ica and Lambayeque being the most affected regions.
Malaysia: Rabies [Update]
12 May 2023
Officials in Sarawak state in
Malaysia have reported the eighth human
Rabies death of 2023.
Indonesia: Syphilis
12 May 2023
Indonesian health officials report a 75 percent increase in
Syphilis cases since 2016. There were 12,000 cases of syphilis in 2016. The number skyrocketed to around 21,000 cases in 2022.
Taiwan: Japanese Encephalitis
12 May 2023
The
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on May 10 of the first local confirmed case of
Japanese Encephalitis this year.
Pakistan: Mpox (monkeypox)
10 May 2023
The
Pakistan National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that third case of
Mpox in Pakistan is confirmed.
Costa Rica: Dengue Fever [Update]
10 May 2023
For epidemiological week 16, a total of 1,179 cases of
Dengue were reported in
Costa Rica, with the Huetar Caribe and Central Sur regions presenting the most cases.
Brazil: Mpox (monkeypox)
10 May 2023
Minas Gerais state in
Brazil reported that as of 5 May 2023, 615 cases of
Mpox have been confirmed by laboratory tests. Four deaths by Mpox were confirmed.
South Korea: Mpox (monkeypox) [Update]
10 May 2023
South Korea reported 6 additional confirmed cases after the announcement of a
Mpox outbreak on May 3. To date, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Korea has reached 60.
Philippines: Dengue Fever [Update]
10 May 2023
The
Philippines has reported 32,799 total cases of
Dengue through April 8, a 61 percent increase compared to 2022.
Taiwan: Mpox (monkeypox) [Update]
10 May 2023
The
Taiwan CDC announced on May 9 that 15 new confirmed cases of
Mpox were recorded (14 local cases and 1 imported case). This brings the total number of cases to 79 cases.