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
Mozambique: Cholera [Update]
3 July 2023
A
Cholera outbreak has been reported in
Mozambique. From 14 September 2022 to 29 May 2023, a total of 31,327 cases and 138 deaths (CFR 0.4%) have been reported from 11 provinces and 60 districts, according to the World Health Organization.
Czech Republic: Hepatitis E
3 July 2023
Health officials in the
Czech Republic report an increase in the number of cases
Hepatitis E. 319 cases of hepatitis E were reported in 2022, this year we have 221 new cases by the end of May.
Colombia: Leishmaniasis
3 July 2023
Through Epi Week 24 in
Colombia, 1,860 cases of cutaneous
Leishmaniasis, 32 cases of mucosal Leishmaniasis and one case of visceral Leishmaniasis (died) were reported.
Argentina: Saint Louis Encephalitis
3 July 2023
Health officials in Argentina reported a total of seven confirmed cases of Saint Louis Encephalitis (SLE) this season to date (from epidemiological week (EW) 31 of 2022 and EW 24 of 2023).
Four of the cases were reported from Buenos Aires and three in Entre Ríos. Through EW 24, two deceased cases were reported, both residents of Entre Rios.
Malaysia: Dengue Fever [Update]
3 July 2023
Through June 17, Malaysia health officials have reported 54,139 total Dengue cases, an increase of 149.6% compared to the 21,688 cases reported during the same period in 2022.
A total of 39 deaths due to dengue fever complications have been reported compared to 15 deaths for the same period in 2022.
Mexico: Leishmaniasis
3 July 2023
According to Mexican health authorities, through June 17, 841 cutaneous
Leishmaniasis cases were reported nationwide. Of this number, 769 belong to the three states of the Yucatan Peninsula, that is, 91.4 percent of the national total. While a frequent disease in the Yucatan Peninsula, this is an unusual increase compared to the last four years.
USA: Vibrio Vulnificus Infection [Update]
3 July 2023
The Florida Department of Health of the
USA reports 14
Vibrio vulnificus cases and four deaths during the first half of 2023.
South Africa: Rabies [Update]
3 July 2023
Between 1 January 2023 and 20 June 2023, a total of six laboratory confirmed human
Rabies cases were reported in
South Africa. These cases culminated from the Eastern Cape (n=3), KwaZulu-Natal (n=2), and Limpopo (n=1).
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Nigeria and Zambia: Poliomyelitis [Update]
3 July 2023
Four African countries reported new
polio cases this week, all involving vaccine-derived types, according to the latest weekly update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
The Democratic Republic of Congo reported four cases involving circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) and three that were due to circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2).
Madagascar reported three cVDPV1 cases, and
Nigeria and Zambia reported three and one cVDPV2 cases, res1pectively.
USA: Vibrio Vulnificus Infection
30 June 2023
There has been a total of four cases of vibriosis reported to the Mobile County Health Department in Alabama during 2023. Two of those cases reported injuries that were exposed to waters connected to the Gulf of Mexico. The latest one was identified as
Vibrio Vulnificus.
Peru: Dengue Fever [Update]
29 June 2023
Peru health authorities reported an additional 14,885
Dengue cases the week ending June 17, bringing the total for 2023 to 161,471. To date, 287 dengue deaths were reported-213 confirmed and 74 under investigation.
Laos: Dengue Fever [Update]
29 June 2023
Health authorities in
Laos reported 6,488 total
Dengue cases through June 27, including one death.
Australia: Meningococcal Infection
28 June 2023
There have been ten cases of invasive
Meningococcal Disease reported in South
Australia this year, compared to six cases recorded at the same time last year. Of the ten cases reported so far this year, nine are serogroup B and one is serogroup W.
Fiji: Leptospirosis and Typhoid
28 June 2023
In Fiji, the Eastern Division is currently experiencing a Leptospirosis outbreak in Kadavu Medical Subdivision as of June 22. Since the beginning of the outbreak, there have been 29 confirmed cases, 42 hospital admissions, and 1 death.
As of 22 June 2023, 32 cases of Typhoid have been reported in the Northern Division.
Taiwan: Dengue Fever [Update]
28 June 2023
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 55 new local cases of
Dengue Fever in
Taiwan last week (June 20 to June 26, 2023). The cases lived in Tainan City (54 cases) and Kaohsiung City (1 case).
USA: Plague
28 June 2023
Montezuma County Public Health has identified a human case of
Plague in a Montezuma County resident.
South Africa: Cholera [Update]
27 June 2023
South Africa has recorded a total cumulative number of 1045 suspected cases of
Cholera in 15 out of 52 districts across five provinces, of which 197 of them were laboratory-confirmed. The cumulative number of deaths related to cholera outbreak (both suspected and confirmed) stands at 43. The case fatality rate stands at 3.5%.
USA: Malaria [Update]
27 June 2023
The Florida Department of Health issued a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory following four confirmed and recovered local cases of
Malaria in Sarasota County.
USA: Mpox (monkeypox) [Update]
27 June 2023
Los Angeles health authorities report a concerning increase in
Mpox cases, with six new cases reported in Los Angeles County in the past week, up from an average of less than one case per week during the preceding four weeks.
Sri Lanka: Dengue Fever [Update]
27 June 2023
Sri Lanka’s National Dengue Control Unit reported that the number of
Dengue cases reported in the country has risen to 47,964. 50% of cases are reported from the Western Province.