Travel Health Service Year 2024

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.

Detailed information on the latest Dengue fever situation in Hong Kong, as well as neighbouring and overseas countries and areas, can be found at the Centre for Health Protection’s website: https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/df_imported_cases_and_overseas_figures_eng.pdf

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 wer e 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

Philippines: Typhoid Fever [Update]

21 March 2025

In a follow-up on the typhoid fever outbreak in Negros Occidental province, Philippines, the Provincial Health Office now reports 344 typhoid fever cases through mid-March, a 91 percent increase compared to the same period as last year. In addition, three deaths have been reported.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 19 March 2025)

USA: Measles [Update]

21 March 2025

In a follow-up on the measles situation in the US, New York state officials now report four measles cases in the state as a whole, and three in New York City. Suffolk County is the case not in NYC.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 19 March 2025)

Reunion: Chikungunya Fever [Update]

21 March 2025

In the past seven days, Reunion officials reported an additional 2,888 locally transmitted cases of chikungunya, bringing the outbreak total to 8,600 cases since the beginning of the year.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 19 March 2025)

USA: Dengue Fever [Update]

21 March 2025

Florida state health officials reported on the first locally acquired dengue fever case of 2025 in Miami-Dade County this past week.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 19 March 2025)

Brazil: Chikungunya Fever

21 March 2025

The city of Xanxerê in Santa Catarina state, with a population of approximately 50,000, has recorded it’s second death due to the mosquito-borne viral disease, chikungunya.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 18 March 2025)

Canada: Measles [Update]

18 March 2025

In Canada, 57 new cases of measles (28 confirmed, 29 probable) were reported in week 9, 2025. To date in 2025, 224 cases of measles (173 confirmed, 51 probable) have been reported in Canada.

(Source: Public Health Agency of Canada 13 March 2025)

Philippines: Measles and Rubella [Update]

18 March 2025

In a report, the Department of Health in the Philippines said a total of 922 measles-rubella cases have been recorded from January 1 to March 1 this year, up by 35 percent from 683 cases logged in the same period in 2024.

(Source: Philippine News Agency 14 March 2025)

Vietnam: Measles [Update]

18 March 2025

Vietnam has recorded nearly 40,000 suspected measles cases and five measles-related deaths since the beginning of this year.

(Source: Vietnam News 16 March 2025)

Global: Measles [Update]

18 March 2025

Measles outbreaks are happening in every region of the world. An update on the top 10 countries with measles outbreaks is as follows:

Country	Number of Cases
Yemen	7,584
Pakistan	6,661
India	6,532
Thailand	6,224
Ethiopia	4,596
Romania	4,478
Afghanistan	4,358
Indonesia	3,346
Kyrgyzstan	2,966
Viet Nam	1,835

(This table is based on provisional monthly surveillance data reported to the World Health Organization (Geneva) as of March 2025. The data reflected covers August 2024 - January 2025.)

(Source: CDC 11 March 2025)

USA: Measles [Update]

18 March 2025

Houston city health officials report today on the third confirmed measles case of 2025.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 16 March 2025)

United Kingdom: Measles

18 March 2025

Since the beginning of the year, there have been 151 laboratory confirmed measles cases reported in England through March 13, according to health officials.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 13 March 2025)

Brazil: Measles

18 March 2025

The Rio de Janeiro State Health Department reports that it received confirmation of two cases of measles in the municipality of São João de Meriti late March 14.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 18 March 2025)

Philippines: Rabies

18 March 2025

The Philippines Department of Health reported this weekend a decrease in human rabies cases in the first two weeks of the year. From January 1 to March 1 this year, 55 rabies cases were recorded nationwide, a 39 percent drop from the 90 logged during the same period last year.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 16 March 2025)

Uganda: Mpox (monkeypox) and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever [Update]

18 March 2025

In a follow-up on the mpox outbreak in Uganda, the Ministry of Health now reports 2,332 laboratory- confirmed cases and 23 deaths since the beginning of the year, following only the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in total cases and deaths.

Health officials in Uganda on Friday confirmed an outbreak of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in the western district of Kyegegwa.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 16 March 2025)

Namibia: Cholera

18 March 2025

The Africa Centre for Disease Control announced the first cholera case in Namibia since 2015.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 16 March 2025)

South Africa: Diphtheria

18 March 2025

Between 1 January 2024 and 9 March 2025, 31 confirmed cases of respiratory diphtheria and 38 asymptomatic carriers of toxigenic C. diphtheriae, detected during contact tracing, have been identified in South Africa.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 16 March 2025)

Comoros: Dengue Fever

18 March 2025

An outbreak of dengue fever is ongoing in Comoros. In the week ending March 2, 2025, a total of 42 cases were reported from the Anjouan Island.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 16 March 2025)

Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome

18 March 2025

The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) reported four cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus infection, including two deaths, from September 2024 through the end of February 2025.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 14 March 2025)

Bangladesh: Nipah Virus

18 March 2025

According to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh, three people infected with Nipah Virus Infection have died so far in 2025.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 13 March 2025)

Taiwan: Hantavirus Infection

18 March 2025

The Taiwan CDC reported one new case of Hantavirus syndrome in the region last week, which is the second confirmed case this year.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 18 March 2025)