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.
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
USA: Measles [Update]
12 January 2026
The
measles outbreak in
Spartanburg County, South Carolina has risen to 310 cases with 99 new cases reported since January 6. Currently 200 individuals are in quarantine and 9 are in isolation. Among the cases, 256 were unvaccinated, 2 were partially vaccinated, and 2 were vaccinated. A statewide health alert was issued on January 7 recommending mask use in healthcare settings.
Sri Lanka: Dengue
12 January 2026
Sri Lanka has reported 2,170
dengue cases in the first 9 days of 2026, averaging 240 cases per day. All 41 Medical Officer of Health divisions have been classified as dengue high-risk areas. The spike is attributed to flooding from Cyclone Ditwah in late November to early December 2025.
Germany: Lyme Disease
12 January 2026
Germany has reported significant increases in
Lyme disease cases.
Saxony recorded 2,623 cases in 2025, a 61% increase from 2024.
Berlin reported over 1,400 cases, the highest since mandatory laboratory reporting began in 2013.
Bavaria reported 5,469 cases by mid-December 2025, approximately 1,500 more than the same period in 2024.
Czech Republic: Hepatitis A
12 January 2026
Czech Republic recorded 3,255
hepatitis A cases with 36 deaths in 2025, representing a more than 400% increase in cases and 1,700% increase in deaths compared to 2024. Approximately 77% of cases required hospitalization. The most affected regions were
Prague (1,376 cases),
Central Bohemian Region (471 cases), and
Moravian-Silesian Region (261 cases).
Croatia: Influenza
12 January 2026
Croatia has reported 29,771
influenza cases as of December 28, 2025, with 5,051 cases in the final week alone. This compares to only 667 cases in the same period last season. There have been 950 hospitalizations, 45 intensive care admissions, and 5 deaths.
Varaždin and
Krapina-Zagorje counties recorded the highest rates.
Israel: Influenza
12 January 2026
Israel has reported its sixth pediatric
influenza death of the year, with a healthy two-month-old from northern
Israel succumbing to the disease. The Ministry of Health continues to recommend vaccination for the entire population and advises mask-wearing for at-risk groups in enclosed spaces.
Yemen: Cholera
12 January 2026
Yemen has reported 339,371 suspected
cholera cases with 1,102 deaths since March 2024, affecting all 23 governorates. The outbreak is driven by lack of safe water, poor sanitation, and delayed healthcare access. Cholera has become endemic in the country.
Yemen: Measles
12 January 2026
Yemen confirmed 23,817
measles cases with 214 deaths in 2025, reaching the highest global cases in the six-month period from May to October 2025. Only 66% of children are fully immunized due to community misconceptions and restrictions on vaccination campaigns in northern governorates.
Yemen: Polio
12 January 2026
Yemen reported 30 variant
poliovirus cases across 10 governorates in 2025, with 29 cases in northern regions. In 2024, the country recorded 187 cases, the highest globally. The resurgence is attributed to low vaccination coverage among children under five.
Cuba: Chikungunya Fever
12 January 2026
Cuba has reported 38,342
chikungunya cases with 21 deaths through November 2025, marking the first chikungunya-associated deaths reported in the country. All 14 provinces have been affected, with
Matanzas,
La Habana,
Camaguey,
Cienfuegos,
Artemisa, and
Villa Clara recording the most cases.
Iran: Dengue
12 January 2026
Hormozgan Province, Iran has reported 255
dengue cases, with 248 concentrated in
Bandar Abbas. Over 1,080 dengue cases have been reported nationwide in 2025. Most cases are linked to local transmission rather than travel, indicating sustained Aedes mosquito activity in the province's hot, humid climate.
Japan: Syphilis
12 January 2026
Japan has recorded 13,085
syphilis cases through December 17, 2025, marking the fourth consecutive year exceeding 13,000 cases.
Tokyo accounts for 25% of cases (3,264 cases), followed by
Osaka (1,637 cases),
Aichi (818 cases), and
Fukuoka (739 cases). The increase is most marked in men aged 20-50 and women in their 20s.
Japan: Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome
12 January 2026
Japan reported a record 191 cases of
severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in 2025, up more than 50 from the previous record set in 2023. Cases were reported in 32 prefectures, mainly in
western Japan, with
Kochi (15),
Shizuoka (13),
Oita (13), and
Nagasaki (12) recording the most cases. First cases were also confirmed in
Hokkaido,
Ibaraki,
Tochigi, and
Kanagawa.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Measles
8 January 2026
Kasai-Oriental province in south-central
Democratic Republic of the Congo has recorded 456
measles cases since December 15, including 61 in the last week of December alone, primarily affecting children under five across 19 health zones.
USA: Measles [Update]
8 January 2026
The
measles outbreak in
South Carolina, centered around Spartanburg County, has risen to 211 cases, with 26 additional cases reported since last Friday, including exposures at two schools and a church.
Ethiopia: Marburg Virus Disease
8 January 2026
Ethiopia has reported no new cases of
Marburg virus disease over the past 21 days as of January 5, with the total outbreak in South Ethiopia Region since November 14 standing at 14 confirmed cases with 9 deaths and 5 recoveries.