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
United Kingdom: Meningococcal Disease
20 April 2026
On 17 April 2026, the UKHSA announced three confirmed cases of
meningococcal infection in young people in
Weymouth, Dorset. The cases were confirmed between 20 March and 15 April. All cases are recovering well. Close contacts of the cases have already been offered antibiotics as a precaution. Two of the cases attend
Budmouth Academy and the other attends
Wey Valley Academy. According to UKHSA, these 3 cases have been confirmed as Meningitis B (MenB) and are the same sub-strain type, but a different sub-strain to the one detected recently in Kent. According to UKHSA, these cases are not linked to the Kent outbreak. The UKHSA has already initiated a targeted antibiotic and vaccination campaign for school students at years 7 to 13 in the
Weymouth and
Portland areas.
(Source: UKHSA 17 April 2026)
Canada: Salmonella
20 April 2026
Hamilton Public Health officials report investigating a
salmonella outbreak linked to the
Piper Arms Stoney Creek, located at
1786 Stone Church Road East, Stoney Creek. To date, 13 confirmed cases have been reported. Six people required hospitalization for their illness.
Kenya: Anthrax
20 April 2026
Health officials in
Vihiga County in
western Kenya report a cutaneous
anthrax outbreak within
Emuhaya Subcounty. According to the Department of Health Services in Vihiga County, two animal (cow) cases and two human cases of anthrax were reported. One human fatality was also reported.
Philippines: Measles [Update]
20 April 2026
The cases of
measles in
Quezon City have reached 143 from January 1 to April 16 this year. 76% of cases were recorded among children aged 10 and below (109 cases). Of the total cases, 23 are not yet eligible for measles vaccination, especially infants.
Cayman Islands: Cholera
20 April 2026
The Ministry of Health, Environment & Sustainability and the Public Health Department confirm that a laboratory result from a patient in the
Cayman Islands indicated the presence of a
cholera-related bacteria and is under active review.
USA: Mpox
20 April 2026
The
San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) confirmed the first case of clade I
mpox in a San Francisco resident this week. The SFDPH also reported significant declines in syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea cases in 2025. In 2025, San Francisco saw a 24% decrease in reported syphilis cases (892>678), an 18% decrease in chlamydia cases (4,219>3,467), and a 5% decrease in gonorrhea cases (4,812>4,578) compared to 2024.
USA: Legionnaires’ disease
20 April 2026
In 2024,
North Carolina health authorities reported 201
Legionnaires’ disease cases statewide throughout the year. On Friday, The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 310 cases in 2025, a 54 percent increase, prompting officials to raise awareness.
Bolivia: Yellow Fever
20 April 2026
Authorities in the eastern department of
Santa Cruz—Bolivia’s most populous region—declared a “health alert” this Wednesday following a
yellow fever outbreak that has so far claimed one life.
Costa Rica: Chikungunya Fever [Update]
20 April 2026
The
Costa Rica Ministry of Health confirms the fifth positive case of
Chikungunya fever in the country in 2026, according to the results issued by the laboratory of the Costa Rican Institute of Research and Teaching in Nutrition and Health.
Bangladesh: Measles [Update]
20 April 2026
In a follow-up on the
measles outbreak in
Bangladesh, since the outbreak began on March 15, the Directorate General of Health Services in
Dhaka reports 20,352 total cases, including 3,065 confirmed measles cases as of April 17.
Costa Rica: Chikungunya Fever [Update]
16 April 2026
The
Costa Rica Ministry of Health reports a fourth positive case of
chikungunya fever has been confirmed so far in 2026. The patient is a 52-year-old Costa Rican woman, a resident of Heredia, who recently traveled to Nicaragua. In Costa Rica, there had been no reported cases of this virus since 2017.
Taiwan: Norovirus Infection
16 April 2026
Monitoring data from the
Taiwan CDC, for the week ending April 11, there were 125,205 outpatient and emergency room visits for diarrhea, an increase from 119,787 visits in the previous week. Among these, 64 cases tested positive for pathogens, with viral pathogens accounting for 87.5% (56 cases), with
norovirus being the most common (50 cases, accounting for 78.1% of positive clusters).
Vietnam: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease [Update]
16 April 2026
Monitoring data from the beginning of 2026 to date shows that
Vietnam has recorded approximately 26,000 cases of
hand, foot and mouth disease with 8 deaths. In March 2026 alone, the average weekly number of cases increased compared to the previous month.
Vietnam: Dengue Fever [Update]
16 April 2026
According to Deputy Director of the Department of Disease Prevention,
Vietnam, based on surveillance data from the beginning of 2026 to the present, the whole country has recorded 31,927 cases of
dengue fever with 4 deaths. Cases were recorded early in the year, mainly concentrated in provinces and cities in the southern region.
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Tonga: Dengue Fever
16 April 2026
The
Tonga Ministry of Health confirmed three
dengue fever cases in Tongatapu. All cases were locally acquired, with no epidemiological links identified, and all patients are currently stable, including one discharged and two managed under home care.
Argentina: Chikungunya Fever
14 April 2026
In a follow-up on the
chikungunya outbreak in Argentina, health authorities report a total of 433 chikungunya cases—357 are autochthonous, while only 76 have a history of travel (imported cases) to Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Cuba.
Nigeria: Lassa Fever [Update]
14 April 2026
Nigeria health officials continue to report increasing and geographically spreading
Lassa fever cases in 2026. From the beginning of the year through the end of March, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reports 663 confirmed Lassa fever cases with a quarter of them resulting in death (167). The 167 deaths is a 35 percent increase in deaths as compared to the same period in 2025 (122).
Senegal: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever [Update]
14 April 2026
During the week ending April 4,
Senegal health authorities reported an additional
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever case. The case is a 28-year-old female from
Dioffor area in
Fatick region in southwest Senegal.
Uganda: Anthrax [Update]
14 April 2026
Health officials in
Uganda report an
anthrax outbreak in the western Ugandan district of
Kitagwenda. Out of the 10 suspected cases, three have tested positive for the dangerous bacterial infection.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Cholera [Update]
14 April 2026
According to data from the
South Kivu Provincial Health Division, 4,607 cases of
cholera were reported in South Kivu in the first quarter of 2026, including 67 deaths in the province.
Costa Rica: Chikungunya Fever [Update]
14 April 2026
Costa Rica health officials report the confirmation of the third positive case of
chikungunya in the country during 2026.
USA: Pertussis [Update]
14 April 2026
The
Pennsylvania Department of Health reports that since March, they have seen an increase in
pertussis cases in
Bedford and
Fulton counties in the southwest of the state. As of April 9, there were eight confirmed cases and one probable case linked to a school and a church in Bedford County. Additionally, there were two cases in Bedford County and one case in Fulton County with unknown exposure sources.
Philippines: Measles and Rubella [Update]
14 April 2026
Philippines health officials report a significant increase in
measles and
rubella cases during the first three months of the year compared to the same period in 2025. According to Department of Health statistics, 1,627 cases were recorded from the beginning of 2026 to March 21, a 45 percent increase compared to the 1,121 cases reported during the same period last year.
Guam: Pertussis [Update]
14 April 2026
The
Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services reported two new laboratory confirmed
Bordetella pertussis (pertussis) reports this week, bringing the total number of confirmed cases for 2026 to nine.
Pakistan: Mpox
14 April 2026
According to
Sindh Health Minister, a total of 14
mpox cases have been confirmed across the province this year—12 in
Khairpur and two in
Karachi.
Brazil: Chikungunya Fever
14 April 2026
According to an epidemiological bulletin from the State Health Department Friday,
Mato Grosso do Sul state has already registered 4,281 probable cases of
chikungunya, with 2,102 confirmed, through April 4.
USA: West Nile Virus Infection
14 April 2026
The
Shelby County Health Department reported one human case of
West Nile Virus has been reported in the county so far during 2026.
USA: Plague
14 April 2026
Health officials in
Apache County, Arizona, report a confirmed case of human
plague in a county resident. The individual was treated and has recovered.
Hong Kong: Hepatitis A [Update]
14 April 2026
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) announced that the number of new
hepatitis A cases has decreased since last month's announcement of a cluster of hepatitis A infections involving men who have sex with men (MSM) and the provision of two doses of hepatitis A vaccine for MSM. The CHP recorded seven and eight cases of hepatitis A infection in February and March respectively, which are fewer than in January (15 cases). The CHP's epidemiological investigations showed that all eight cases recorded in March involved males, aged between 28 and 61. Two of them self-identified as MSM.
Japan: Measles [Update]
14 April 2026
Officials with the
Japan Institute for Health Security recorded 30 additional
measles during the last week of March, bringing the total cases for the year to date to 197.