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
Japan: Measles
19 March 2026
Japan reported 100 confirmed
measles cases as of 11 March 2026, with
Tokyo (19 cases),
Aichi (18 cases),
Kanagawa and
Niigata (10 cases each) being the most affected prefectures, a significant increase from 22 cases during the same period in 2025.
Colombia: Yellow Fever
19 March 2026
Colombia reported 25 confirmed
yellow fever cases and 13 deaths between 1 January and 21 February 2026, accounting for nearly three-quarters of all cases in the Americas, with most cases occurring in unvaccinated individuals.
Samoa: Dengue Fever
19 March 2026
Samoa reported 17,402 cumulative clinically diagnosed
dengue fever cases and 9 deaths since the outbreak began in early 2025, with 187 new cases during the week of 2-8 March 2026 and children under 15 accounting for 74% of all cases.
Namibia: Malaria
19 March 2026
Namibia reported 11,327 confirmed
malaria cases and 21 deaths in the first five weeks of 2026, with 21 districts exceeding epidemic thresholds and the most affected districts including
Katima Mulilo,
Nkurenkuru and
Outapi, accounting for approximately 69% of national cases.
USA: Hantavirus
19 March 2026
The first
hantavirus case of 2026 was reported in
Santa Fe County, New Mexico,
USA, with the patient having since recovered;
New Mexico has the highest hantavirus case count in the country with 143 cases since 1993.
USA: Pertussis
19 March 2026
Wyoming,
USA reported 26 confirmed
pertussis cases year-to-date in 2026, with approximately two-thirds of cases concentrated in
Fremont County, following a record-breaking 148 cases in 2025, the state's highest in 75 years.
United Kingdom: Meningococcal Disease
17 March 2026
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is investigating a
meningococcal disease outbreak in
Kent, southeast
England, with 13 cases and 2 deaths linked to a nightclub in
Canterbury between 5 and 7 March 2026.
(Source: UKHSA 16 March 2026)
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Meningococcal Meningitis
17 March 2026
An outbreak of
meningococcal meningitis caused by *Neisseria meningitidis* W135 has been reported in
Mangembo health zone,
Kongo Central province,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 24 cases and 9 deaths (37% case fatality rate), primarily affecting individuals aged 13–24.
Cambodia: Avian Influenza (H5N1)
17 March 2026
Cambodia has reported its second human case of
avian influenza (H5N1) in 2026 - a 45-year-old woman in
Banteay Meanchey province who had direct contact with sick and dead poultry; she has been hospitalised and is receiving antiviral treatment.
USA: Mpox [Update]
17 March 2026
New York City has confirmed its first clade I
mpox case — the 12th in the
United States — in an individual who recently travelled to
Europe; the patient is recovering well and isolating, with no evidence of community spread.
Brazil: Measles
17 March 2026
Brazil's Ministry of Health has reported the country's first
measles case of 2026 in
São Paulo — a 6-month-old child who had travelled with parents to
Bolivia between December and January and developed symptoms upon return.
Honduras: Pertussis
17 March 2026
Honduras has reported 76
pertussis cases and 8 deaths — all in infants under 3 months — in the first 69 days of 2026, with 16 of 20 health regions affected and highest concentrations in
Francisco Morazán and
Cortés departments.
Hong Kong: Hepatitis A
17 March 2026
The Centre for Health Protection is investigating a cluster of 24
hepatitis A cases with identical genetic sequences in
Hong Kong between September 2025 and February 2026, involving mainly males aged 18–55; the CHP recommends high-risk individuals receive hepatitis A vaccination.
New Caledonia: Dengue Fever [Update]
17 March 2026
New Caledonia has reported 236
dengue fever cases (predominantly DENV-1) from 1 January to 11 March 2026, with 23 municipalities affected and transmission accelerating due to rainy season conditions.
USA : Measles
17 March 2026
Florida has reported 132
measles cases from 1 January to 7 March 2026 across 13 counties, with 98 cases concentrated in
Collier County linked to
Ave Maria University, making it the third highest state total in the
United States
Canada : Mpox [Update]
17 March 2026
Toronto Public Health has confirmed two travel-related cases of clade Ib
mpox — the first cases of this variant identified in
Toronto and
Ontario,
Canada; the clade Ib strain has been associated with outbreaks in Central and Eastern
Africa.