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
Tonga: Dengue Fever [Update]
26 May 2026
The
Tonga Ministry of Health reports two additional
dengue fever cases on May 25, bringing the outbreak total to 66. Two cases are currently hospitalized. No dengue-related death reported to date.
Taiwan: Hantavirus [Update]
26 May 2026
Taiwan health officials reported the third
hantavirus case of the year last week.
Taiwan: Dengue Fever
26 May 2026
The
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control announced Saturday of the first locally acquired
dengue fever case in Taiwan in 2026.
Honduras: Measles
26 May 2026
The
Honduras Ministry of Health reports the confirmation of the first imported case of
measles in the country.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Disease [Update]
26 May 2026
The latest from the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ministry of Health reports an update on the Ebola Bundibugyo Virus Disease outbreak for May 23. The Ebola outbreak remains active in 3 provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu.
Suspected Ebola cases: 904
Confirmed Ebola cases: 101
Suspected Ebola deaths: 119
Confirmed Ebola deaths: 10
Mexico: Measles [Update]
26 May 2026
Mexican health officials as of Friday, May 22, topped the 11,000 cases of
measles mark in 2026 reaching 11,033.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Bacterial meningitis, Mpox, Poliomyelitis, Cholera, Measles and Malaria [Update]
26 May 2026
Bacterial meningitis: This year, a total of 2,340 cases and 151 deaths (CFR 6.45%) have been reported year to date from four provinces.
Mpox: Since the beginning of 2026, DRC officials have reported 1,036 cases and one death, a big improvement from the more than 21,000 cases and nearly 100 deaths in all of 2025.
Vaccine-derived
polio: This year, a total of nine cVDPV2 cases and no deaths have been reported from three provinces, already eclipsing the six cases reported in all of 2025.
Cholera: In the DRC in 2026, 25,418 suspected cholera cases and 726 deaths (2.86% CFR) have been reported in 12 of the country’s 26 provinces to date.
Measles: This year, a total of 71,023 and 683 deaths have been reported from all 26 provinces. In addition, 86 of 516 health zones reported epidemics spanning 19 provinces.
Malaria: The DRC has the second-highest number of malaria cases and deaths globally; it recorded 12.6 percent of global malaria cases and 11.3 percent of malaria-related deaths.
Uganda: Ebola Disease [Update]
26 May 2026
On 23 May, the
Uganda Ministry of Health reported 3 additional
Ebola cases in the country, bringing the total to five.
Bangladesh: Measles [Update]
26 May 2026
On May 21, the Directorate General of Health Services in
Bangladesh reported an additional 1,423 suspected
measles cases and 208 confirmed cases. This brings the total suspected cases to 59,279 since March 15 and 8,275 confirmed cases. More than 46,000 cases were admitted for hospitalization.
Vietnam: Dengue Fever [Update]
26 May 2026
From May 11th, 2026 to May 17th, 2026 (week 20),
Ho Chi Minh City recorded 414 cases of
dengue fever, a decrease of 17.5% compared to the average of the previous four weeks. The total number of dengue fever cases accumulated from the beginning of 2026 to week 20 is 16,892, about a 700 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025.
USA: West Nile Virus Infection [Update]
26 May 2026
Texas state health officials reported this year's first case of
West Nile virus illness in a resident of Harris County. Health officials confirmed the resident was diagnosed with West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease. In 2025, Texas saw 127 total cases and nine deaths.
New Caledonia: Dengue Fever [Update]
26 May 2026
According to the
New Caledonia Ministry of Health as of May 20, a total of 1,765
dengue fever cases have been recorded since January. At least 53 hospitalisations and no deaths had been reported to date.
USA: Measles [Update]
26 May 2026
As of May 21, 2026, 1,952 confirmed
measles cases were reported in the
United States in 2026.
Sri Lanka: Dengue Fever [Update]
21 May 2026
Health officials in Sri Lanka report additional dengue fever cases in the country. In a follow-up on a report last week, the National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) reports 29,589
dengue infections as of May 18.
Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda: Ebola Disease [Update]
21 May 2026
In a follow-up on the
Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports a total of 528 suspected cases, including 132 deaths have been reported from both countries. As of 18 May 2026, the DRC has reported 516 suspected cases, including 131 deaths from seven health zones across Ituri and North Kivu Provinces. Of these, 33 cases with four deaths have so far been confirmed from Rwampara (19), Bunia (6), Nyankunde (4), and Mongbwalu (1) HZsin Ituri Province, and Butembo (1), Goma (1), and Katwa (1) in North Kivu Province. Of the 12 suspected cases reported from Uganda, two were confirmed through laboratory testing, while the rest tested negative.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), acting on the recommendations of its Emergency Consultative Group (ECG), has officially declared the ongoing outbreak of Bundibugyo strain Ebola virus disease affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a Continental Security Public Health Emergency (USPSC).
The Minister of Communication and Media for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health, Patrick Muyaya, announced the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak has spread outside of Ituri province: Katwa in Butembo and Goma in North Kivu, according to local media reports.
Iraq: Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever [Update]
21 May 2026
Health authorities in Iraq report the fifth confirmed human
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever case in a man in his sixties working as a butcher in Mandali district, eastern Diyala province. In 2026, 15 infections have been recorded since the start of 2026, including nine in Dhi Qar, five in Diyala, and one in Kirkuk.
The Nineveh provincial health directorate reported the first case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever this year.
Mauritius: Chikungunya Fever
21 May 2026
Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel notice for the island country on Mauritius due to a
chikungunya outbreak. According to data from the Ministry of Health & Wellness media updates (the main newspapers of the island as brief interviews with the Health Director in charge of infectious diseases), 2,816 confirmed local cases have been reported from January to 11 May and transmission is particularly concentrated in the lower and middle Plaines Wilhems district of the island.
Australia: Diphtheria [Update]
21 May 2026
As of 11 May 2026, a total of 194
diphtheria infections have been notified in Australia in 2026, including 2 probable cases, according to the Australian Centre for Disease Control.