Travel Health Service Year 2026

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

Australia: Measles

23 January 2026

New South Wales(NSW) Health issued a measles alert for Sydney after confirming two new cases. One case acquired measles locally in Sydney from a known case earlier this month, and the other case recently returned from South-East Asia. There is currently an increased risk of measles in NSW, with 11 cases confirmed since 1 December 2025.

(Source: NSW Health 21 January 2026)

Chinese Mainland: Avian Influenza

22 January 2026

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region, from 9 to 15 January 2026, three new cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H9N2) virus were reported. All three cases were reported from China. Since December 2015, a total of 155 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H9N2), including two deaths (both with underlying conditions), have been reported to WHO in the Western Pacific Region. Of these, 152 were reported from China, two were from Cambodia, and one was from Viet Nam.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 22 January 2026)

Panama: Dengue Fever

22 January 2026

The Panama Ministry of Health (Minsa), through the Department of Epidemiology, reported that during epidemiological week No. 1, (January 4 to 10, 2026), 100 accumulated cases of dengue fever were registered nationwide.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 22 January 2026)

USA: Chikungunya Fever [Update]

22 January 2026

The Florida Department of Health reported the first locally acquired chikungunya fever case in the state for 2025 in Miami-Dade County. This would be the second locally acquired case in the United States in 2025, the other being in Nassau County, Long Island, New York, in October 2025.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 22 January 2026)

USA: Measles [Update]

22 January 2026

In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in the Upstate region of South Carolina, state health officials reported 88 additional cases since Friday, bringing the outbreak total to 646 confirmed cases.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 21 January 2026)

Samoa: Dengue Fever [Update]

22 January 2026

Since January 2025, the Samoa Ministry of Health has recorded a cumulative total of 16,299 clinically diagnosed dengue fever cases, including 4,717 laboratory-confirmed cases, and seven dengue-related deaths.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 21 January 2026)

South Korea: Norovirus Infection

22 January 2026

The number of patients with norovirus infection reached its highest level in the past five years (548 patients in the two weeks of 2026), with infants and young children (ages 0-6) accounting for 39.6% of all patients in South Korea. The number of patients with norovirus infection has been steadily increasing since the first week of November last year (Week 45 of 2025), reaching its highest level in the past five years as of the second week of January.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 20 January 2026)