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
Thailand: Nipah Virus Infection
26 January 2026
Following news of the
Nipah virus infection outbreak in India, the Department of Medical Sciences,
Thailand, is ready to monitor for the Nipah virus using the Real-time RT-PCR method. The Department of Medical Sciences is ready to diagnose Nipah virus using the Real-time RT-PCR method. At least two types of samples will be collected, and results can be reported within 8 hours of sample receipt.
United Kingdom: Measles [Update]
26 January 2026
Since the beginning of 2025, there have been 957 laboratory confirmed
measles cases reported in
England, according to the UK Health Security Agency data. This is a 67 percent decrease in cases compared to the previous year.
South Korea: Norovirus Infection [Update]
26 January 2026
According to the results of the surveillance of enteric infections at hospitals (210 locations) operated by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency,
South Korea, the number of patients with
norovirus infection has been continuously increasing since the first week of November last year (week 45 of 2025), reaching 617 as of the third week of January, increasing for 10 consecutive weeks.
Costa Rica: Chikungunya Fever
26 January 2026
The
Costa Rica Ministry of Health reports the confirmation of a positive case of
chikungunya fever. in the country in a 24-year-old Costa Rican man, a resident of Esparza, Puntarenas. This is the first chikungunya case reported in Costa Rica in nine years.
USA: Meningococcal Infection
26 January 2026
According to the
Chicago Department of Public Health, four cases of Neisseria meningitidis infections (
meningococcal Infection) in adults have been reported since January 15, 2026, two among people living in a temporary homeless shelter.
Vietnam: Dengue Fever
26 January 2026
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control,
Vietnam, 5,228 dengue fever cases have been reported, including 1,430
dengue fever cases in the city over the past week.
India: Nipah Virus Infection [Update]
26 January 2026
In a follow-up on the
Nipah virus infection situation in West Bengal state,
India, state authorities are reporting the number of confirmed cases has risen to five, as of January 23.
Guam: Pertussis
26 January 2026
The Department of Public Health and Social Services of
Guam received two laboratory-confirmed reports of
pertussis. This brings the total number of confirmed pertussis cases for 2026 to three.
USA: Measles [Update]
26 January 2026
The
South Carolina Department of Public Health is reporting 54 new cases of
measles in the state since Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in South Carolina related to the Upstate outbreak to 700 since October 2025.
Italy: Measles
26 January 2026
529 cases of
measles were reported in
Italy from January 1 to December 31, 2025. 88% of the cases were from unvaccinated patients, and approximately one-third of all reported cases resulted in at least one complication.
USA: Measles [Update]
26 January 2026
According to data from the North
Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), 11
measles cases have been reported from December 2025 through January 20, 2026. This includes three cases recorded since Tuesday.
Suriname: Chikungunya Fever
26 January 2026
The
Suriname Ministry of Health is reporting a confirmed outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease,
chikungunya fever. Eight cases have been reported, with none of the persons with a history of overseas travel.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.