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
USA: Dengue fever [Update]
20 October 2026
The Florida Department of Health in
Citrus County reports two confirmed cases of locally-acquired
dengue.
USA: Measles [Update]
20 October 2026
The
Kentucky Department for Public Health reports an ongoing
measles outbreak in the commonwealth, where cases are up some 1,238 percent compared to 2025.
Pakistan: Poliomyelitis [Update]
20 October 2026
Pakistani health officials have confirmed the seventh
polio case of 2026 for Pakistan from Karachi East District in
Sindh. The affected child is a six-month-old male from Union Council Jamali Colony of Karachi East.
Dominican Republic: Leptospirosis
20 October 2026
From the beginning of the year through the end of September, the
Dominican Republic Ministry of Health reported 279 confirmed cases of
leptospirosis in the country—an increase of 96.5% over the same period in 2025, when there were 142 cases.
United Kingdom: Measles
20 October 2026
According to the UK Health Security Agency, an additional 27 cases were reported since the last month, bringing the total to 1,030 laboratory confirmed
measles cases reported in
England through October 12.
South Africa: Mpox [Update]
20 October 2026
According to the
South Africa National Institute for Communicable Diseases, 26 laboratory-confirmed
mpox cases have been reported in the country as of October 17.
Kenya: Ebola disease [Update]
20 October 2026
The Director-General for Health in the Ministry of Health in
Kenya, said 38 people were tested, and one tested positive for
Ebola. He is a 49-year-old man who is not a healthcare worker. He developed fever, headache and muscle pain. This brings the Ebola total in Kenya to eight.
USA: Dengue fever [Update]
20 October 2026
Health officials in
Hawaii reported a new travel-related
dengue virus case on Oʻahu, bringing the total number of dengue cases in the state to nine in 2026.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola Disease [Update]
20 October 2026
Over the last 24 hours, 67 new confirmed cases of
Ebola virus disease (EVD) have been reported across four provinces: Ituri (44 cases), North Kivu (14 cases), Haut-Uélé (7 cases), and
North Ubangi (2 cases)—the latter becoming the eighth province affected by the outbreak, specifically within the Wapinda health zone.
USA: Measles [Update]
20 October 2026
The
Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports as of Friday, October 16, 288 confirmed
measles cases so far in 2026. To date, there have been 258 confirmed and 6 probable cases in the outbreak in Grant, Iowa, Lafayette, and Vernon Counties in Southwest Wisconsin.
Russia: Mpox
20 October 2026
Four
St. Petersburg residents have been hospitalized with
mpox according to Russian media. The patients were taken to the city hospital. Doctors assess their condition as moderate. It is specified that the infection data has been confirmed by laboratory tests.
USA: Avian influenza
20 October 2026
A confirmed case of
avian influenza has been reported in a
Yakima County, Washington resident who was exposed to infected dairy cattle at a Yakima County dairy, according to state and county health officials.
Senegal: Diphtheria
20 October 2026
In July 2026,
Senegal reported the first
diphtheria case in the country in more than two decades. Since then, the disease has spread rapidly across the country with confirmed cases reported from 12 of the country’s 14 medical regions. As of the week ending October 3, a cumulative total of 161 confirmed diphtheria cases and 11 deaths had been reported in Senegal.
Sweden: Measles [Update]
20 October 2026
In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in Sweden, no new cases of
measles linked to the Urkult festival in
Västernorrland have been reported in Sweden since the last update on September 9. The outbreak has been declared over as of October 14. A total of 40 cases were reported in the outbreak.
Madagascar: Plague
20 October 2026
The Madagascar Ministry of Health recently reported plague cases in
South Midongy state. Health officials report three cases of pneumonic
plague, Test results are still pending on other suspected cases, which are suspected as being bubonic plague.
Morocco: Diphtheria [Update]
20 October 2026
In the North African country of
Morocco, the country’s Ministry of Health reported a small
diphtheria outbreak with clusters in multiple regions in Morocco in late September.
USA: Dengue fever [Update]
20 October 2026
The
Florida Department of Health reported 72 additional locally acquired
dengue fever cases during the week ending October 10, bringing the total this year to date to 368.
Kenya: Ebola disease [Update]
20 October 2026
The
Kenya Ministry of Health has confirmed a second case of
Ebola, 10 days after a 40-year-old man died from the virus following travel from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through Uganda.