Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News Digest (5 May 2008)
Mainland: Enterovirus 71 infection [update]
In the Mainland, a large outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease due to Enterovirus 71 has been affecting Fuyang city of Anhui Province. As of 1 May, a total of 3 321 cases including 22 deaths were reported. Apart from Anhui, some other provinces also experienced an increase in Hand Foot and Mouth Disease cases comparing with that last year. Guangdong Province reported 3 deaths due to the disease. Media also reported other affected regions including Zhejiang Province, Hubei Province, Jiangxi Province and Henan Province. Public health experts predict that the number of cases will continue to increase and will peak around June-July. A public awareness campaign is ongoing, stressing the need for good personal hygiene, mostly by hand washing.
(Source: World Health Organization 1 May 2008, Ministry of Health, China 3 May 2008 and ProMED-mail 3, 4 May 2008)
In Japan, an outbreak of H5N1 Avian Influenza which killed 4 wild swans was reported in Akita Prefecture.
(Source: World Organisation for Animal Health 29 April 2008)
South Korea: Avian Influenza, poultry [update]
The outbreaks of Avian Influenza continued to affect South Korea. New outbreaks were reported in Daegu, Busan and Ulsan.
(Source: ProMED-mail 4 May 2008
Up to 19 April this year, 10 901 cases of Dengue Fever including 12 deaths were reported in Thailand.
In Malaysia, 3 742 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in Selangor in the first quarter of this year, the highest in the country, followed by the capital Kuala Lumpur with 1 119 cases and Perak with 1 084 cases.
(Source: Xinhuanet 28 April 2008 and ProMED-mail 29 April 2008)
In Sri Lanka, nearly 1 300 suspected cases of Chikungunya Fever were reported in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province.
(Source: ProMED-mail 4 May 2008)
Argentina confirmed a new case of Yellow Fever in the region bordering Brazil, making a total of 6 cases, including one death, in the country. This case was a man from Misiones Province, who has been discharged from hospital and was recovering at home.
(Source: ProMED-mail 28 April 2008)
In Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, 12 317 cases of Dengue Fever were reported so far this year. It represents a 2-fold increase in the number of cases as compared with the same period last year. In Bahia, 12 607 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in the first quarter of this year. It represents an increase of 80 percent as compared with the same period last year. In Rio de Janeiro, 110 783 cases of Dengue Fever including 92 deaths were reported so far this year.
(Source: ProMED-mail 29 April 2008)
Taiwan : Enterovirus 71 infection [update]
In Taiwan, as of 6 May, there were 64 cases of severe enterovirus infection; among them, 62 were caused by Enterovirus 71. Majority of the cases have been discharged from the hospitals, 2 cases died of the disease.
(Source: Centers for Disease Control, Taiwan 6 May 2008)
Singapore: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease [update]
A total of 1465 cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease was notified to Ministry of Health, Singapore in the week ending 3 May 2008. This brings the total number of notified cases in 2008 so far to 10,490. 17 (1.2%) cases required hospitalisation last week. There were no cases with serious complications.
(Source: Ministry of Health, Singapore 6 May 2008)