Current Travel Health News

Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, Hong Kong reported 2 confirmed cases of Dengue Fever who had visited Maldives between 5 and 13 April. Both of them required treatment in hospitals in Hong Kong and were discharged in late April. Three travel collaterals of them also had symptoms compatible with the disease.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, HKSAR 30 April and 20 May 2008)

In South Korea, another new outbreak of Avian Influenza was reported in the capital Seoul. Together with the two outbreaks recently confirmed in Busan, a total of 31 outbreaks have been reported in the country since April this year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 15 May 2008)

Two teenagers from the same family died within 10 days because of suspected Avian Influenza in Jakarta, Indonesia. A 16-year-old girl died 4 days after admission. She was later confirmed to have infected with Avian Influenza virus. Her 15-year-old brother died ten days before her death. He had symptoms of high fever, cough and syncope. He died after a brief treatment in another hospital and no blood test was performed. The family live in a densely populated neighborhood where a nearby house rears chickens.

(Source: ProMED-mail 14 May 2008)

In Indonesia, 2396 Dengue Fever patients have been reported in East Kalimantan, 41 of them died of the disease.

(Source: ProMED-mail 13 May 2008)

Nearly 300 suspected cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease have been reported in 8 provinces of Mongolia, including the capital city Ulaanbaatar. No patient has succumbed to the disease so far.

(Source: Xinhuanet 12 May 2008)

In India, more bird deaths due to Avian Influenza were reported in West Bengal. However, culling operation to contain the spread was slow.

(Source: ProMED-mail 15 May 2008)

In Angola, an outbreak of Cholera affecting 29 people and killing 2 persons was reported in Uige Province. In the capital Luanda, 875 cases of Cholera with 5 deaths have been reported since 11 January this year.

In Kenya, an outbreak of Cholera affecting 708 people and killing 42 persons was reported in Nyanza Province.

As of 9 May 2008, 1 406 suspected cases of Cholera including 19 deaths were reported in the Ohangwena Region of Namibia.

In Zambia, an outbreak of Cholera affecting 9 people was reported in Luapula Province.

 (Source: ProMED-mail 16 May 2008)

In Brazil, the number of Dengue Fever cases has passed 76 000 in Rio de Janeiro alone, 106 of them died of the disease. On the other hand, nearly 20 000 cases including 2 deaths were reported in Rio Grande do Norte this year. The governor declared a state of emergency.

(Source: ProMED-mail 13 May 2008)

A total of more than 5000 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in Peru, of which 1126 were laboratory confirmed.

(Source: ProMED-mail 13 May 2008)

In Russia, 10 cases of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever were reported in Stavropol so far this year. This represented more than 3-fold increase as compared with the same period last year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 15 May 2008)