Current Travel Health News

In Brazil, 3 928 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in Mato Grosso as of 24 March this year, a decline of nearly 30 percent compared with the same period last year. Rondonia reported 1 305 cases of Dengue Fever in the first six weeks of this year. Bahia reported 26 597 cases of Dengue Fever as of the second week of March, a 3-fold of increase compared with the same period last year.

In Paraguay, 630 confirmed cases of Dengue Fever were reported in the country so far this year.

In Argentina, about 3 000 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in Chaco, Salta and Jujuy provinces. The spread of the disease into Argentina was primarily blamed on the epidemic in Bolivia, where some 50 000 cases had been reported. In addition, Buenos Aires also reported 60 imported cases of Dengue Fever.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 March 2009 & World Travel Watch 1 April 2009)

In Brazil, , Rio Grande do Sul reported 21 suspected cases of Yellow Fever in the last 5 months. Thirteen of them were confirmed cases with 6 deaths. The state recorded no cases of death from Yellow Fever in the past 42 years. In Sao Paulo state, 8 deaths from Yellow Fever have been recorded this year. In the region of Botucatu, 18 cases of the disease were reported.

(Source: ProMED-mail 3 April 2009)

In Vietnam, more than 2 200 cases of Dengue Fever were reported in Ho Chi Minh city so far this year.

As of March this year, more than 6 000 cases of Dengue Fever including 47 deaths were reported in West Java, Indonesia.

(Source: ProMED-mail 31 March 2009)

Egypt reported 4 new human cases of Avian Influenza virus infection. These 4 cases were a 2.5-year-old female from the Qena District, Qena Governorate, a 2-year-old boy and a 21-month-old boy from Al-Bahaira province, and a 6-year-old boy from Shubra El-Khemia, Qalyubia. The first three cases remained in a stable condition and the fourth case’s condition was critical. Of the 63 cases confirmed to date in Egypt, 23 have been fatal.

(Source: World Health Organization 30 March 2009 & ProMED-mail 2, 4 & 6 April 2009)

Indonesia reported one fatal human case of Avian Influenza, raising the country's death toll to 119. The victim was a 2.5-year-old child from Pekanbaru, Riau. The victim was believed to have contracted the virus from dead chickens in his surrounding areas.

(Source: ProMED-mail 2 April 2009)

In the Mainland, the outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease continued to affect the country. Shandong Province was seriously affected with 7 632 cases including more than 9 deaths. 

(Source: ProMED-mail 4 April 2009)

In Papua New Guinea, an outbreak of Malaria which killed more than 100 people was reported in Southern Highlands province.

(Source: ProMED-mail 5 April 2009)