Current Travel Health News

As announced on 17 November 2010, the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health of Hong Kong investigated a case of influenza A H5 infection affecting a 59-year-old woman. The patient developed running nose since 2 November 2010 and fever and cough on 5 November.  On 14 November, she was admitted to hospital for persistent fever and productive cough with blood-stained sputum.  She was diagnosed to have pneumonia and is now in serious condition.  Her nasopharyngeal aspirate was tested positive for Influenza A (H5).  The patient travelled to the Mainland with her husband and daughter between 23 October and 1 November, during which she did not have any contact with live poultry contact and did not visit farms.  Her 60-year-old husband had history of running nose and productive cough but has recovered.

Travellers are advised to take necessary precautions for prevention of avian influenza.

(Source: Centre for Health Protection, Hong Kong 17 November 2010)

As of 12 November, the Ministry of Public Health and Population in Haiti reported more than 12 000 cases of Cholera including 796 deaths. In addition, the outbreak has spread to the capital Port-au-Prince.

(Source: ProMED-mail 11 November 2010)

Travellers to the affected areas should take the following measures to prevent food and water borne diseases:

• Wash and cook seafood thoroughly before eating, particularly crustaceans and bivalves such as shrimps, crabs, oysters and clams;

• Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet;

• Eat only thoroughly cooked food and food from sealed packs or cans;

• Avoid cold dishes such as salad and ice-cream;

• Drink only boiled water, canned or bottled drinks, pasteurized milk or dairy products;

• Do not add ice to drinks and do not drink fresh fruit juice that has been prepared beforehand;

• Do not patronize illegal food hawkers;

• Wash fruit thoroughly before eating and do not eat fruit that has already been peeled or cut open; and

• Follow proper water purification methods if necessary.

Following the hostage taking incident in the Philippines which had caused casualties, the Hong Kong SAR Government has raised the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for the Philippines to Black. Hong Kong residents are urged to avoid all travel to the Philippines. Those already there should attend to their personal safety and stay alert.

For more information, please visit the OTA webpage.

(Source: Security Bureau, Government of Hong Kong SAR 20 September 2010)

At least 16 people have died and hundreds more are ill after a fresh Cholera outbreak in eastern Zimbabwe. The epicenter of the latest cholera outbreak is in Marange District of Manicaland Province. Another 669 people are suspected to be suffering from cholera, while 86 others are confirmed to have the disease.

(Source: ProMED-mail 9 November 2010)

As of 8 November, the Ministry of Public Health in Cameroon reported that a total of 9 395 cases of Cholera have been registered with 597 deaths in the country. Moreover, new cases have been reported in the Far North Region in the past 2 days.

(Source: ProMED-mail 11 November 2010)

With the morning and evening temperatures dipping gradually over the last few days in Delhi, India, there has been a gradual decline in the number of Dengue Fever cases. There were only 35 new dengue cases recorded on 9 November, bringing the total number of cases to 5 837 with 8 deaths.

In Maharashtra state, 484 cases of dengue fever were confirmed in Pune city between June and October 2010.

Furthermore, on 7 November, the district medical officer in Kerala state reported that 32 of 119 suspected dengue cases were tested positive including 4 deaths. Twenty more deaths from suspected dengue fever cases were also reported.

A total of 117 dengue cases with 20 deaths were also registered in a hospital in Assam state from 10 to 27 October.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 and 11 November 2010)

(Editor's notes: Travellers to the affected areas should take the precautionary measures against mosquito bite by wearing long sleeved clothing and trousers, applying insect repellents containing DEET on the exposed parts of the body, and using mosquito screens or nets in rooms which are not air-conditioned. Travellers returning from these areas and develop symptoms of the disease should seek medical consultation immediately.)

In Pakistan, the total number of Dengue Fever cases in Punjab province has reached 2 632 so far this year. In Lahore city, 195 more cases were reported on 8 Nov 2010.

Moreover, as of 4 November, 1 885 dengue patients were reported from Sindh province while at least 158 patients were present in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 November 2010)

In Brazil, the number of Dengue Fever has reached 100 427 in Goias as of 6 November. This is an increase of more than 2 folds compared with the same period last year. Up to now, 66 patients have died of the disease.

In addition, 10 689 dengue cases with 14 deaths were confirmed in Ceara so far this year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 November 2010)

Taiwan has confirmed 130 more cases of Dengue Fever in the recent week, bringing the total number of cases to 1 349 so far this year. Most of the new cases are reported from the cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan.

(Source: Centres for Disease Control, Taiwan 9 November 2010)

In Singapore, an average of about 105 cases of Dengue Fever has been recorded every week this year and this is expected to continue. A total of 4 364 dengue cases have been reported so far this year, up from 3 775 cases in the same period last year.

(Source: ProMED-mail 10 November 2010)

On 11 November 2010, the health department of USA reported the first confirmed case of locally acquired Dengue Fever in Miami-Dade County, Florida. This is the first local dengue case reported in the county in more than 6 decades. The patient has fully recovered.

(Source: Miami-Dade County Health Department, USA 11 November 2010 and L’Agence France-Presse, 12 November 2010)

In India, Delhi reported 8 new cases of Chikungunya Fever, bringing the total number of cases to 41 so far this year. There were only 5 cases recorded same period last year.

Furthermore, 267 cases of Chikungunya fever were confrmed in Pune city, Maharashtra between June and October 2010.

(Source: ProMED-mail 11 November 2010)

An acute outbreak of Poliomyelitis is occurring in Point Noire, Republic of the Congo, with 184 cases of acute flaccid paralysis and 85 deaths. In addition, 4 cases were confirmed to have been caused by wild poliovirus type 1 and laboratory testing continues. The majority of the reported cases and deaths have occurred in the population aged over 15 years.

(Source: World Health Organization 9 November 2010)

The risk of further international spread of the ongoing Poliomyelitis outbreak in Tajikistan and the North Caucasus Federal Region in Russian Federation continues to be high. The outbreak in Tajikistan had already spread to Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and possibly Uzbekistan. Up to now, 458 cases, 14 cases, 3 cases and 1 case were reported in Tajikistan, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan respectively. Of 14 cases reported in Russian Federation, 6 cases were from the North Caucasus Federal Region.

(Source: World Health Organization 13 November 2010)