Current Travel Health News

In Singapore, the latest statistics showed that the number of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease cases rose to 1 590 during the last week of April, which is the four-year high.

(Source: ProMED-mail 5 May 2012)

Reunion Island reported 38 cases of Leptospirosis since the beginning of the year. It is much more than the number of cases occurring in the same period last year (20 cases), but much less than 2010 (52 cases). The outbreak of Leptospirosis in Reunion Island is seasonal and probably related to the rainfall.

(Source: ProMED-mail 5 May 2012)

In New Brunswick, Canada, 27 cases of bloody diarrhea suspected to be caused by Escherichia coli O157 Infection had been reported since 1 May 2012. Of them, 11 cases were laboratory confirmed. The source of the outbreak was still not clear.

(Source: ProMED-mail 8 May 2012)

The Cholera outbreak in Dominican Republic was ongoing. As of 4 May 2012, the cumulative number of cases is 23 347 and deaths is 399.

(Source: NaTHNaC 9 May 2012)

From 16 January to 30 April 2012, the Mumps outbreak was still ongoing in Novi Sad, the capital of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 30 April, 209 cases had been notified in the province, among them, 119 were from Novi Sad including 89 (75 percent) students. The disease was spreading to other parts of the province.

(Source: ProMED-mail 11 May 2012)

As widespread violent clashes occurred in many cities across Syria, including Daraa, Latakia, Damascus, Baniyas, Aleppo, Homs and Hama, resulting in serious casualties, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has raised the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for Syria to Black. Residents are urged to avoid all travel to the country. Those already there should attend to their personal safety and avoid protests and large gatherings of people.

For more information, please visit the OTA webpage.

(Source: Security Bureau, Government of Hong Kong SAR 26 April 2011)

Following the hostage taking incident in the Philippines which had caused casualties, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 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)

For more information, please visit the World Health Organization webpage.