Current Travel Health News

The Department of Health (DH) is closely monitoring two additional cases of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by Italy. According to the WHO, the two female patients, aged two and 42 respectively, are in stable condition. Both are close contacts of the first laboratory-confirmed case in Italy. This brings the latest global number of confirmed cases of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus to 53, including 30 deaths.

The United Nations reported that 6 suspected cases of Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever have been reported in the north eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

At least 260 people were killed between January and May 2013 by a cholera outbreak in Minova City, South Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Department of Health is closely monitoring an additional case of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by Italy. According to the WHO, the 45-year-old male patient, with recent travel from Jordan, returned to Italy on May 25 with symptoms of cough and fatigue. His condition deteriorated and he was hospitalised on May 28. He is currently in stable condition. The case was laboratory-confirmed in Italy. This is the first confirmed case of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus in Italy.

An outbreak of Hepatitis A affecting 30 people was reported in the USA. The patients were from Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and California. The outbreak was possibly linked to a frozen berry blend food product.

The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has notified WHO of an additional laboratory-confirmed case of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus infection. The patient is a 61-year-old man from Al-Ahsa. He became ill on 20 May 2013.

Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 50 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection, including 30 deaths.

In Ethiopia, an outbreak of Yellow Fever affecting 6 people was reported from South Omo, in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' region.

The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health verified with the National Health and Family Planning Commission an additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Beijing on 28 May affecting a six-year-old boy. The patient developed fever, sore throat as well as headache on 21 May and sought medical attention at a local hospital for further management. His family described him with no poultry exposure. The boy is currently in good condition and his 50 close contacts are asymptomatic so far. The patient's throat swab tested positive for avian influenza A(H7N9) virus upon laboratory testing by the Beijing health authority.

As of 28 May, a total of 131 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been laboratory confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (46 cases), Shanghai (33 cases), Jiangsu (27 cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Fujian (five cases), Anhui (four cases), Henan (four cases), Shandong (two cases), Hunan (two cases) and Beijing (two cases).

The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has notified WHO of five additional laboratory-confirmed cases of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus infection. All five patients are from the Eastern region of the country, but not from Al-Ahsa, where an outbreak began in a health care facility in April 2013. 

Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 49 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection, including 27 deaths.

Increasing cases of dengue fever were noted in Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand. In Pakistan, there were 135 cases reported and the municipality that was most affected was Karachi. In Thailand, 243 people in Trang have been diagnosed with dengue fever since the beginning of this year.

An outbreak of dengue fever has been reported in the Luanda Province of Angola and more than 150 cases of dengue have been confirmed.

32 cases of H5N1 avian influenza virus infection was reported on 26 May in Narayani, Bagmati, Mechi, Lumbini and Gandaki of Nepal. Of 122,334 susceptible birds, 42,654 were found dead and the rest of them were destroyed.

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan reported that 7540 people were diagnosed with rubella during January-May in 2013.

Seven confirmed case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever has been recorded in a Rostov region in Russia.