Current Travel Health News

Dengue fever is an endemic disease in most Southeast Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Travellers visiting these places are advised to protect themselves against mosquitoes all year round.

The recent dengue fever activity in Asia has been more severe. Various popular tourist attractions among Hong Kong people including Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia, observed recent persistent increase in the number of dengue fever cases. Other neighbouring Asian countries such as Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan and India, also recorded rising dengue fever activities.

Outbreaks of dengue fever were observed in Guangdong province in China, Brazil, Costa Rica, Columbia, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic in the recent year.. It was expected that dengue fever activities will continue to rise in coming months in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Travellers planning to travel in these areas should take precautions against the disease.

Cumulative reported number of dengue cases since 01/01/2013 *

	Cumulative reported no. of cases since 01/01/2013	Source of information and date of report
Cambodia	16,722	World Health Organization, 12 February 2014
China   Guangdong province	2,895	Department of Health of Guangdong Province, 14 February 2014
India	70, 767	Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 28 December 2013
Taiwan	899	CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 3 March 2014
Vietnam	66,140	World Health Organization, 12 February 2014

Cumulative reported number of dengue cases since 01/01/2014 *

	Cumulative reported no. of cases since 01/01/2014	Source of information and date of report
Australia	182	World Health Organization, 12 February 2014
Brazil	18,580	World Health Organization, 18 February 2014
Lao PDR	67	World Health Organization, 12 February 2014
Malaysia	2,985	World Health Organization, 12 February 2014
Mexico	6,311	World Health Organization, 18 February 2014
New Caledonia	21	World Health Organization, 12 February 2014
Philippines	3,549	World Health Organization, 12 February 2014
Singapore	2,875	Singapore National Environment Agency, 28 February 2014
Sri Lanka	4,899	Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka, 28 February 2014
Thailand	2,227	Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 25 February 2014

Remark:
* Dengue reporting systems vary by country.

Travellers should stay vigilant against dengue fever and adopt the following personal preventive measures against mosquito bite:

*	Always wear long-sleeved clothing and trousers;
*	Stay in air-conditioned residence or places with mosquito screens;
*	If mosquito screen or air-conditioning is absent, aerosol insecticide and bed nets are advised;
*	Use insect repellents containing DEET on exposed skin and clothing;
*	Use insect repellents containing DEET apart from applying sunscreen while staying in beaches;
*	Carry a portable bed nets and apply permethrin on it as well as to clothes if travelling to rural areas where dengue fever is prevalent.

Travellers returning from areas where dengue fever is prevalent should seek medical advice as soon as possible if they feel unwell and provide travel details to their doctors.

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) yesterday (March 1) received notification of an additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Hunan from the National Health and Family Planning Commission. As of yesterday, a total of 370 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (138 cases), Guangdong (81 cases), Jiangsu (42 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Fujian (20 cases), Hunan (17 cases), Anhui (nine cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (two cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang), Hebei (one case) and Jilin (one case).

In Kaohsiung of Taiwan reported the 1st confirmed case of Hantavirus infection in 2014.

The Department of Health (DH) is today (March 1) closely monitoring two additional cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). According to the WHO, the first patient is a man aged 22 from eastern KSA. He became ill on February 3 and was hospitalised on February 9, and died on February 12. The other case is a man aged 67 from the KSA's capital. He became ill on January 23 and was hospitalised on January 25. Both patients had underlying illness but no reported history of contact with animals or confirmed patients.

This brings the latest global number of confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome to 184, including 80 deaths.

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) yesterday (February 28) received notification of two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Zhejiang from the National Health and Family Planning Commission. As of yesterday, a total of 369 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (138 cases), Guangdong (81 cases), Jiangsu (42 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Fujian (20 cases), Hunan (16 cases), Anhui (nine cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (two cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang), Hebei (one case) and Jilin (one case).

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is closely monitoring, as of yesterday (February 27), three additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Hunan (two cases) and Jiangsu (one case) according to the latest reports of the Mainland health authorities.The cases in Hunan involve two men aged 41 and 77, while the case in Jiangsu is a man aged 42. They are currently hospitalised for treatment. As of yesterday, a total of 367 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (136 cases), Guangdong (81 cases), Jiangsu (42 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Fujian (20 cases), Hunan (16 cases), Anhui (nine cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (two cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang), Hebei (one case) and Jilin (one case).

An outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza were reported in Nepal. A total of 570 birds were affected and were found dead.

Four outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza were reported in Vietnam. A total of 4953 birds were affected and 3403 were found dead.

In 2013, 192 cases of Poliomyelitis were reported from Somalia, 14 cases were reported from Kenya and 9 cases were reported from the Somali Region of Ethiopia.

The outbreak of Zika fever in the islands of French Polynesia continues. As of 7 February 2014, 396 laboratory confirmed cases and 8,262 suspected cases have been reported.

As of 10 February 2014, 64 cases of Zika virus infection have been laboratory confirmed in New Caledonia. Thirty of the 64 cases occurred in people with a travel history to French Polynesia, where an outbreak of Zika fever is ongoing.

[Editor’s Note: Zika virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes causing milder symptoms. It is not spread directly from person-to-person. Like dengue fever infection, the symptoms include fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis and pain in small joints of the hands and feet.]

A tick-borne systemic infectious disease causing severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome was noted in 13 prefectures in Kyushu, Shikoku and Chugoku regions of Japan. A total of 48 cases were reported until the end of 2013.

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is closely monitoring, as of yesterday (February 26), two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) respectively in Guangzhou and Zhejiang according to the latest reports of the Mainland health authorities. As of yesterday, a total of 364 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (136 cases), Guangdong (81 cases), Jiangsu (41 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Fujian (20 cases), Hunan (14 cases), Anhui (nine cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (two cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang), Hebei (one case) and Jilin (one case).

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) yesterday (February 25) received notification of one additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Foshan from the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province. As of yesterday, a total of 362 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (135 cases), Guangdong (80 cases), Jiangsu (41 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Fujian (20 cases), Hunan (14 cases), Anhui (nine cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (two cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang), Hebei (one case) and Jilin (one case).

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) yesterday (February 24) received notification of four additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Guangzhou (three cases) and Foshan (one case) from the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province. As of yesterday, a total of 361 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (135 cases), Guangdong (79 cases), Jiangsu (41 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Fujian (20 cases), Hunan (14 cases), Anhui (nine cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (two cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang), Hebei (one case) and Jilin (one case).

Additionally, the CHP received notification of an additional human case of avian influenza A (H5) in Hunan from the National Health and Family Planning Commission.