Current Travel Health News
Travel Health News(7 April 2015 - 13 April 2015)
Take precautions against dengue fever when travelling abroad
Dengue fever is now endemic in more than 100 countries in Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. This includes various popular tourist destinations for Hong Kong people including the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Travellers planning to travel in these areas should take precautions against the disease.
Cumulative reported number of dengue cases since 01/01/2015 *
|
Cumulative reported no.
of cases since 01/01/2015 |
Source of information and date of report |
Australia |
529 |
World Health Organization, 24 March 2015 |
Brazil |
224,101 |
World Health Organization, 27 March 2015 |
Cambodia |
275 |
World Health Organization, 24 March 2015 |
Guangdong
Taiwan |
16
155 |
Department of Health of Guangdong Province, 13 March 2015
CDC, ROC (Taiwan), 8 April 2015 |
India |
1,938 |
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India, 28 Februray 2015 |
Japan |
50 |
National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan, 7 April 2015 |
Lao PDR |
96 |
World Health Organization, 24 March 2015 |
Malaysia |
30,033 |
World Health Organization, 24 March 2015 |
Mexico |
10,724 |
World Health Organization, 27 March 2015 |
Philippines |
14,672 |
World Health Organization, 24 March 2015 |
Singapore |
2,284 |
Singapore National Environment Agency, 7 April 2015 |
Sri Lanka |
11,718 |
Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka,7 April 2015 |
Thailand |
6,111 |
Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, 31 March 2015 |
Vietnam |
5,263 |
World Health Organization, 24 March 2015 |
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 loose, light-coloured long-sleeved tops 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; |
| * |
Re-apply insect repellents according to instructions during the trip; |
| * |
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.
Mexico: Avian Influenza, bird
The official in
Mexico reported 2 outbreaks of highly pathogenic H7N3
Avian Influenza virus infection which caused the death of more than 100 birds in the States of Oaxaca and Puebla.
(Source: World Organisation for Animal Health 9 April 2015)
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [Update]
Between 24 and 31 March 2015, the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified World Health Organization of 12 additional cases of
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 2 deaths.
(Source: World Health Organization 9 April 2015)
India: Japanese Encephalitis
(Source: ProMED-mail 9 April 2015)
Nepal: Hepatitis E
A 48-year-old man from Eastern
Nepal contracted
hepatitis E after spending 2 months in India in February 2015.
(Source: ProMED-mail 9 April 2015)
Guinea: Ebola virus disease [Update]
Guinea has reported a cumulative total of 3,515 cases of
Ebola virus disease (EVD), including 2,335 deaths.
(Source: World Health Organization 9 April 2015)
Sierra Leone: Ebola virus disease [Update]
Sierra Leone has reported a cumulative total of 12,155 cases of
Ebola virus disease (EVD), including 3,841 deaths.
(Source: World Health Organization 9 April 2015)
Argentina: Hantavirus Infection
A fatal case of
Hantavirus infection was reported in Oran department of Salta province,
Argentina, involving a young man. There were 19 cases registered so far this year.
(Source: ProMED-mail 8 April 2015)
USA: Avian Influenza, poultry
H5
avian influenza has been confirmed in a turkey farm near Woodstock, Ontario,
USA.
(Source: ProMED-mail 8 April 2015)
Egypt: Avian Influenza, human
The Ministry of Health and Population of
Egypt has notified the World Health Organization of additional laboratory-confirmed human cases of
avian influenza A(H5N1) during the last few weeks. With this additional number, the total number of cases reported during the month of March 2015 now stands at 30 cases, including 4 deaths.
(Source: World Health Organization 8 April 2015)
Mainland: Avian Influenza, human
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (April 7) closely monitoring an additional human case of
avian influenza A(H7N9) in the Mainland, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel. According to the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning, the patient is a 37-year-old woman who is under treatment in critical condition.
(Source: The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health 7 April 2015)
Netherlands: Avian Influenza, poultry
An outbreak of low pathogenic H5N2
avian influenza virus infection was reported in a farm of Milheeze, Noord-Brabant of
Netherlands.
(Source: World Organisation for Animal Health 7 April 2015)
Bangladesh: Nipah virus
As of February 2015, 9 human Nipah virus cases were reported in Bangladesh.
(Source: ProMED-mail 7 April 2015)
Guinea: Ebola virus disease [Update]
Guinea has reported a cumulative total of 3,515 cases of
Ebola virus disease (EVD), including 2,333 deaths.
(Source: World Health Organization 7 April 2015)
Liberia: Ebola virus disease [Update]
The total number of
Ebola virus disease (EVD) reported in
Liberia is 9,862 including 4,408 deaths.
(Source: World Health Organization 7 April 2015)
Sierra Leone: Ebola virus disease [Update]
Sierra Leone has reported a cumulative total of 12,139 cases of
Ebola virus disease (EVD), including 3,832 deaths.
(Source: World Health Organization 7 April 2015)
Philippines: Rabies
A 43-year-old man in Albay province of
Philippines who was bitten by a stray dog died of
rabies.
(Source: ProMED-mail 6 April 2015)
USA: Avian Influenza, poultry
An outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N2
avian influenza virus infection has been confirmed in chickens in Judith Basin County while the
USA Department of Agriculture also confirmed highly pathogenic H5N2 strain in a flock of 71 000 turkeys in Stearns County.
(Source: ProMED-mail 5 April 2015)
Ethiopia: Measles
To date, 2190 suspected
measles cases were reported in 61 separate outbreaks in
Ethiopia, of which 929 cases were confirmed positive.
(Source: ProMED-mail 4 April 2015)
Germany: Measles
According to Berlin's health authorities on 4 April 2015, since the start of an outbreak of
measles in the
capital of
Germany in October 2014, there have been almost 1000 cases reported.
(Source: ProMED-mail 4 April 2015)
Canada: Measles
Two new cases of
measles have been confirmed in Metro Vancouver of British Columbia province,
Canada by the public health authorities. The total number of recent infections in the region now stands at 4 cases.
(Source: ProMED-mail 4 April 2015)