Travel Health Service Year 2024

Current Travel Health News

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.

Detailed information on the latest Dengue fever situation in Hong Kong, as well as neighbouring and overseas countries and areas, can be found at the Centre for Health Protection’s website: https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/df_imported_cases_and_overseas_figures_eng.pdf

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

For more information on dengue fever, including the latest situation in neighbouring and overseas countries and areas, please visit the Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpage at https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/38847.html

Take precautions against Mpox (also known as monkeypox) when travelling abroad

Mpox (also known as monkeypox) is a zoonotic disease caused by Mpox virus. Often found in tropical forest regions of Central and West Africa. It is mainly transmitted by contact with infected animals, human-to-human transmission is limited. Incubation period is mainly from 6 to 13 days, symptoms are similar with Smallpox infection, but less severe.

Since 6 May 2022, multiple outbreaks were reported in Europe and North America countries, and many patient are self-identified as bisexual or men who have sex with men. Travellers planning to travel in these areas should avoid contact with infected person. Travellers returning from these areas shall notify the doctor to seek medical treatment and inform the travel situation if feeling unwell.

For more information on Mpox, including the latest situation in overseas countries or places, please visit the World Health Organization and Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection’s thematic webpages at: https://www.who.int/health-topics/monkeypox#tab=tab_1
https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/105683.html

Argentina: Equine Encephalitis [Update]

15 January 2024

After the first human Western Equine Encephalitis case was reported in Argentina after more than two decades without reported cases, an active search for cases resulted in 91 suspected cases reported in 11 provinces, of which 21 were laboratory-confirmed, including one death. The confirmed cases come from the provinces of Buenos Aires (n=11), Santa Fé (n=8), Entre Ríos (n=1) and Santiago del Estero (n=1).

(Source: Outbreak News Today 15 January 2024)

USA: Norovirus

15 January 2024

Health officials in San Diego County are reporting an outbreak of Norovirus that has sickened dozens. San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency have linked 41 confirmed and probable cases of norovirus illness to raw oysters imported from a specific harvest location in Northwest Mexico.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 15 January 2024)

Indonesia, Guinea, Mozambique and Nigeria: Poliomyelitis

15 January 2024

In December, Indonesia's health ministry reported two more cases of circulating Vaccine-derived Poliovirus Type 2 (cVDPV2) cases, raising its total since October 2022 to six, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday.

In other polio developments, three African countries reported more polio cases, all involving cVDPV2, according to the latest update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. All are included in the country totals for 2023.

Guinea reported 3 cases in two provinces, raising its total for the year to 34. Mozambique reported 1 case, in Manica, which marks the nation's first case of 2023. Nigeria reported two 2 cases in Kano, raising the country's 2023 totalto 64.

(Source: CIDRAP 13 January 2024)

USA: Measles [Update]

11 January 2024

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health in USA reports that there are 8 total confirmed Measles cases in the current outbreak.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 11 January 2024)

USA: Measles

9 January 2024

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health of the United States of America, as of January 5, there have been seven cases of Measles diagnosed in Pennsylvania since December 6, 2023.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 9 January 2024)

Nigeria: Lassa Fever

9 January 2024

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported a 16 percent increase in confirmed Lassa Fever cases in 2023, according to the latest published data.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 9 January 2024)

Sri Lanka: Measles

9 January 2024

Last month, Sri Lanka health officials reported an increase in Measles cases in the country, a few years after the World Health Organization measles and rubella elimination, one of the first countries in Southeast Asia to achieve this. On December 28, 2023, Health Secretary said that over 700 cases of measles had been reported since May 2023.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 7 January 2024)

Australia: Legionnaires’ disease

9 January 2024

As of January 3, health officials in New South Wales State in southeastern Australia are advising people who have been in the Sydney Central Business District area in the past 10 days to be on alert for symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease after seven people who have developed the disease spent time in the area in the last three weeks.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 6 January 2024)

Mainland China: Avian Influenza

9 January 2024

Chinese health officials report two new human infections with Avian Influenza A (H9N2) in Sichuan province. The cases include a one-year-old boy and a 74-year-old woman who had onset of mild symptoms on 14 and 5 November 2023, respectively.

(Source: Outbreak News Today 6 January 2024)

South Sudan: Yellow Fever

9 January 2024

South Sudan's health ministry recently reported a Yellow Fever outbreak, with one case confirmed so far. The patient is an 18-year-old man from Yambio County in Western Equatoria state in the southwest.

(Source: CIDRAP 9 January 2024)

USA: Salmonella

9 January 2024

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States of America shared more information on an ongoing Salmonella outbreak linked to contaminated charcuterie products. The 11,000 pounds of meat were recalled by New Jersey meat processor Fratelli Beretta earlier this week.

Twenty-four cases in 14 states have been identified, with 5 hospitalizations. No fatalities have been reported in this outbreak. Of interviews with 11 sick patients, 6 reported eating a variety of charcuterie products, and of 3 who recalled a specific brand, all reported eating the brand subject to the recall. Whole genome sequencing of bacteria from sick people suggests that the samples are closely related, adding evidence that the they were sickened by the same food.

(Source: CIDRAP 6 January 2024)

Argentina: Equine Encephalitis

9 January 2024

Following Argentina's recent report of a rare case of Western Equine Encephalitis, its first human case in more than two decades, the country has reported 11 more detections.

(Source: CIDRAP 6 January 2024)