Current Travel Health News
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 wer
e 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
USA: Tuberculosis [Update]
18 November 2024
The
Arkansas Department of Health is reporting an increase in
Tuberculosis cases in 2024. For the first time in 15 years, over 100 cases have been recorded in the state in a year, as of November 1, 2024.
Bangladesh: Dengue Fever [Update]
18 November 2024
During the past week, Directorate General of Health Services officials report 7,539 additional
Dengue hospitalizations in
Bangladesh, bringing the annual total to date to 78,595. Through the first half of November, 16,778 cases have been recorded. This follows more than 30,000 cases reported in October.
USA: Mpox (monkeypox) [Update]
18 November 2024
The
California Department of Public Health reported today on the first known case of clade I
Mpox in the United States.
Colombia: Malaria
18 November 2024
Through November 2, 2024, there has been a cumulative total of 110,343
Malaria cases reported in
Colombia, according to health authorities. This is an 81 percent increase in cases compared to the same period in 2023.
Burkina Faso: Dengue Fever [Update]
18 November 2024
Health officials in the west African country of
Burkina Faso reported 5,401 additional total
Dengue fever cases (1503 probable, 3898 suspected) since the beginning of the month, including four new deaths.
Philippines: Dengue Fever [Update]
18 November 2024
Officials with the Department of Health in the Caraga region in
Mindanao are reporting a nearly 200 percent increase in
Dengue fever cases this year to date compared to 2023. Through mid-November, officials report 13,319 dengue cases, up from 4,528 cases reported during the same period in 2023.
Kyrgyzstan: Measles [Update]
15 November 2024
Health officials in
Kyrgyzstan are reporting a total of 13,358
measles cases during the first nine months of the year.
Mongolia: Anthrax
15 November 2024
The Mongolia National Centre for Zoonotic Diseases is reporting two human cases of
Anthrax in the western
Mongolian province of Uvs.
South Korea: Pertussis [Update]
15 November 2024
In
South Korea,
pertussis has been reported to a total of 30,332 patients (including suspected patients) as of the first week of November this year, and is prevalent nationwide, mainly among children and adolescents aged 7-19).
Colombia: Yellow Fever [Update]
12 November 2024
In a follow-up on the
Yellow fever situation in
Colombia, the Ministry of Health and Protection revealed that new cases of yellow fever have been registered in six territorial entities, with a notable increase in the last week in the department of Tolima.
Canada: Measles [Update]
12 November 2024
Officials with
New Brunswick Health report an additional 11
Measles cases in Canada. This brings the total number of confirmed cases since mid-October to 25.
USA: Dengue Fever [Update]
12 November 2024
The
San Bernardino County Department of Public Health has confirmed the county's first locally acquired case of
Dengue fever in the city of San Bernardino.
Philippines: Dengue Fever [Update]
12 November 2024
The
Philippines Department of Health has reported 314,785
Dengue fever cases through October 26, but officials say that most regions of the country are reporting a declining number of cases recently.
Bangladesh: Dengue Fever [Update]
12 November 2024
The
Bangladesh Directorate General of Health Services reported more than 7,800
Dengue fever hospitalizations during the past week, bringing the country total for 2024 to 71,056.
Pakistan: Poliomyelitis [Update]
12 November 2024
In a follow-up on the wild
Poliovirus surge in
Pakistan, the National Institute of Health, Islamabad has confirmed two additional Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) cases yesterday.
USA: Equine Encephalitis [Update]
12 November 2024
The
Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a human case of
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in a Penobscot County resident. This is the first human EEE case reported in Maine since 2015.
USA: Tularemia
12 November 2024
Officials in Boulder County,
Colorado report a human
Tularemia case in a person who resides near Boulder and began experiencing fever symptoms on Oct. 2.
Costa Rica: Dengue Fever [Update]
12 November 2024
The
Costa Rica Ministry of Health is reporting a total of 27,791
Dengue fever cases through the end of October. This is a 153 percent increase in cases compared to the same period in 2023 (18,125).
Brazil: Typhoid Fever
12 November 2024
The capital city of
Belém, in the northern Brazil state of Pará, is reporting a 300 percent increase in
Typhoid fever in 2024. Between January and October 2024, there are 16 confirmed cases.