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 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
Portugal: Measles
5 February 2024
The General Director of Health in
Portugal announced three new cases of
Measles were confirmed in the North Region between January 29-31. Since January 11, 2024, six cases of measles have been confirmed: two in the Region of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo and four in the North Region.
Australia: Melioidosis
5 February 2024
In January, Northern Territory Health (NT Health) in
Australia issued a health alert due to
Melioidosis. To date, melioidosis has killed two people and infected 22 others in the region since the start of the latest wet season in October 2023, including six in the past week.
Brazil: Dengue Fever [Update]
5 February 2024
Officials in the city of Rio de Janeiro in
Brazil report a record day in
Dengue Fever hospitalization with 362 people requiring hospital treatment for the mosquito-borne viral disease in a single day. In January, the city reported some 10,000 dengue cases—in all of 2023, the city of Rio saw 22,959 cases.
Nigeria: Measles
5 February 2024
The
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reports from January 1 to December 31, 2023, 19,470 total
Measles cases were reported, including 11,433 cases (58.72%) that were confirmed. Borno (7,635), Yobe (1,325), Ogun (611), Zamfara (601), Zamfara (601), and Lagos (563) states accounted for 52.2% of the 19,470 total confirmed and suspected cases reported. A total of 89 deaths (CFR = 1.1%) were recorded among the confirmed cases.
Costa Rica: Dengue Fever
5 February 2024
Health officials in
Costa Rica report 1,076 total
Dengue Fever cases during the first three weeks of 2024 (through January 20).
Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria and Yemen: Poliomyelitis [Update]
5 February 2024
Six countries—mostly in Africa—reported more
Polio cases this week, all involving vaccine-derived viruses, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative said in its latest update. All were detected in 2023 and were added to that year's totals. In Africa,
Chad reported two more cases involving circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), both from the same province.
The Democratic Republic of Congo reported one cVDPV2 case and three linked to circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1).
Guinea reported eight more cVDPV2 cases from four different provinces, and
Niger and
Nigeria both added a few more cVDPV2 cases. In the Middle East,
Yemen reported one more cVDPV2 case, bringing its 2023 total to four.
(Source: CIDRAP 3 February 2024)
South Sudan: Hepatitis E
1 February 2024
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced since April 2023, they have treated 501 cases of
Hepatitis E at the MSF hospital in Old Fangak, Jonglei state in
South Sudan. In addition, 19 deaths were reported, primarily in women.
Uruguay: Equine Encephalitis
1 February 2024
The
Uruguay Ministry of Public Health reports that its Laboratory Department confirmed a positive result for
Eastern Equine Encephalitis in a resident of the department of San José.
Mainland China: Avian Influenza [Update]
1 February 2024
The Chinese National Disease Control and Prevention Administration is reporting a human case co-infected with
Avian Influenza A(H10N5) and influenza A(H3N2) in Zhejiang Province in
China. It involves a patient who was a 63-year-old female, from Xuancheng, Anhui Province with underlying medical problems, who developed symptoms on November 30 last year and was admitted for treatment on December 2. She passed away on December 16.
USA: Syphilis
31 January 2024
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2022 STI Surveillance Report published today, 207,255 total
Syphilis cases were reported in the
United States in 2022, representing an 80% increase since 2018 (113,739) and continuing a decades-long upward trend.
Brazil: Dengue Fever
31 January 2024
Brazil health authorities report today a cumulative 217,841 probable cases of
Dengue in 2024 to date. There are 15 confirmed deaths and another 149 under investigation. Based on the latest data, the incidence of dengue in the country is 107.1 cases for each group of 100,000 inhabitants, while the disease's fatality rate is 0.9%. The number of cases are a 80 percent increase over the 120,874 probable cases of the disease reported last week.
Cambodia: Avian Influenza
31 January 2024
The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of
Cambodia report an additional confirmed case of human
H5N1 avian influenza. This is the second human case reported in Cambodia in 2024 to date.
Uganda: Rift Valley Fever
31 January 2024
The
Uganda Ministry of Health reported last week on a confirmed human case of
Rift Valley fever in Nakaseke district in central Uganda. The case was a 45-year-old male butcher with a history of direct contact with dead animals.
Kenya: Rift Valley Fever
31 January 2024
The
Kenya Ministry of Health reported a
Rift Valley Fever case in Marsabit county in northern Kenya. The last RVF outbreak was reported in 2021 when 32 cases and 11 deaths were reported from Garissa and Isiolo counties.
Bangladesh: Nipah Virus Infection
31 January 2024
In mid-December 2023, the Directorate General of Health Services issued a warning to the country about
Nipah virus, an infectious disease with a 70 percent fatality rate in
Bangladesh. They also warned people against eating partially eaten fruit, consuming the raw juice of dates, and advised them to wash fruit with water before eating. Today, officials in Manikganj report one confirmed case/death, the first of the year who died in hospital care in a Dhaka hospital.
French Polynesia: Leptospirosis
31 January 2024
French Polynesia health officials report a recent increase in
Leptospirosis cases. During the first week of 2024, eight case seven confirmed cases by PCR and a probable case with a positive serology were reported.
Yemen: Diphtheria
31 January 2024
Health authorities in Al-Waziyah District, in southwestern
Yemen, announced an outbreak of
Diphtheria. To date, four children have been infected, of which two died and the other two are still receiving hospital treatment.
Thailand: Zika Virus Infection [Update]
31 January 2024
According to data from the
Thailand Bureau of Epidemiology, the country reported 777
Zika virus infections, a 309 percent increase compared to 2022 when the country saw 190 total cases. No deaths were reported in either year.
USA: Dengue Fever [Update]
31 January 2024
In 2023, 185 cases of locally acquired
Dengue have been reported in Florida,
USA from the following counties: Broward (4), Hardee (19), Miami-Dade (160), Palm Beach, and Polk counties.
Italy: Dengue Fever
31 January 2024
There are 82 confirmed cases of locally-transmitted
Dengue in
Italy in 2023.
France: Dengue Fever
31 January 2024
French health authorities reported 43 local
Dengue transmissions in 2023.
Spain: Dengue Fever
31 January 2024
In Catalonia,
Spain, the first case of autochthonous transmission of
Dengue this year was detected, in the Tarragona area at the beginning of August 2023. Later, at the beginning of October, another case was reported in the Maresme area. On October 20, a third suspected case of dengue was reported, also in the Maresme area, which was later confirmed by the laboratory. Of the three cases, only two required hospital admission and were later discharged home.
Nigeria: Diphtheria
31 January 2024
The
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control declared the 2023
Diphtheria outbreak in the country the worst in a decade, with the previous outbreak occurring in 2011 in Nigeria. It was also the biggest public health concern of the year. The outbreak began in Kano State in December 2022 and spread to neighboring states. Through December 24, 2023, a total of 22,293 suspected cases were reported from 36 states across 297 LGAs.
Jamaica: Dengue Fever
31 January 2024
The
Jamaica Ministry of Health and Wellness said last week that
Dengue is still a concern in the country. As of Thursday, January 11, 2024, the country had on record 1,534 confirmed Dengue cases.
USA: Measles [Update]
31 January 2024
The
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today urged healthcare providers to be alert for patients who have fever and rashes and have traveled abroad, following reports of 23
Measles cases since December 1, 2023.
(Source: CIDRAP 26 January 2024)