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
Mexico: Rickettsial Disease
14 April 2025
Health authorities in
Mexico report 32 cases of
spotted fever from seven states through March 22 this year, a slight increase compared to the 30 cases reported last year at the same time.
Vietnam: Measles [Update]
14 April 2025
On April 11, the leader of
Lam Dong Department of Health said that since the beginning of the year, the number of
measles cases in the province has increased dramatically, with 995 cases, while in the same period in 2024, only 2 cases were recorded.
Indonesia: Anthrax
14 April 2025
Three residents in the Special Region of
Yogyakarta presented with skin wounds similar to
anthrax, which later tested positive for Bacillus anthracis. Two additional suspected cases are being investigated.
Uganda: Anthrax [Update]
14 April 2025
The
Uganda Ministry of Health reports three human
anthrax deaths northeastern and western regions of the country. According to officials, two deaths, one laboratory-confirmed case and another suspected patient, were identified in the western Ugandan district of Buhweju, with 11 others suspected to have the disease in the district.
Saudi Arabia: Meningococcal Infection [Update]
14 April 2025
Saudi Arabia reported 11 confirmed cases of invasive
meningococcal disease (IMD) recently, associated with individuals who had performed Umrah between 7 January and 12 March 2025. In addition, officials with the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional office reported six isolated cases of IMD among people who had recently returned from Umrah.
(Source: CIDRAP 12 April 2025)
USA: Measles [Update]
14 April 2025
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its latest weekly update today reported 105 more measles cases, pushing the national total to 712, which is more than double the cases reported for all of 2024.
Texas reported 36 more cases today, putting the state's total at 541 since late January. New Mexico and Oklahoma reported 2 new cases today, pushing the state's total to respectively 58 and 12. Arkansas reported two confirmed pediatric measles cases this week in the state. Ohio confirmed 10 more measles cases, bringing its total to 20. Kansas this week reported 6 more cases and Pennsylvania reported a case yesterday.
(Source: CIDRAP 12 April 2025)
Hungary: Hepatitis A
14 April 2025
In the first two months of the year, the number of patients reported with suspected
hepatitis A infection increased sevenfold compared to the same period last year in
Hungary. The areas most affected by the epidemic are Budapest, Pest and Fejér counties.
United Kingdom: Measles [Update]
14 April 2025
In a follow-up on the
measles situation in
England, the UK Health Security Agency reports 213 laboratory confirmed measles cases through April 10, an increase of 62 cases since the last report about a month ago.
Australia: Legionnaires’ disease
14 April 2025
Officials with
New South Wales Health issued a public health alert due to a cluster of 5 patients with
Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 infection. All visited Sydney central business district during their incubation periods.
Switzerland: Mpox
14 April 2025
The
Switzerland Federal Office of Public Health reported Tuesday on the first case of
Mpox clade Ib reported in the country. The individual was a traveler returning from Africa at the beginning of April in Switzerland.
Uganda: Mpox [Update]
14 April 2025
Health officials from Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said that the
Mpox situation is intensifying in
Uganda, accounting for 50% of cases in Africa over the past week.
(Source: CIDRAP 12 April 2025)
Japan: Pertussis
11 April 2025
Japan has seen a sharp rise in
whooping cough cases with the number of patients recorded in the first three months of this year surpassing the entirety of those in 2024. According to the Japan Institute for Health Security, 4,771 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, were reported by the end of March; this already exceeds last year's total of 4,054 cases.
USA: Measles [Update]
10 April 2025
On Monday, the
Indiana Department of Health reported the first laboratory confirmed case of
measles in an unvaccinated minor in Allen County. This was followed up today with health officials confirming five additional cases of measles in Indiana, bringing the total to six in 2025.
South Korea: Malaria
10 April 2025
Two
malaria patients reported among discharged soldiers who served in the military in Paju,
Gyeonggi Province and Cheorwon,
Gangwon Province in April 2025.
Australia: Melioidosis [Update]
10 April 2025
Queensland Health reported a significant increase in
melioidosis cases, caused by the bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, during the first few months of 2025.
Reunion: Chikungunya [Update]
10 April 2025
Health officials on the island of
La Réunion report the
chikungunya epidemic continues, adding 6,289 confirmed cases the last week of March.
USA: Measles [Update]
10 April 2025
In a follow-up on the
measles cases in
Colorado, state health officials report two additional cases, one in Denver County and another in Archuleta County, bringing the state total to three.
Argentina: Syphilis
10 April 2025
In 2025, through Epi Week 11 (the week ending March 15), a total of 92 cases of congenital
syphilis were reported in
Argentina.
Fiji: Dengue Fever [Update]
10 April 2025
The
Fiji Ministry of Health reports a
dengue fever death in a Xavier College student in the town of Ba. Through March 23, there have been over 5,100 cases of dengue fever nationally in Fiji.
Mayotte: Chikungunya
10 April 2025
The
Mayotte Regional Health Agency announces that two new cases of
chikungunya have been confirmed, one of which is indigenous.
USA: Measles [Update]
8 April 2025
Texas state health officials reported today of a second
measles death in a resident in the ongoing outbreak centered in the state's South Plains region.
Mexico: Avian Influenza
8 April 2025
The Ministry of Health reports the detection of the first human case of
avian influenza A (H5N1) in
Mexico.
USA: Hantavirus [Update]
8 April 2025
In a follow-up from the town of Mammoth Lakes, in Mono County,
California, county health officials report the confirmation of a third
hantavirus death.
Trinidad and Tobago: Malaria
8 April 2025
In a follow-up on the
malaria situation in
Trinidad and Tobago, health officials of the Ministry of Health report three additional cases since his last report, bringing the total to eight to date.
Brazil: Dengue Fever [Update]
8 April 2025
The number of probable
dengue fever cases in the
Brazilian state of Sao Paulo has topped the 500,000 mark just a little more than 3 months into the year.
Brazil: Oropouche Fever [Update]
8 April 2025
The
Brazil Ministry of Health reports 7,320 confirmed cases of
Oropouche virus in the first three months of 2025, according to the latest published numbers.
Americas: Yellow Fever
8 April 2025
During the first 12 epidemiological weeks of the year (Jan 1- March 22), 131 confirmed cases of yellow fever in humans have been reported in four countries of the Region- Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.
Of the 131 human cases, 53 were fatal.
A breakdown of each country shows:
Bolivia- One case which was fatal.
Brazil- 81 cases, including 31 deaths.
Colombia- 31 cases, including 13 deaths and
Peru- 18 cases, including 8 deaths.
Taiwan: Pertussis
8 April 2025
The
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control announced today that two new cases of
pertussis were confirmed in Taiwan last week.
Tonga: Dengue Fever [Update]
8 April 2025
As of April 4, 2025, the
Tonga Ministry of Health reported four new
dengue cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total confirmed cases to 423 since the declaration of the outbreak on February 19, 2025, primarily affecting 10-19-year-olds.
Iran: measles
8 April 2025
The Deputy Minister of Health of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences announced the identification of 70 cases of
measles in
Hormozgan Province.