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: Measles [Update]
27 January 2025
According to the
Snohomish County Health Department, at least two confirmed incidents of local residents being exposed to
Measles.
USA: Vibrio Vulnificus Infection
27 January 2025
Florida state health officials reported a record number of
Vibrio vulnificus cases and deaths in 2024, triggered by 2 week, back to back hurricanes on the west coast of the state in late September and early October.
Philippines: Dengue Fever
27 January 2025
Negros Occidental province, in the Western Visayas region of the
Philippine archipelago, are seeing a big increase in
Dengue fever in the early weeks of 2025. According to officials with the Provincial Health Office, 250 dengue cases were reported from Jan 1 to 18, an increase of 297 percent compared to 63 cases in the same period last year.
Tanzania: Marburg Virus Disease [Update]
27 January 2025
The
Tanzania government has continued efforts to control
Marburg disease in the country since it was first announced in Biharamulo district, Kagera region, on January 19, 2025. The outbreak so far has resulted in two deaths, 15 confirmed cases, and 281 people who were in close contact with Marburg patients.
Angola: Cholera [Update]
27 January 2025
In a follow-up on the
Cholera outbreak in the southwest African country of
Angola, the Africa CDC reports that since the first case was reported on January 7, and the case tally has climbed to 708 total cases, including 104 confirmed. The total deaths now stand at 32.
Pakistan: Poliomyelitis [Update]
27 January 2025
Pakistan health authorities have reported the first wild
Poliovirus type 1 case of 2025 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Norway: Salmonella
27 January 2025
The
Norwegian Institute of Public Health has confirmed that 230 people have been infected in the
Salmonella outbreak, but the peak of infection has been reached.
Reunion: Chikungunya Fever [Update]
27 January 2025
In a follow-up on the
Chikungunya outbreak in
La Reunion, health authorities now put the tally of indigenous cases at 256 since August 2024.
Morocco: Measles [Update]
27 January 2025
In a follow-up on the continuing
Measles outbreak in
Morocco, the Ministry of Health has reported 3,631 total measles cases and five deaths since the beginning of 2025.
Central African Republic: Rift Valley Fever
27 January 2025
The
Central African Republic Ministry of Health is reporting a
Rift Valley fever outbreak in early January in the Ngaoundaye health district, in sub-prefecture of Lim-Pendé bordering Chad and Cameroon.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Poliomyelitis
27 January 2025
In the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, one circulative vaccine-derived
Poliovirus type 1 was reported.
(Source: CIDRAP 25 January 2025)
Angola: Cholera [Update]
23 January 2025
Angola health officials have reported a total of 576 cases and 29 deaths to
cholera since 7 January 2025. Luanda province is the most affected with 416 cases.
Bolivia: Chapare virus
23 January 2025
Bolivia notified the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 7 January 2025 of one laboratory-confirmed human
Chapare virus infection in La Paz. The patient is an adult male farmer around 50-60 years old.
Brazil: Dengue fever [Update]
23 January 2025
In the first 22 days of 2025, the
Brazil Ministry of Health has recorded 99,000 probable cases of
Dengue fever, including 12 deaths and another 113 deaths under investigation.
Taiwan: Botulism
23 January 2025
The
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on 21 January 2025 a case of
botulism poisoning in a northern girl under 1 year old, who only consumed breast milk and canned non-staple foods such as fruit puree and vegetable puree.
Tanzania: Marburg virus [Update]
23 January 2025
The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirms that
Tanzania has 1 confirmed case of
Marburg Virus Disease and 25 suspected cases, all from the Northwestern Kagera region.
(Source: CIDRAP 22 January 2025)