Current Travel Health Alerts

CAMBODIA: Malaria rates fall/ CHINA: Syphilis rates doubles in southern province/ INDIA: Mounting malaria in New Delhi; Encephalitis toll now 233; CCHF kills doctor; River brings Hep E epidemic; Dengue outbreaks/ THAILAND: Rains escalate dengue/ UNITED KINGDOM: Measles already past 2011 tally/ VIETNAM: Mekong reeling under dengue, HFMD

CAMBODIA: Malaria rates fall

Malaria cases (29,510, 27 deaths) are down 11% this year, according to government figures. Most cases occur during the rainy season in forest and mountainous border provinces.

CHINA: Syphilis rates doubles in southern province

THE number of syphilis cases has doubled in southern Guangdong province over the past decade, according to China Daily. Once rare in China, syphilis is also now the most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection (STI) in Shanghai. Read more.

Advice to travellers: Travellers should always use condoms (specifically latex) with any new sexual partner. Because STIs can go unnoticed, it is important to get a check-up when you get home if you have had unprotected intercourse with a new partner while away. Vaccines are available only for Hepatitis B and HPV. Read more on STIs.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: More dengue expected

Residents are bracing for more dengue after a dozen cases in La Yaguita (Jardines del Norte, Santo Domingo) this month. Read more (ProMED Alerts, June 26)

Advice to travellers: Dengue epidemics continue across many parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, Asia, and other tropical regions. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes that inhabit urban areas and bite mainly during the daylight hours. As there is no vaccine, travellers should take measures to avoid insect bites when visiting the tropics. Cover up when mosquitoes are biting and apply repellent containing an active ingredient, such as DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.

FRANCE: Respite from measles epidemic

AFTER 15,206 cases of measles last year, the total for 2012 is just 358. Read more.

Advice to travellers: Measles is highly contagious. Even those travellers heading to developed countries are advised to check their immunisation status for childhood diseases such as measles, polio, whooping cough, diphtheria, and mumps 4-6 weeks prior to departure. Call 1300 360 164 for more information.

INDIA: Mounting malaria in New Delhi; Encephalitis toll now 233; CCHF kills doctor; River brings Hep E epidemic; Dengue outbreaks

In New Delhi, malaria rates have tripled compared with the same period last year, with 61 cases reported in the national capital. With the arrival of monsoon rains, the city is also bracing for more cases of dengue and Chikungunya. Read more.

ENCEPHALITIS has now killed 233 children in 10 districts of Bihar since May. There have been almost 600 cases. Read more.

IN Ahmedabad (Gujarat State) a doctor has died of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever after contracting the virus from a patient originally infected by a tick bite. Read more.

MAHARASHTRA State’s death toll from an outbreak of Hepatitis E has now reached 12. Another 4085 people are being treated after drinking contaminated river water in the textile town of Ichalkaranji (Kolhapur district). Read more.

CHENNAI’S dengue count has passed 180, with officials naming Royapuram (30 cases), Teynampet (26), Kodambakkam (40), Adyar (20), and AnnaeceNagar (17), and KK Nagar (10) as the city’s hotspots. Read more.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (Kerala State) has now recorded 1521 cases. Read more.

Advice to travellers: Malaria is present year-round in rural and urban areas of India. The risk is highest during and immediately after the monsoon season, which is currently underway. The highest risk is in India’s north, according to a WHO map.

ITALY: Measles rates up

The national measles count has now reached 133 this year. Read more.

LATIN AMERICA: Dengue epidemic eases in Paraguay

PARAGUAY’S epidemic has eased after the country recorded 29,000 confirmed or suspected dengue cases and 51 deaths, most in metropolitan areas. ECUADOR’S dengue count has now passed 11,000, including 165 cases of dengue haemorrhagic fever. In BRAZIL, Nova Mutum (Mato Grosso State) has now recorded 200 cases of dengue fever, including the first type 4 infection. Read more (ProMED Alerts, June 26.)

MALAYSIA: Selangor’s dengue count still rising

Selangor State recorded 4908 dengue cases (12 deaths) to June 12. Worst affected areas include Klang (1445 cases, 4 deaths), Petaling (1364 cases) and Hulu Langat (1092 cases). Gombak and Kuala Langat each reported a death due to dengue. Read more.

MEXICO: Concern at DHF case

Health authorities are concerned over a case of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) in Ciudad
Valles (Huasteca district, San Luis Potosi State) among 13 classic cases. Tamaulipas State has registered 79 dengue cases, including 20 DHF cases. Read more (ProMED Alerts, June 26.)

PAKISTAN: WHO concern at twin outbreaks

The WHO is concerned over extensive outbreaks of measles and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (22 cases, 5 deaths). Read more.

MORE dengue hasve been reported in Karachi (Sindh province). The city has recorded 71 confirmed cases this year. Read more.

Advice to travellers: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever is a tick-transmitted viral haemorrhagic fever that is endemic in many countries in Africa, Europe and Asia. Human cases are rare and it presents a low risk to travellers.

PHILIPPINES: Dengue rates jump in Davao, Soccsksargen; Measles spreads on Cebu

The 3083 cases of dengue in the Davao Region to June were more than double the 1363 in the period last year. Hot spots include Talomo North and South, Buhangin, Davao City, and Maragusan (Compostela Valley province). Read more.

THE Soccsksargen region (central Mindanao Island) has had 1284 cases of dengue to mid June – up 2% on last year. Read more.

MEASLES has surfaced in the towns of Tuburan, Minglanilla, Catarman, and Sta Cruz (Cebu Province). Read more.

THAILAND: Rains escalate dengue

Health officials warn dengue cases numbers are likely to escalate during the June-September rainy season. The national dengue tally to mid-June was almost 16,000 cases (11 deaths). Of these, 7442 cases (no deaths) were due to classic dengue fever (DF); 8056 cases (3 deaths) were due to dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and 344 cases (8) were dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Chiang Mai has recorded 158 dengue cases. Read more.

UKRAINE: Measles tops 10,000 mark

THE country’s measles tally has now topped 10,386 cases, with most in western regions bordering Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. It’s not yet known if extensive transmissions occurred during the Euro 2012 football tournament, which concluded in Ukraine last week. Read more.

UNITED KINGDOM: Measles already past 2011 tally

IN the first four months, there were 1279 suspected measles cases, mainly in Liverpool, Knowsley, and Sefton. The total for 2011 was 1083. Read more.

USA: Lyme entrenched in NYC; E.coli mystery grows; Alaska is chlamydia capital

IN JUST a few years, tick-borne Lyme disease has become firmly established in New York City. The number of cases in Onondaga County alone has risen from 14 to more than 127 cases last year. Read more.

AN OUTBREAK of E. coli O145 infection from an unknown source has now infected 15 people in 6 States in the last 2 months. Read more.

ALASKA is the US state with the highest rate of chlamydia for the second year in a row. With 805 cases per 100,000 persons, the figure is almost twice the 2011 US rate (451).

Advice to travellers: Symptoms are often absent from chlamydia infection, although serious complications can cause irreversible damage for women, including infertility. Travellers should practice safe sex.

VIETNAM: Mekong reeling under dengue, HFMD

The Mekong Delta is the latest region to be hit by renewed of dengue fever and hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD). The province is seeing 50 new HFMD cases a day and has recorded the highest number of cases (1300) and deaths (7) this year. HFMD is also soaring in the provinces of Ben Tre, Soc Trang and Bac Lieu. Dengue fever is rife in the Mekong provinces of Hau Giang and Dong Thap. Read more.

Advice to travellers: HFMD infection mainly occurs in children and there is no vaccine or preventative medication. It is spread by direct contact with infected persons, or with virus-contaminated surfaces. Good hygiene reduces the risk of infection. The rainy season (June – September) is the peak period for HFMD, while dengue cases increase post-harvest between June and October.