Travel Health Alerts

Townsville disease outbreaks: Influenza, Covid, whooping cough, RSV strike region

A perfect storm of four potentially debilitating – but preventable – respiratory illnesses is impacting North Queensland. Read more

Advice for travellers

Seasonal flu is the most common vaccine-preventable travel-related illness in most years because it is a potential risk during every stage of the journey. Whether you are travelling within Australia or overseas, Travelvax recommends vaccination for all travellers over 6 months of age. Read more about influenza.

Mpox cluster

Queensland records 10 cases of mpox, formerly known as 'monkeypox', in state's biggest cluster in history. Vaccination is available for those with high risk. Read more

Advice for travellers

Closely related to the smallpox virus, monkeypox is mainly found in Central and Western Africa. Rodents are the suspected reservoir, with monkeys and humans as secondary or ‘spill-over’ hosts. People can be infected by eating undercooked ‘bushmeat’ or handling infected animals, making infection a low risk for travellers. Read more on monkeypox.

Oropouche virus outbreak in 2 provinces

The outbreak is the country's first involving the insect-borne virus, oropouche. More than 70 cases have been confirmed in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and in Cienfuegos. The cases were discovered during enhanced surveillance following a rise in patients presenting with febrile illnesses. Read more

Advice for travellers

Oropouche virus is part of the orthobunyavirus family, with an incubation period of 4 to 8 days. Similar to dengue, symptom onset is sudden and typically includes fever, headache, musculoskeletal pain, chills, and sometimes, nausea. Some patients experience aseptic meningitis. Most patients recover in about a week, but for some, symptoms linger for weeks.

It is mainly spread by a species of biting midge called Culicoides paraensis but can also be transmitted by certain Culex mosquitoes. Read more

WHO confirms human case of bird flu

The World Health Organisation have reported a confirmed case of H9N2 bird flu virus detected in a four-year-old child in West Bengal, India. The patient had exposure to poultry at home however no other known contact persons have reported respiratory illness symptoms. Read more

Advice for travellers

While bird flu is often fatal in humans, there has been no sustained person-to-person transmission. Infection occurs after contact with the saliva, mucous or faeces of infected birds or surfaces contaminated with them, which makes the disease a low risk for most travellers. Australians travelling to a region where the disease is present or an outbreak is occurring should avoid contact with birds or poultry in marketplaces, wash their hands before and after preparing food, and observe strict personal hygiene. Read more on bird flu and how to avoid it. Read more

Ongoing rabies in Sarawak

The state health director has reported another rabies death in Sarawak General Hospital. For 2024, four cases have been detected and all cases have died. One case contracted the infection from the bite of a wild dog, the other three cases were infected from their own pets. Read more

Advice for travellers

Rabies is present in most countries and all travellers should be aware of the importance of avoiding contact with wild and domestic animals. If bitten or scratched, urgent post-exposure treatment is required. Vaccination is normally recommended for longer stays, especially travellers planning to live in, or travel extensively through, rural areas and also for children; however the final recommendation is itinerary-specific. Read more on rabies.

First mpox death, with 13 cases confirmed

The health minister has reported a 37-year-old man has become South Africa's first recorded death from mpox, with five laboratory-confirmed cases of the viral infection recorded in May. Read more

Advice for travellers

Closely related to the smallpox virus, monkeypox is mainly found in Central and Western Africa. Rodents are the suspected reservoir, with monkeys and humans as secondary or ‘spill-over’ hosts. People can be infected by eating undercooked ‘bushmeat’ or handling infected animals, making infection a low risk for travellers. Read more on monkeypox.

Salad linked to E. coli outbreak

More than 200 people are sick in an E. coli outbreak in the United Kingdom.Cases are reported in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Patients have been recorded in most age groups, with the majority being young adults,and UKHSA have  warned the numbers are expected to rise. Read more

Advice for travellers

• E. coli (Escherichia coli) are a group of bacteria that are found in the gut of nearly all people and animals.
• Some E. coli bacteria can cause serious illness. Some cause no illness at all.
• The bacteria can cause diarrhoea and food poisoning, or more serious illnesses like pneumonia.
• E. coli infection can be spread through contact with contaminated food or water, or by contact with people who are sick.
• You can reduce your chance of E. coli infection by avoiding risky foods and practising good hygiene.

Measles continues to be a concern

The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have reported almost 1,800 confirmed measles cases since October 2023. The London and West Midlands continue to report the highest cases, with 219 confirmed cases in the last month. Read more

Advice for travellers

Measles is a highly contagious virus and can cause serious illness in people of all ages. Most cases reported in Australia are linked to overseas travel - both developing and developed countries. Travelvax Australia recommends travellers check their immunisation status for measles and other childhood diseases such as diphtheria, whooping cough (pertussis) and mumps 6 weeks before departure.