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Get informed about the latest travel medicine news in your destination
Since the end of 2023, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been experiencing the worst flooding in over 60 years. The heavy rains led to an extraordinary rise in the water level of the Congo River and caused a devastating natural disaster in the interior of the country.
According to the latest data from the Czech Republic's Ministry of Health, there has been an alarming increase in whooping cough cases across the country. Around 1,700 cases have been registered since January 2024, more than in the last four years combined. Children and young people aged ≤ 19 are particularly affected. Other European countries such as Croatia and Denmark have also reported outbreaks of whooping cough.
According to the WHO, 18 countries submitted their epidemiological data on meningitis between January 29 and February 18, 2024 (week 5 to 7). Epidemics:Ethiopia: SNNP region (Jinka Town and Leku Town)D.R. Congo: North Kivu province and Ituri province Warnings:Benin: Zou region (Abomey district), Collines region (Bante district) and Borgou region (Nikki district)Cameroon: Est region (Lomie district)D.R. Congo: Bas-Uele province and Equateur provinceGhana: Upper West RegionGuinea: Conakry region (Ratoma district)Nigeria: Bauchi State, Gombe StateTogo: Kara region (Doufelgou district) Previous epidemics and warnings can be found under News at www.healthytravel.chSeasonal meningitis epidemics occur in sub-Saharan Africa mainly during the dry season, usually from December to June. They decline rapidly with the onset of the rains. In general, the meningococcal serogroups A, C, W and X are responsible for these outbreaks. The disease spreads from person to person by droplets. If symptoms (high fever, severe headache and vomiting) occur, a doctor should be consulted immediately and antibiotic therapy started, as the disease can lead to life-threatening conditions within hours. Vaccination against the most important strains of meningitis is available as prophylaxis for adults and children over 1 year of age.
There is a severe shortage of rabies vaccines in Switzerland. To ensure that the existing compulsory stocks are sufficient, their use is being severely restricted. Until February 2026, rabies vaccines will only be distributed for vital indications. The focus here is on occupationally exposed persons and persons who have been bitten by an animal. No rabies vaccine from the compulsory stockpile will be available for travel medicine during this period.
Between January 22 and 28, 2024 (week 4), 18 countries reported their meningitis epidemiological data.Epidemics: Mali: Gao regionNigeria: Jigawa StateWarnings: Benin: Littoral region (Cotonou district)Ghana: Upper West Region Nigeria: Yobe State and Bauchi StatePrevious epidemics and warnings can be found at www.healthytravel.ch.Seasonal meningitis epidemics occur in sub-Saharan Africa mainly during the dry season, usually from December to June. They decline rapidly with the onset of the rains. In general, the meningococcal serogroups A, C, W and X are responsible for these outbreaks. The disease spreads from person to person by droplets. If symptoms (high fever, severe headache and vomiting) occur, a doctor should be consulted immediately and antibiotic therapy started, as the disease can lead to life-threatening conditions within hours. Vaccination against the most important meningitis strains is available as prophylaxis for adults and children over 1 year of age.
A recently published study provides details of a series of 8 short-term travelers to the Zanzibar archipelago who contracted malaria. One person died. None of the travelers took anti-malaria medication during their stay in Zanzibar.
According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), 3,965 patients were treated for measles in Borno State in Nigeria from October to December 2023. The increase in the number of cases could be due to the fact that public health actors were unable to achieve the 95% vaccination rate due to the uncertain situation in the region. In addition, the interruption of routine childhood vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the increase in cases.On February 12, 2024, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the top 10 countries with measles outbreaks (data refer to the period July - December 2023):Yemen 18,464Azerbaijan 13,721Kazakhstan 13,195India 12,301Ethiopia 10,060Russian Federation 7,720Iraq 7,601Pakistan 7,027Kyrgyzstan 5,777Indonesia 3,205Measles outbreaks are reported when the number of reported cases in an area is higher than the expected number of cases.
In the 2nd and 3rd week of 2024, 21 countries have reported their epidemiological data on meningitis:Epidemic:Ethiopia: Jinka Town (since week 1/2024)Warning:Benin: Littoral Region (Cotonou District)Ghana: Upper West Region (Jirapa and Nandom districts) and Northern Region (Zabzugu district)Nigeria: Bauchi State (Damban District) and Jigawa State (Biriniwa District)- D.R. Congo: Haut-Uele and North KivuChad: Mandoul region (Goundi district)Previous epidemics and warnings can be found at EpiNews or at www.healthytravel.ch.Seasonal meningitis epidemics occur in sub-Saharan Africa mainly during the dry season, usually from December to June. They decline rapidly with the onset of rainfall. In general, the meningococcal serogroups A, C, W and X are responsible for these outbreaks. The disease spreads from person to person by droplets. If symptoms (high fever, severe headache and vomiting) occur, a doctor should be consulted immediately and antibiotic therapy started, as the disease can lead to life-threatening conditions within hours. Vaccination against the most important meningitis strains is available as prophylaxis for adults and children over 1 year of age.
In 2023, 171 cases of leptospirosis were recorded in Reunion Island, more than 70% of which occurred between January and June.Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that occurs worldwide, particularly frequently in tropical countries during the rainy or flooding season. It is transmitted through contact between small skin lesions and water contaminated with urine (mainly from infected rats, dogs, pigs, cows, etc.). The risk of infection increases when camping or during water-related activities (swimming, kayaking, wading through watercourses). The disease can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed in time.
In Senegal, two confirmed cases of yellow fever were reported from the Kédougou region at the end of December 2023. Last year, 59 confirmed cases of yellow fever were registered in Cameroon and 2,617 suspected cases (including 23 confirmed cases) in Nigeria.
Find out about the latest content updates on the website
Country list on yellow fever vaccination and entry requirements, including entry requirements for polio, measles and others.
In the PRO version of HealthyTravel, the country list with the malaria risk and prevention measures per country according to the 2023 update is available in the documents for health professionals.
The Swiss Expert Committee has updated the polio vaccination recommendations on the country pages. Please pay attention to the changes!
The following flyers are now available on the PRO version of www.healthytravel.ch:
– Flyer Diarrhea
– Travel first-aid kit flyer
Country list on yellow fever vaccination and entry requirements, including entry requirements for polio, measles and others.
The WHO recommendations for yellow fever vaccination and the countries’ entry requirements for yellow fever have been updated on the country pages.
The countries’ entry requirements for poliomyelitis and measles as well as other requirements have been updated on the country pages.
In the Malaria Flyers, the world map with the updated malaria risk areas and the corresponding prevention recommendations were added. The flyers can be found in the Malaria section under “Documents for health professionals” in the PRO version of www.healthytravel.ch.
The Swiss Expert Committee has updated the malaria prevention recommendations as well as the malaria maps on the country pages.
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