The Swiss Expert Committee for Travel Medicine (ECTM) - a body of the Swiss Society for Tropical and Travel Medicine (FMH) - has revamped the Safetravel® website and renamed it to HealthyTravel.ch. The website continues to offer basic travel medicine recommendations for laypersons free of charge. Professionals can also subscribe to additional travel medicine information and recommendations such as in-depth country-specific information, vaccination recommendations with expert opinions, detailed maps (including malaria recommendations), fact sheets (including e.g. dosage information for malaria prophylaxis) and other important travel medicine content. These can be used during travel medicine consultation of patients and clients and can be individually compiled for the traveller, printed out or sent electronically.  The recommendations and content on HealthyTravel.ch reflect the recommendations of the Swiss Expert Committee for Travel Medicine. They are developed in cooperation with the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). The website is under construction and will be continuously expanded with additional content and updates. Please note that all content available on the website HealthyTravel.ch is protected by copyright and may not be passed on to third parties. Further information can be found in the flyer (LINK). The Swiss Expert Committee for Travel Medicine will be happy to answer any questions at info@healthytravel.ch !

The Yogyakarta Health Department reported 22 cases of leptospirosis this year, 4 of which were fatal. Indonesia has a relatively high risk of leptospirosis due to recurrent flooding and the presence of standing water and poor sewerage and sanitation in some residential areas.Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that occurs worldwide and is particularly common in tropical countries during the rainy or flood season. It is caused by a bacterium and transmitted through skin contact (minor injuries) with water contaminated by urine (mainly from infected rats, dogs, pigs, cows, etc.). The risk increases when camping or engaging in water-related activities (swimming, kayaking, wading through streams). The disease can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed in time.

Since the beginning of the year, 755'014 suspected cases of typhoid fever, including 376 deaths, have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Since the beginning of the year, 555 clinical cases of yellow fever have been reported from all ten regions of Cameroon. In Uganda, 199 clinical cases were registered during the same period.

Since the beginning of the year, 17'497 dengue cases have been registered in Malaysia (10 deaths). This is an increase of more than 57% compared to the reported cases in the same period in 2021.

More than 100 cases of anisakiasis have been reported in Japan, caused by fish contaminated with parasites. Mackerel, bonito and sashimi are most likely the source. People experience reactions such as severe abdominal pain and vomiting after eating contaminated fish. Several supermarkets have stopped selling fish products and closed the markets for fresh fish.

So far this year, more than 13'000 cases of dengue fever have been reported in Singapore. The weekly number of dengue cases is expected to increase and reach another historic high. The start of the traditional peak of the dengue season is June.

Malaria cases in the north-eastern Kavango East region of Namibia continue to increase. By the end of April 2022, the most affected district was Andara with 249 cases, followed by Rundu (146) and Nyangana (104). With the emergence of COVID-19, an increase in malaria cases has been observed worldwide.

Since the beginning of the year, a total of 7,394 Zika cases have been reported in the Americas region. The countries particularly affected are Guatemala, Paraguay, Brazil, El Salvador and Bolivia. Currently, none of the above countries is classified as an area where an epidemic is taking place (CDC map).

According to the ECDC (as of June 8, 2022), a total of 1'177 cases have been confirmed worldwide (including EU/EEA). Cases occurred mainly in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM), though not exclusively. Most of the cases outside the UK, Canada and US are reported to be linked to travel. However, cases with no known travel history, contact with other cases, animals or specific events are also reported.Clinical presentation: The cases so far have been mild, there have been no deaths yet. Hospitalised patients have mostly been admitted for local isolation orders. The clinical picture is characterised by lesions that are atypical of the clinical picture in endemic countries. Currently, there are mainly very few, non-grouped, painless pustular lesions on the genitals, perianally and orally. Whether transmission occurs through genital secretions or primarily only through close skin-to-skin contact is not yet clear. The draining lymph nodes are sometimes massively swollen, and fever usually occurs for a few days. The general condition is often only slightly reduced.Transmission: The virus can be transmitted from person to person via the respiratory tract, through direct contact with body fluids of an infected person or with virus-contaminated objects. The incubation period is 5-21 days, usually about 7-17 days. Monkeypox is transmitted from infected animals through a bite or through direct contact with blood, body fluids or lesions of the infected animal. They can be transmitted to people who eat infected animals via abrasions in the mouth, source, NCDC.Symptoms: Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and chills. 1- 3 days after the onset of symptoms, a rash develops that may look like chickenpox or syphilis and spreads from the face to other parts of the body, including the genitals. The disease is usually mild. In immunocompromised individuals, the disease can be severe. The mortality rate is about 1% for the West African type and up to 10% for the Central African type.

Besides an increase in syphilis infections among men who have sex with men (MSM), the continuous rise since 2014 is attributed rather to heterosexual transmissions.

An Israeli traveler contracted the Zika virus during a stay in northern Thailand. An English couple who had travelled to Thailand in March 2022 also contracted Zika. They had visited Phuket, some islands and an elephant sanctuary.The spread of Zika is known in Thailand.

In the beginning of May 2022, one case of monkeypox was detected in England, which had occurred after travel to Nigeria. In the course of this, 6 further cases of monkeypox were diagnosed in England in people with no previous travel and no contact with known travel-associated cases. These are two cases in one family and four cases in men who have sex with men (MSM). The latter apparently got infected in London. Apart from the family and two of the MSM cases, there are no known links between the cases. Further 2 cases have been reported in the meantime. Investigations into the sources of infection and other suspected cases are in progress.Additional cases are reported by GeoSentinel and various media reports from the following countries:France: 1 suspected case (Île-de-France region).Italy: 3 cases, one confirmed, 1 case with travel history Canary Islands (link)Canary Islands: 1 suspected casePortugal: 14 confirmed cases, another 6 suspected cases (link), Lisbon Region and Tagus Valley RegionSpain: 7 confirmed, 23 suspected cases, (link)Sweden: 1 confirmed case, 1 suspected caseCanada: 17 suspected cases (link)USA: 1 confirmed case with travel history to Canada (link) Description: Monkeypox is a zoonosis caused by an orthopoxvirus, a DNA virus genetically related to the variola and vaccinia viruses. Monkeypox is endemic in West and Central Africa. Increased cases have been recorded in Nigeria since September 2017, and imports by returning travellers to England and the USA have also been recorded more frequently in recent years. There are two types of monkeypox virus: the West African type and the Central African type (Congo Basin).Transmission: Monkeypox is transmitted from infected animals by a bite or by direct contact with blood, body fluids or lesions of the infected animal. It can be transmitted via abrasions in the mouth to people who eat infected animals. It can also be transmitted from person to person via the respiratory tract, through direct contact with body fluids of an infected person or with virus-contaminated objects. The incubation period is 5-21 days, usually about 7 to 17 days.Symptoms: Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and chills. 1- 3 days after the onset of symptoms, a rash develops that may look like chickenpox or syphilis and spreads from the face to other parts of the body, including the genitals. The disease is usually mild. In immunocompromised individuals, the disease can be severe. The mortality rate is about 1% for the West African type and up to 10% for the Central African type. For further details, see WHO factsheet, ECDC and CDC.

In der Nordöstlichen Provinz Tete wurde bei einem Kind mit akuter schlaffer Lähmung eine Infektion mit dem Wildpoliovirus Typ 1 (WPV1) diagnostiziert. Der letzte WPV Fall in Mozambique war 1992.Die Sequenzierung deutet darauf hin, dass der Fall in Mosambik mit einem Polio-Stamm in Verbindung steht, der sich 2019 in Pakistan ausbreitet und dem Fall ähnelt, der Anfang des Jahres in Malawi gemeldet wurde [2022]. Tete liegt in der Nähe der Grenze zu Malawi, was die Befürchtung nährt, dass das Virus in dieser Region beider Länder zirkulieren könnte.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 7'300 dengue cases have been registered in Singapore, including 1'005 in the last week of April alone. Dengue is mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In March 2022, the incidence of these mosquitoes in Singapore was about 48% higher than in the same period last year.

According to media reports citing the Ministry of Health of São Tomé and Príncipe, more than 40 cases of dengue fever (30 of which were laboratory-confirmed) have been reported nationwide since 11 April 2022.

The number of measles cases reported globally increased by 79% in the first 2 months of 2022, to 17'338 cases, compared to the same period in 2021. WHO and UNICEF warn that ideal conditions prevail for severe measles outbreaks (and outbreaks of other vaccine-preventable diseases). Pandemic-related disruptions, inequalities in access to immunisation and the redistribution of resources have severely affected routine childhood immunisation in many places.

A national state of emergency has been declared due to severe flooding and landslides that have caused devastating damage in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of the Eastern Cape.According to the South African government, 435 people have died and over 48 are still missing as of 19 April 2022. In addition, more than 40'000 people have been displaced and thousands of homes destroyed or damaged, including health centres. Electricity and water supplies have collapsed.

According to the WHO, a 31-year-old man from Mbandaka who had been vaccinated against Ebola was confirmed to be infected with Ebola; the man died on 21.4.2022. The source of infection is not known. The virus of this outbreak appears to be different from that of previous outbreaks in this province (2018 and 2020). A second Ebola case, a close patient contact, was confirmed on 25.4.2022.Ebola is a viral, haemorrhagic, very severe or fatal disease. It is transmitted through direct contact with body fluids and excretions of an infected person (blood, saliva, vomit, stool, sweat, semen, urine, etc.) or with infected animals (especially monkeys, antelopes, rodents, bats). The symptoms are sudden high fever, muscle pain, fatigue, sore throat or headache, followed by diarrhoea, vomiting and internal and external bleeding. Early hospitalisation with supportive care (hydration, maintenance of normal blood pressure) can improve the prognosis.

A 41-year-old man from ElSalto/Jalisco in Mexico has died of rabies. He had been bitten on the right hand by a bat in January 2022. He had a medical consultation on 9.4.2022 due to pain in his arm, received a rabies vaccination for the first time on 13.4.2022 and died on 18.4.2022.In Jalisco, the last humane rabies case from dog bites occurred in 1995. From 1996 to 2021, there were only seven cases associated with wild animals.

A 45-year-old man from the village of Bagayiri, Boussé district, Plateau Central region, died of yellow fever in Ouagadougou on 20 March 2022. The man had not been vaccinated against the disease.

An unvaccinated tourist (country of origin unknown) died of yellow fever in the state of Tocantins. In March 2022, the deceased had gone sport fishing on Lago Peixe/Angical, between Peixe, São Salvador, and Parana.The vaccination rate against yellow fever is insufficient in the region.

Sweden experienced a record year for TBE in 2021 with 553 cases. The warm summer of 2020, with an increase in the population of the small rodents, as well as Covid-19-related reduced foreign travel, are cited as factors for the increase in TBE infections in 2021.

According to IATA (International Air Transport Association), Paraguay has adjusted the entry requirements for yellow fever (see bold). Vaccination against yellow fever is mandatory for entry within 6 days (not for airport transit there) from:- Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and Venezuela.Exempt from this entry requirement are: Persons >60 years old and children <1 year old.

According to IATA (International Air Transport Association), Nicaragua has adjusted the entry requirements for yellow fever for children (see below). Yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for entry from the following countries (not for airport transit there): Angola, Argentina, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Franz. Guyana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Sudan, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Venezuela.Exempt from this entry requirement are: Persons >60 years old and children <9 months old.