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 World Health Organization (WHO) has reported meningococcal meningitis outbreaks in countries within the "meningitis belt." Since December 2022 through mid-January, the epidemic threshold has been exceeded in Niger, Zinder Region and Nigeria, Jigawa State. Other countries provide an alert (increase in cases without reaching the epidemic threshold): Benin: Borgou region (Bembereke district and Sinende district), Aliboro region (Gogounou district), Burkina Faso: Sud-Ouest region (Batié district), Chad: Ennedi province, (Amdjarasse district), DR Congo: Maindombe province, Kiri health zone, and Sud-Ubangi zone, Zongo health zone, Nigeria: Akwa Ibom state, Senegal: Dakar region (Dakar Centre district), South Sudan: Unity State (in the north of the country), Togo: Savane region (district of Oti Sud). Seasonal meningitis epidemics occur in sub-Saharan Africa primarily during the dry season, usually from December to June. They decline rapidly with the onset of rains. Generally, meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, and X are responsible for these outbreaks. The disease spreads through droplets from person to person. 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. As prophylaxis, vaccination against the main meningitis strains is available for adults and children over 1 year of age.

On 20 November 2022, a suspected yellow fever case was reported from Dabola Health District, Faranah Health Region, in Guinea. The case is a 9-year-old child who died and whose yellow fever vaccination status is unknown. Two tests confirmed the yellow fever infection.

The Kano State government in northern Nigeria has confirmed an outbreak of diphtheria in 13 local government areas of the state, with more than 100 suspected cases and at least three deaths. There have also been reports from Lagos, Osun and Yobe states.Diphtheria is a bacterial, highly contagious infection that usually manifests with sore throat and can be fatal without immediate administration of diphtheria antitoxin and antibiotics. Vaccination is extremely effective in preventing this disease. The disease is more common in developing countries where the population is insufficiently vaccinated.

The Thailand Bureau of Epidemiology reported a 61% increase in melioidosis cases last year compared to 2021 reports. According to disease surveillance data, 3'559 melioidosis patients were reported from 70 of Thailand's 77 provinces. Melioidosis is a disease caused by the bacterium B. pseudomallei. It lives in soil and surface water, especially in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. You can become infected when the bacterium enters through a break in your skin or when you inhale or swallow it. Melioidosis is a life-threatening disease that requires immediate medical attention.

During the week of the 2 to 8 January 2023, nearly 2.9 million new cases and more than 11'000 deaths were reported worldwide. This represents a 9% and 12% decrease in weekly cases and deaths, respectively. However, these trends must be considered taking into account the decline in testing and reporting delays in many countries during the year-end vacation season. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 659 million confirmed cases and more than 6.6 million deaths have been reported worldwide.

A sharp increase in reports was observed last year in La Réunion, with 165 cases of leptospirosis. A total of 3 people have died from the disease. Usually, an accumulation of cases is observed from November to April. Leptospires are transmitted through the urine of rodents (mainly rats), for example, in water residues (rivulets, puddles, etc.) or mud. Transmission to humans occurs via small skin lesions or mucosal contacts through direct or indirect contact with rodent urine. The clinical picture ranges from flu-like general symptoms to aseptic meningitis and sepsis.

Uganda's Ministry of Health has declared the recent Ebola outbreak caused by the Sudan virus (SVD) to be over. This declaration follows a period of 42 days (twice the maximum incubation period for Sudan virus infections) since the last patient tested negative for the second time and no new cases have been reported. Since the outbreak declaration on 20 September 2022, a total of 164 cases with 77 deaths have been reported from nine districts.

There is currently a very high rate of COVID-19 transmission in China. The actual number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in China is unclear to date, and underreporting is assumed.

Chinese New Year officially starts on 22 January 2023, with celebrations culminating with the Lantern Festival on 5 February 2023. The festival is likely to attract big crowds and international visitors, with movement of people within China expected to increase. Large crowds in small areas increase risk of accidents and spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and flu (influenza).China is currently experiencing a large COVID-19 outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring this evolving situation very closely and there are increasing reports of severe disease in the country.