International Education > Archive > Category: World Health Report

010820 – World Health Report

January 8, 2020

When traveling on behalf of UT Dallas, set up your institutional safety net and prepare for an emergency as a standard step of all your travels.  Find more information in the Traveler Best Practices webpage.

The risk information in this report is retrieved from U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and other professional sources as listed in the post. It provides general guidance for UT Dallas travelers.

Please note the revision date (mmddyy) of this report, printed on the title of the post, and go to the direct sources listed for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.

Health Infrastructure

  • Venezuela * CDC * Warning – Health Infrastructure Breakdown * CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Venezuela. The country is experiencing outbreaks of infectious diseases, and adequate health care is currently not available in most of the country.

Mosquito Borne Illnesses

Dengue

  • Afghanistan * WHO * Dengue fever * On 1 May 2019, in response to increasing numbers of dengue fever cases in Pakistan and India, health authorities in Afghanistan heightened monitoring for the disease. As part of this increased vigilance, the Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) in Kabul began to broaden its investigation for possible cases of the disease, such as reviewing samples that tested negative for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) to see if they were positive for dengue.
  • Africa and the Middle East * CDC * Watch – Dengue * Dengue is a risk in many parts of Africa and the Middle East. Some countries are reporting increased numbers of cases of the disease. Travelers to Africa and the Middle East can protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites.
  • Asia and the Pacific Islands * CDC * Watch – Dengue * Dengue is a risk in many parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands. Some countries are reporting increased numbers of cases of the disease. Travelers to Asia and the Pacific Islands can protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites.
  • The Americas * CDC * Watch – Dengue * Dengue is a risk in many parts of Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Some countries are reporting increased numbers of cases of the disease. Travelers to the Americas can protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites.
  • The Americas * CDC * Watch – Dengue * Dengue is a risk in many parts of Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Some countries are reporting increased numbers of cases of the disease. Travelers to the Americas can protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites.
  • Multi-country * ECDC * There has been a substantial increase in reports of dengue infections to date in 2019 compared with the same period in 2018. The majority of the cases were reported by Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Philippines, India and Malaysia. Afghanistan reports autochthonous dengue cases for the first time.

Chikungunya

  • Ethiopia * CDC * Watch – Chikungunya * There is an outbreak of chikungunya in Ethiopia. You can protect yourself against chikungunya disease by preventing mosquito bites.
  • Multi-country * ECDC * Several countries across the Americas region reported cases of Chikungunya in 2019. Cases were also reported during this period in Asia and Africa. Since the previous CDTR update on 22 November 2019, Ethiopia, Brazil and Thailand have reported the majority of new cases.

Malaria

  • Burundi * CDC * Watch – Malaria * There is a malaria epidemic in Burundi, a country in central Africa. To prevent malaria infection, travelers should take prescription medicine and take steps to prevent mosquito bites.

Yellow fever

  • Mali * WHO * Yellow fever * From 3 November through 8 December 2019, three laboratory confirmed cases of yellow fever including two deaths (case fatality rate = 67%) were detected through the national surveillance system in Mali. The first case-patient was a 15-year-old girl from a village in Kati district, Koulikoro region, Mali. The second and third case were in 17 and 25-year-old men, nationals from Cote d’Ivoire, living in the district of Bouguimi, Sikasso region, Mali. All three cases tested positive for yellow fever.
  • Nigeria * CDC * Alert – Yellow Fever * A large, ongoing outbreak of yellow fever in Nigeria began in September 2017. The outbreak is now spread throughout the country. Travelers going to Nigeria should receive vaccination against yellow fever at least 10 days before travel and should take steps to prevent mosquito bites while there.
  • Nigeria * WHO * Yellow fever * Nigeria is responding to successive yellow fever outbreaks, with nearly a three-fold increase in number of confirmed cases in 2019 compared to 2018, suggesting intensification of yellow fever virus transmission. Additionally, there have been cases reported in parts of the country that have confirmed cases for the first time since the outbreak started in September 2017. From 1 January through 10 December 2019, a total of 4,189 suspected yellow fever cases were reported.

Other Outbreaks

Cholera

  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti and Yemen * ECDC * Since the last update on 29 November 2019, new cholera cases have been reported worldwide. Countries reporting the majority of new cases since the previous update are: Yemen with 36408 cases and nine deaths and DR Congo with 2168 cases and 27 deaths.

Ebola

  • Democratic Republic of the Congo * CDC * Alert – Ebola * There is an outbreak of Ebola in the North Kivu (Kivu Nord) and Ituri provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo  * WHO * Ebola virus disease  * Since the last disease outbreak news published on 19 December 2019 , 29 new confirmed cases were reported from 18 to 31 December in the ongoing Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu province.
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo * ECDC * Ebola virus disease *Since the previous CDTR and as of 18 December 2019, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported 11 additional confirmed cases. During the same period, 10 deaths were reported among confirmed cases.
  • Liberia * GOV.UK * If you’re concerned that you might have been exposed to, or showing symptoms of Ebola or Lassa Fever, you should seek immediate medical advice.

Lassa Fever

  • Nigeria * CDC * Watch – Lassa Fever * Nigerian health officials have declared an outbreak of Lassa fever in Nigeria. Travelers to Nigeria should avoid contact with rats.

Measles

  • Global * CDC * Watch – Global Measles Outbreak Notice * Measles is in many countries and outbreaks of the disease are occurring around the world. Before you travel internationally, regardless of where you are going, make sure you are protected fully against measles.
  • Pacific Island Countries and Areas  * WHO * Measles  * Pacific Island Countries and Areas (PICs) are responding to outbreaks of measles with cases being reported for the first time since 2014 1 . A resurgence of measles cases has been seen in all WHO Regions since 2017. In the Asia Pacific Region, outbreaks of measles have been reported from countries where measles has previously been eliminated (including Australia, Cambodia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea) and in endemic countries with high incidence rates.
  • Samoa * GOV.UK * On 15 November 2019 Samoa declared a health emergency following several deaths linked to the ongoing measles outbreak.
  • Samoa * GOV.AU * There is a measles epidemic in Samoa. In response, the Government of Samoa declared a state of emergency, which is in effect until the end of December 2019. Make sure your vaccinations are up to date before you go.

MERS-CoV

  • Qatar * WHO * Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)  * On 5 December 2019, the National IHR Focal Point for Qatar reported three laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) infection to WHO.
  • Saudi Arabia * WHO * Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)  * From 1 through 30 November 2019, the National IHR Focal Point of Saudi Arabia reported 10 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) infection and one associated deaths. The cases were reported from Riyadh (4), Madinah (2), Al-Qassim (1), Assir (1), Taif (1), and Makkah (1) regions.

Monkeypox

  • Democratic Republic of the Congo * CDC * Watch – Monkeypox * There is an ongoing outbreak of monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
  • Nigeria * CDC * Watch – Monkeypox * There is an ongoing outbreak of monkeypox in Nigeria.

Polio

  • Africa * CDC * Alert – Polio * There are polio outbreaks in several countries in Africa. CDC recommends that all travelers to these countries be vaccinated fully against polio.
  • Asia * CDC * Alert – Polio * There are polio outbreaks in several countries in Asia. CDC recommends that all travelers to these countries be vaccinated fully against polio.
  • Afghanistan, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Somalia, Togo, Zambia * GC.CA * Polio: Advice for travelers.

Rubella

  • Japan * CDC * Alert – Rubella * There is an outbreak of rubella in Japan. Travelers to Japan should make sure they are vaccinated against rubella with the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine before travel.

Typhoid Fever

  • Pakistan * CDC * Watch – Extensively Drug-Resistant Typhoid Fever * There is an ongoing outbreak of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid fever in Pakistan. Extensively drug-resistant infections do not respond to most antibiotics.

Unknown

  • China * CDC * Watch – Pneumonia of Unknown Cause * There is a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China. The cause is not yet known, nor is the mode of transmission.
  • China * WHO * Pneumonia of unknown cause * On 31 December 2019, the WHO China Country Office was informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology (unknown cause) detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. As of 3 January 2020, a total of 44 patients with pneumonia of unknown etiology have been reported to WHO by the national authorities in China. Of the 44 cases reported, 11 are severely ill, while the remaining 33 patients are in stable condition.
  • China * GOV.UK * On 31 December 2019, the WHO China Country Office was informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province. As of 5 January 2020, a total of 59 cases have been reported.

Please note the revision date (mmddyy) of this report, printed on the title of the post, and go to the direct sources listed for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.