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According to the WHO, 18 countries shared their epidemiological data on meningitis between March 4 and 10, 2024.Epidemics:Niger: Niamey regionNigeria: Bauchi stateD.R. Congo: North Kivu province Warnings: Benin: Collines region and Dinga regionCentral African Republic: Region 3 and Region 6Chad: Mandoul regionD.R. Congo: Haut-Uelé Province and Bas-Uelé Province and North Ubangui ProvinceGhana: Upper West Region and Ahafo Region and North East RegionGuinea: Conakry region (Ratoma district)Nigeria: Gombe StateSouth Sudan: Northern region of Bahr El GhazalTogo: Kara region Previous epidemics and warnings can be found under News 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 strains of meningitis is available as prophylaxis for adults and children over 1 year of age.
Following the severe flooding in Madagascar in February 2024, the country is in a critical situation. Many people were displaced and there was major damage to the infrastructure. This disaster, which was particularly severe in the central and north-eastern regions, was exacerbated by the seasonal cyclones. Immediately after the floods, there was an alarming increase in malaria cases, with more than 382,455 cases. This increase, along with outbreaks of acute respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases, are overwhelming already fragile health systems.
According to media reports, measles cases have been confirmed in several health districts of Togo since January 2024, particularly in the Kara region and in the Savanes region, where an epidemic has just broken out.
According to media reports, there is an outbreak of chickenpox in the northern provinces of Lao Cai and Yen Bai in Vietnam with hundreds of cases.
Dengue fever, endemic in many tropical and subtropical countries, is a major cause of illness in travelers, but severe dengue fever and resulting hospitalizations or deaths are rare in this population. There are two vaccines against dengue fever, Dengvaxia® and Qdenga®. While there is no recommendation for Dengvaxia® for use in travelers, Qdenga® has been approved for travelers in many European countries since December 2022. Swissmedic's approval for use in Switzerland is expected in the second half of 2024.The Swiss Expert Committee for Travel Medicine (EKRM) has evaluated the published and unpublished data on the Qdenga® vaccine and makes the following recommendation:Vaccination against dengue fever virus with Qdenga® in persons without previous dengue fever infection is not recommended. Vaccination with Qdenga® may be recommended for travelers 4 years of age and older if they have had a confirmed previous dengue infection AND will be exposed in a region with significant dengue transmission.Travel health advisors should provide information in plain language about the complexities and risk-benefit trade-offs of using dengue vaccines in travelers.Details of the position statement can be found at LINK.
According to the WHO, 18 countries submitted their epidemiological data on meningitis between February 18 and March 3, 2024 (week 7 to 9).Epidemics:Nigeria: Gombe StateD.R. Congo: North Kivu provinceWarnings:D.R. Congo: Province of Haut-UeleGhana: Upper West Region and Savannah RegionGuinea: Conakry region (Ratoma district)Niger: Niamey regionSenegal: Dakar region (Dakar Centre district)Nigeria: Bauchi State, Gombe StateTogo: Kara region (Doufelgou district)Further information:Nigeria: according to media reports, an outbreak of meningitis in Yobe state has resulted in 636 cases. Previous epidemics and warnings can be found under News on www.healthytravel.chSeasonal meningitis epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa occur 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 a prophylaxis for adults and children over 1 year of age.
According to media reports, a mumps outbreak has been reported in the state of Kerala with more than 1,850 cases reported per week. Since the beginning of 2024, there have been a total of 11,467 mumps cases.
The number of dengue patients in Thailand has reached 17,783 cases so far in 2024, more than twice as many as in the corresponding period in 2023.
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Two vaccines exist for dengue fever: Dengvaxia® and Qdenga®. The EKRM advises against Qdenga® vaccination for those without prior dengue infection but may recommend it for certain travelers.
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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