Travel Health Network

Safe Holiday Travel Tips

Sign up for Travel Advisories 

Anyone can sign up to receive Travel Advisories from the U.S. Department of State. Travel Advisories provide up-to-date information about safety conditions for overseas destinations. Subscribe to stay in the loop.

Check CDC's Travel Health Notices 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues Travel Health Notices to inform travelers and clinicians about current issues that impact travelers' health.

Understand destination recommendations and requirements 

CDC’s destination pages provide information about what vaccines or medicines travelers may need and what disease or health risks are a concern at various global destinations.

Global Health Update

Unprecedented cholera increase 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified an increase in global Vibrio cholera infections. CDC considers 25 countries to have active cholera transmission, with large outbreaks currently occurring in Haiti, Malawi, and Syria.

As of December 5, 2022, eight travelers with cholera have returned to the United States. CDC recommends clinicians evaluating patients with acute onset of watery diarrhea to obtain a travel history, consider cholera in patients returning from affected regions, obtain a stool specimen for testing, and begin prompt treatment.  Sustained community transmission of cholera in the U.S. is unlikely. However, those with cholera who have gone untreated and become dehydrated can experience severe health outcomes, including death, within hours. Visit Cholera Information for Public Health and Medical Professionals for clinical resources and more information.

Ebola in Uganda 

Since early October, Wisconsin has had at least 90 travelers return from Uganda that required 21-day symptom monitoring for Ebola virus disease (EVD). Travelers without known contact or risk factors for Ebola virus exposure are very unlikely to be infected and develop EVD. However, those travelers are more likely to present with non-EVD illnesses such as enteric diseases, malaria, COVID-19, and Influenza, and may need medical evaluation to obtain diagnosis and treatment. CDC has guidance for Outpatient and Ambulatory Care. Additionally, The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) provides support for health care facilities that need to evaluate ill travelers during their 21-day monitoring period. To access this 24/7 support call 608-258-0099.

Global polio 

Several international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Ensure that travelers who are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated complete the routine polio vaccine series before international travel. Learn more about the situation on the CDC website.

Coming Soon in the New Year Keep an eye out for the next Travel Health Network meeting invitation. The invitation and reminder emails will be sent using the DHS’ automated message delivery system (GovD).

Travel Health Humor

Question: Why did the librarian get kicked off the plane? See the answer at the bottom of this email.

Disease Spotlight: Dengue Virus 

What is it? 

Dengue is an illness spread by the bite of infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Nearly 4 billion people live in areas with a risk of dengue. 

Who is at risk? 

Cases of dengue in Wisconsin residents occur in people who have traveled to tropical or subtropical regions with a high risk of dengue, including the Caribbean, South and Central America, Asia, and parts of tropical Africa. Dengue is very rarely spread in the U.S.; however, there have been outbreaks in Florida, Texas, Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

What are the symptoms? 

Most people (about 75%) infected with dengue never develop symptoms. Those that become sick may develop severe flu-like symptoms and recover after about one week. However, some people may develop a severe form of dengue, also called dengue hemorrhagic fever.

When this happens, the person develops warning signs of severe complications three to seven days after the first symptoms appear, right after the fever has started to decrease. It is important the person goes to an emergency room immediately if any of the warning signs appear. 

Reporting and follow-up

This disease is a category II disease in Wisconsin and should be reported to the patient's local public health department within 72 hours upon recognition of a case. Wisconsin case reporting and public health follow-up guidelines are available on DHS' Dengue Virus: Reporting and Surveillance webpage. 

Prevention

A vaccine (Dengvaxia®) to prevent dengue is licensed and available for use in areas with risk of dengue in the United States. CDC recommends dengue vaccination for children 9 through 16 years old, but only when they have been previously infected with dengue and living in areas where dengue is common. The vaccine is not approved for travelers who are visiting, but don't live in an endemic area. Visitors are encouraged to take steps to prevent mosquito bites. Learn more about dengue prevention.

Additional information on dengue is located in CDC's Traveler's Yellow Book. 

In Case You Missed It: Update from October

CDC Issues Travel Health Notice Regarding Ebola in Uganda

Travelers should avoid non-essential travel to these regions. Clinicians are encouraged to view the CDC Clinician Outreach Communication Activity for additional information regarding this outbreak.  See the full notice the CDC website.

Travel Health Humor answer: Because it was overbooked!

Please do not reply directly to this email message. Send questions and inquiries to DHSBCDTravelHealth@dhs.wisconsin.gov.