February 2023 had a changing health landscape. To help you make decisions and to keep you aware of the issues affecting health and medical assistance, we have picked a few core issues shaping our world you may wish to explore further.
Aviation back to pre-pandemic levels
Globally, up to November 2023, aviation had reached approximately 99% of pre-pandemic traffic levels. Asia-Pacific—the last of the regions to embrace the recovery—achieved 93% of 2019 traffic levels thanks to the reopening of major markets in China, Japan, and Korea, as reported in Airline.
However, political instability or conflicts in certain regions may disrupt healthcare infrastructure and access to medical services for travellers. Limited healthcare resources, including hospitals, clinics, and medical supplies, can pose challenges for travellers in need of medical assistance while abroad.
Dengue increase reported by WHO
The Caribbean saw a threefold rise in dengue cases to 62,460 in 2023 from 20,349 in 2022, reflecting a global trend of increasing cases over the past two decades. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported over five million cases and 5,000 deaths worldwide, with dengue spreading to previously unaffected areas. Dengue, caused by the Flaviviridae virus and transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, often first presents as nausea, fever and/or flu-like symptoms but can lead to severe symptoms and complications including Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever.
These updates are just a few global health challenges and changes. As always, we recommend the following sites for up to date information.
- https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
- https://www.cdc.gov/index.htm
- https://www.who.int/
- https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice
- https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home
- https://www.iata.org/
- https://www.caa.co.uk/
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/maritime-and-coastguard-agency
- https://www.ilo.org
- https://www.imo.org
