International travel continues to be impacted due to COVID-19, and the number of variant strains which have emerged globally. Guidance on international travel is available for people living in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.   

Since 11 February 2022, the rules for international travellers arriving in the UK have changed. In Scotland, travellers who are fully vaccinated no longer need to take a COVID-19 test within two days of arrival in the UK, but still must complete a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) in the 48 hours before travelling. A summary of the changes for travellers arriving into Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland are available.

Country specific COVID-19 risk  

Country pages on the fitfortravel (for the general public) and TRAVAX (for health professionals) websites include a COVID-19 country specific risk-rating, which identifies the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for UK travellers. This information is listed in the Alerts section on each individual fitfortravel country page and the Emerging Health Risks section of each individual TRAVAX country page. This risk-rating identifies each country as having either:   

• a high risk of exposure to COVID-19 for UK travellers, or   
• a risk of exposure to COVID-19 for UK travellers  

For all countries, travellers should be aware that the risk of COVID-19 may change at short notice. Countries categorised as high-risk either have a greater risk of travellers being exposed to COVID-19, or an increased risk of emerging, or known variants, of coronavirus. Travellers should be advised to avoid non-essential travel to high-risk countries, even if fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  

Advice for travellers  

Prior to booking any international travel, travellers must first check if the country they are travelling to is currently accepting UK travellers.  

• The FCDO foreign travel advice country pages have up-to-date information on entry rules, in response to coronavirus (COVID-19), under the Entry Requirements section.  
• Travellers should be aware that some countries or territories may require proof of COVID-19 vaccination status for entry. Guidance for demonstrating COVID-19 vaccination status is available for those living in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It is advised that travellers are aware of all travel restrictions, self-isolation rules and precautions they should take, in order to reduce their risk of exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19) before, during and after travel, as detailed on the fitfortravel COVID-19 health considerations for travel page.  

Source: TRAVAX, 1 February 2022

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports a large increase in cases of dengue fever in Timor-Leste since the start of 2022.

In January 2022, there were 1,286 cases of dengue in Timor-Leste, including 20 deaths, with more than half the cases in children under the age of 14 years. This represents a higher total than the full year of 2021, when there was a total of 901 cases, including 11 deaths.

Advice for travellers

• Travellers to endemic regions are potentially at risk of dengue fever and should be aware of this infection. Prevention relies on avoiding mosquito bites at all times.
• Travellers developing a fever during, or on return, from travel are advised to seek medical attention as soon as possible. 

There is no vaccine against dengue fever licensed for use in the UK. 

Information and advice for travellers on dengue fever is available on the TRAVAX (for health professionals) and fitfortravel (for the general public) websites. 

Source: TRAVAX, 7 February 2022

On 7 February 2022, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) reported that newly published research from the Netherlands has revealed the existence of a more transmissible and damaging variant of HIV. 

People living with the newly revealed HIV subtype have experienced double the rate of immune system decline (CD4 count), have higher HIV viral loads, and are vulnerable to developing AIDS two to three times faster after diagnosis than if they were living with other strains of the virus. The study, led by researchers from the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute, was the first to discover this highly virulent variant of the subtype-B of HIV. 

The study also revealed that the variant has been circulating in the Netherlands for years and remains receptive to HIV treatment. UNAIDS highlight that this newly identified variant does not represent a major public health threat but underscores the urgency of speeding up efforts to halt the HIV pandemic. 

Source: UNAIDS, 7 February 2022

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has reported a multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis sequence type (ST)11 infections linked to eggs and egg products.

On 2 September 2021, France reported an increase in Salmonella Enteritidis ST11 infections and by 11 January 2022, 272 confirmed cases had been reported in five EU and EEA countries and the UK, with the majority occurring in France. In total, two deaths were recorded in adult men, 25 people were hospitalised, and 60 cases reported consumption of eggs or egg products.

Source: ECDC, 8 February 2022

The Scottish Government has reported that more than 2.7 million people have received their flu jab since September 2021. The flu vaccination programme, which has so far seen a 90% uptake in over 65s, was paused in December 2021 so that health boards could prioritise the delivery of COVID-19 booster jabs. Flu vaccinations are now available until the end of March 2022 for those in high-risk groups, and members of the public can check their eligibility on the NHS Inform website.

Source: Scottish Government, 4 February 2022

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published their final estimates of UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2020. Estimates are presented by source in February of each year, then updated in March to include estimates by end-user and fuel type, with further adjustments in June to include estimates by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC).

When emissions are reported by source, they are attributed to the sector that emits them directly, while if reported by end-users, energy supply emissions by source are reallocated in accordance with where the end-use activity occurred. 

BEIS does not estimate emissions outside the UK associated with UK consumption, however the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) publishes annual estimates of the UK’s carbon footprint. 

Source: BEIS, 1 February 2022

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report summarising a global analysis of health waste in the context of COVID-19. The latest available data, from 2019, indicates that one-in-three healthcare facilities globally do not safely manage healthcare waste, while the COVID-19 pandemic has led to large increases in healthcare waste, putting a strain on healthcare facilities and exacerbating environmental impacts from solid waste.

This report quantifies the additional COVID-19 healthcare waste generated, describes current healthcare waste management systems and their deficiencies, and summarises emerging best practices and solutions to reduce the impact of waste on human and environmental health. 

Source: WHO, 1 February 2022