PREVENTING TRAVEL DISEASES: IMMUNIZATIONS AND ILLNESSES ABROAD
Immunizations
Many countries have immunisation requirements which have to be met before they will let you in. The diseases that you are most likely to have to be protected against are tetanus, polio, typhoid and yellow fever. Smallpox vaccination is required by very few countries as the disease has been eradicated worldwide. It is always difficult to know exactly which immunizations you should have for any given country, especially as the regulations constantly change. Any IATA accredited travel agent (which is most of the reputable ones) can consult a master list and tell you exactly what is required, or you can phone your airline or the embassy of the country to which you are going. If you are pregnant, have a baby or suffer from a skin complaint see your doctor for advice about immunizations. Allow yourself a good month to make any health arrangements before going away. Last-minute immunizations will not give you such effective protection and may spoil your holiday because of a reaction.
Illnesses abroad
The most common ailment suffered by holidaymakers is diarrhea and vomiting. This comes about by consuming food and drink contaminated with food-poisoning bacteria and their toxic products. In this country we are very complacent about such bacterial infections because we have drinkable water and the climate does not favour rapid bacterial growth in foods. Most of these infections are simply ‘holiday tummy’ but you can also get more serious conditions such as dysentery or cholera. To be safe:
• Boil all drinking water (or use purifying tablets). It is a good idea even to use boiled water for cleaning your teeth.
• Boil all milk.
• Don’t just wash fruit and vegetables under water and then eat them. Use cooled boiled water to clean vegetables. Peel fresh fruit and avoid salads.
• Keep fresh and cooked food in a refrigerator.
• Drink mineral water or wine if you are unsure of the water and cannot boil it. Even with all these precautions you may still get diarrhea simply because of the change of food (perhaps to a more spicy diet than you are used to) or because your bowel has not got used to the new, quite harmless bacteria that come to inhabit the bowel when you eat and drink in another country.
• Wash your hands before eating anything.
• It is probably a good idea to take an anti-diarrhea medicine with you because it will cost much more abroad.
Malaria, often thought of as an exotic tropical disease, is being caught by increasing numbers of holidaymakers as package tours venture further afield. It is a very serious disease and can kill you. As there is no vaccination against malaria, you will have to cover yourself by taking anti-malaria tablets, even if you are only passing through an infected area. One mosquito bite is all it takes to get the disease. Anti-malaria tablets are available from chemist shops and airport chemists. You have to take the tablets before you go and keep taking them for six weeks after your return.
If you should get any illness at all after your return from holiday, tell your doctor at once where you have been and what health precautions you took before and while you were there.
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Tags: General health