Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 15

Want to avoid the nasty side of your vacation spot? 

Wherever you travel to there are going to be local illness that your body is not used to. Some are temporary with mild symptoms, others have terrible symptoms but not long lasting, but unfortunately some are permanent, crippling or fatal! Many of these are transmitted by animals including mosquitoes, so it doesn’t matter if you are used to them or not, you can still succumb to them unless you are protected and travel sensibly.

It’s not all doom and gloom though, and there are many precautions you can take before arriving at your destination (including vaccinations and prophylaxis) and when actually there to help lower your chances of contracting these, and to reduce the symptoms if you get them.

I have just covered some basic facts here about 4 of the most common health complaints of the traveller, although there are many many more you need to be aware of if you are travelling to more remote areas or where you may come into close contact with local people or local wildlife.

There are no vaccines for any of the following infections or diseases, and prevention is the only way to limit your chances of being affected.

Diarrhea
I know you can get this without travelling, but if it is accompanied by a fever, bloody stools or mucus, it could be a bacterial or parasitic infection. Whatever the cause, re-hydration is essential.

Dysentery is characterised by the fact that it doesn’t go away until treated, and giardiasis needs treating too as the stomach cramps, watery foul-smelling stools and frequent gas will come and go over several weeks.

Cholera is the worst of the watery diarrhea’s, and can cause serious dehydration if not treated in a hospital. An outbreak of the latter illness is usually widely reported so you can avoid it or identify it depending on when you hear the report!!

Bilharzia
Also known as schistosomiasis, this disease is gotten from minute worms that live in fresh water. They burrow their way into the skin and travel to the intestines or bladder where they latch on.

Symptoms can include fever, abdominal pain and blood in the urine, but there may be no such signs early on. It could be several months or even years down the line that you get the symptoms, but by then any damage to the internal organs is irreversible.

Check known locations of this ‘worm’ before travelling to endemic countries as it can be avoided, or your risk greatly reduced with basic precautions like drying yourself thoroughly immediately after leaving rivers and streams.

Dengue Fever
This mosquito-borne virus is only found in South America and the Aedes mosquitoes that transmit this usually bite during the day - not the normal dusk till dawn critters!

Infection results in flu-like symptoms along with the usual aches and pains, fever and vomiting - but you may also find a rash appears. The terrible body aches that can come with this usually pass within a few days but do not require medical assistance in nearly all cases.

Most cases just require normal medications and analgesics - but you must remember to rehydrate and stay hydrated as the few cases of this that end up in the hospital are usually due to the effects of dehydration.

See below for tips to reduce mosquito bites in general.

Malaria
Every-one’s nightmare disease when travelling. Whenever people plan to book a vacation, the first thing they normally check is whether it’s malarial - and because of this disease many people just won’t book the trip at all.

Yes, there is always a risk, and many people do contract malaria every year and many more die of it, but more people worldwide die each year from diarrhea alone than all the other diseases in this article put together so don’t panic yourself into a frenzy. But, most travellers still fear this one the most - many even fear the side-effects of the malaria tablets used to help prevent the symptoms (malarial prophylaxis do not stop you getting malaria, they just prevent the body reacting to seriously to the infection)

Take the following examples - would you take the medication?

• Difficulty in breathing, skin rash, swollen facial features…
• Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, peptic ulcer, bleeding in the stomach…..
• Changes in skin colour, tremors, palpitations, or even gout….

Well, these are just some of the side effects you can get from Anadin!  Bet you don’t think twice about taking that though?? 

Mosquito Bite Avoidance
This disease and Dengue fever can only be transmitted by mosquito bites from an infected insect, and as they strike anything at any time, you must take all available precautions when travelling in endemic areas, even if taking preventative medication. You are always advised to wear light coloured clothing, preferrebly long-sleeved and long-legged and avoid shallow water and overgrown areas in the morning and evenings.

Use a DEET containing repellent at all times on exposed skin and avoid highly scented toiletries which tend to attract insects. Always use a well maintained mosquito net while you sleep, preferably impregnated in permethrin, and make sure you take your own net if you want to be really safe. In addition - don’t forget that the net only stops the whole mosquito so never let your skin rest against the net as mosquitoes will stick their faces through one of the holes and feed on you as though it wasn’t there.

Don’t Worry….. 
You can still enjoy your vacations if you travel prepared and research health issue before you leave for the country you are visiting. WHO’s website will give health updates as will plenty of government run online information sites (www.cdc.gov in the US and www.fco.gov in the UK) and travel sites such as The Lonely Planet will have links to these sites as well as their own current information on health and travel diseases.

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