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The Most Common Illness Suffered By Overseas Travellers

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  • 19-05-2022
The Most Common Illness Suffered By Overseas Travellers

Find out what is the most common illness suffered by overseas travellers? We look at travel-related illness and common health problems associated with travel.

About Travel-Related Illness

People who go abroad have a 50% chance of contracting a travel-related sickness. While the majority of travel-related illnesses are mild, several extremely dangerous infectious diseases are common in some places of the world. All travellers should be prepared for their trip and be informed of health problems and preventative actions.

A returning traveller is often evaluated for a specific disease, such as fever, lung infection, diarrhoea, eosinophilia, or skin or soft tissue infection, or to test for silent infection.  If you're susceptible to catching illnesses, you may need your doctor to DOI your medical record so that they can section out any preparations you may need to make beforehand.

It's in your rights to know what to look out for when travelling abroad, so don't hesitate to email your GP or book an appointment in advance. If you're cautious about catching something, it's in your best interests to pack some PCR tests and antimalarials so that you can be sure that your immune system is working as intended.

By following these recommendations, your levels of immune protection can be increased. Finding ways to combat these travelling problems is what this guide does best.  When travelling, you should always continue to combat pre-existing problems such as E.coli, malaria and more; our results do just that.

If you are suffering from travelling health issues, make sure to seek medical attention and have what you're concerned about reviewed.

It's best to have the best analysis and research when it comes to the identification of what you're suffering from so that it can be cautioned and treated under the right surveillance.

Why Do People Get Medevac?

Common Health Problems Associated With Travel

Exacerbation of a lung ailment is conceivable during travel; thus, it is critical to include any rescue inhaler and spacer, if necessary, in hand luggage, even if it is rarely used. If the baggage is lost, prescription medicine should be divided between hold and hand luggage. 

In addition, if you're someone who suffers from leukopenia, then it's best to find food such as grapefruit, oranges and lime.

Our wealth of information has been extracted to make sure that you are provided with the best precautions. In most cases, those who continue to travel become more attune to these effects and immune state over days; there are a number of ways to handle such as doing activities to strengthen immunity. 

Eat fruit and vegetables with thick skins that you can peel yourself, such as bananas, oranges, and mandarins.

Poliomyelitis 

Poliomyelitis is caused by a poliovirus strain and is generally spread by contact with infected faeces. Consuming contaminated food or drink, as well as handwashing, is a typical means of prevention. 

When an infected individual coughs or sneezes, infectious droplets enter the air and spread the poliomyelitis virus. Those infected with the virus may carry it for several weeks.

Published studies have shown, outlined and summarised that mild trichinosis, defined as having a tiny number of parasites in your body, may create no visible signs or symptoms. Symptoms can appear with a moderate or high infestation, and they may intensify as the parasite moves through your body.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are among the most frequent notifiable illnesses globally, with rates notably high in many poor nations. 

The worldwide burden of treatable STIs - syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis was estimated to be 250 million cases in 1990. These figures showcase how infectious gonorrhoea can be to travellers with poor timing.

Genital herpes is estimated to be the most frequent ulcerative sexually transmitted virus in the UK and USA, and many people may ignore this ailment while getting travel insurance. 

Anything medically diagnosed previous to your vacation or insurance booking, on the other hand, is deemed pre-existing and should be disclosed to ensure you are completely covered in the case of a claim.

If you have reported your condition and we have provided an insurance offer, your medical problems will be covered if you require emergency medical care abroad or have to cancel your trip due to a change in health.

Thrombocytopenia

Thrombocytopenia is a common observation in sick returning travellers, and it can be caused by a variety of disorders, including infectious diseases unique to or typical of tropical and subtropical locations.

Hookworms

Hookworms infect 740 million people globally, the majority of whom live in impoverished nations with inadequate sanitation. They can, however, appear everywhere. They exist throughout the Dominican Republic, as well as most of Africa, South and Central America, and Asia.

Hookworms penetrate your circulation and begin swimming their way to your intestines, where they can live for up to five years, taking nutrition from your body. Severe cases of this can leave people bed-bound for hours and even days at a time.

Giardiasis

Giardiasis may be contracted by swallowing Giardia germs. Giardia is readily transmitted and can spread from person to person or through contaminated water, food, surfaces, or items. The most common way for individuals to become ill is through drinking or bathing in polluted water (for example, lakes, rivers, or pools).

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is transmitted by oro-faecal ingestion and has a one-month incubation period. Fever, tiredness, nausea, and ultimately jaundice are common symptoms. The syndrome can range from moderate systemic disruption to fulminating hepatitis with liver failure, albeit the latter is uncommon. 

Fungal Infections

The majority of travel-acquired fungal infections reported in immunocompromised patients are exclusively seen in tropical or subtropical regions. Inhalation of aerosolised fungus causes possibly fatal pneumonia. Skin inoculation causes localised cutaneous and/or subcutaneous infections.

Localised infection in both cases eventually led to diffusion in the context of immunosuppression. It should be highlighted that travel-related fungal infections might manifest as an acute infection or as a reactivation that can arise years later. Once the detection of the fungi has occurred, it's relatively easy to eradicate.

Typhoid Fever

Typhoid fever is caused by a bacterial infection of the gut and circulatory system. Typhus is spread from person to person, primarily via eating contaminated food or drinking water contaminated with germs from an infected person, which is then excreted in their faeces or their urine. 

Typhus is present all around the world, although it is more frequent in nations with inadequate access to clean water and restrooms.

Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterial illness Salmonella Typhi. The bacteria that causes paratyphoid fever is Salmonella Paratyphi. These illnesses cause similar symptoms. Paratyphoid infections are less serious and more uncommon than typhoid. In Australia, these illnesses are infrequent and are commonly grouped as 'enteric fever.

'The majority of typhoid and paratyphoid diseases in Australia are caused by persons swallowing contaminated food or water while visiting friends and relatives or travelling in developing countries. These infections are not the same as Salmonella infections, which frequently cause gastroenteritis.

Sunburn

Most travellers tend to seek their time in the sun, however, excessive sun exposure can lead to sunburn. Blistering, inflammation and even cancer - therefore, it's important to apply the right products to limit any risks that your sun exposure could cause when travelling.

Whooping Cough

Whooping cough, commonly known as pertussis, is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Transmission of the bacterium can occur from coughing, sneezing and sharing the same breathing area. Babies can get whooping cough from older siblings, parents, or caregivers who are unaware they have the condition.

Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is caused by a parasitic worm infestation. Adult worms live in the blood vessels around the bladder and intestines. The parasite lives in both humans and freshwater snails. Snails infected with parasites release them into the water.

These irritate the skin of those who come into contact with water. Parasites can be carried by currents to regions distant from dirty water. Schistosomiasis may be found in freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams across Africa, South America, and the Middle and far East, most notably Lake Malawi, Lake Victoria, and the Nile River.

Meningococcal Illness 

Meningococcal illness is largely a danger for travellers visiting places prone to outbreaks or locations where an epidemic is known to be happening. Long-stay visitors who have intimate touch with the local community are particularly vulnerable. Meningococcal illness is an uncommon but possibly fatal infection.

The bacteria Neisseria meningitidis causes it, and there are six disease-causing strains known as serogroups. Meningococcal illness is uncommon in most regions of the world, occurring as isolated cases or in small clusters. The illness is most widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa's 'meningitis belt,' which stretches through the arid savannah regions from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east.

Jaundice  

Jaundice is a rare yet significant symptom in any patient. It is frequently caused in travellers by a variety of microorganisms or toxins acquired through particular risk exposures.

In a febrile, jaundiced patient, Plasmodium falciparum malaria must be ruled out immediately, and a comprehensive clinical assessment must be performed. In the context of an acute illness, jaundice can be an indication of decompensating chronic liver disease, and indicators of this should be explored.

Tick-Borne Encephalitis

The virus that causes tick-borne encephalitis is a Flavivirus. It is mostly transferred to humans by the bite of a tick or, in rare circumstances, through the consumption of contaminated dairy products. Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus can be found across Europe and Asia. Fever, headache, muscular discomfort, nausea, and vomiting are the most prevalent symptoms.

However, roughly 20-30% of individuals may develop encephalitis, with symptoms such as tiredness, disorientation, and weakness appearing eight days after the initial symptoms. There are vaccines and medicines that you can take to prevent encephalitis.

Ticks, fleas, chiggers, and lice transmit rickettsial illnesses, which are often undetected in travellers with acute nonspecific febrile sickness, gastrointestinal, abdominal, pulmonary, neurologic, or cutaneous signs and symptoms. The presence of an eschar at the vector inoculation site can be used to help diagnose scrub typhus, African tick bite fever, and other tick-borne spotted fevers.

Measles

Measles is a highly infectious virus-borne illness. When people with measles cough, sneeze or breathe, they transmit the virus via the air. Measles symptoms include a rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Some people who catch measles get a severe lung infection, such as pneumonia. Although severe cases are uncommon, measles can cause brain enlargement and even death.

Measles is particularly dangerous in newborns and those who are malnourished or have low immune systems.

Tuberculosis

Bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) causes tuberculosis, which most commonly attacks the lungs. When persons with lung tuberculosis cough, sneeze or spit, tuberculosis spreads via the air. To become sick, a person just has to breathe a few bacteria. Tuberculosis is the greatest cause of mortality among HIV patients, as well as a key contributor to antibiotic resistance.

The majority of individuals who become ill with tuberculosis reside in low- and middle-income nations, although the disease is found all over the world. Approximately half of all tuberculosis cases are located in eight countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and South Africa.

Skin Illness 

Travel-related skin illness is exceedingly widespread and a popular reason for returning travellers to seek medical assistance. The majority of cutaneous eruptions are reactive rashes, indicating an underlying systemic illness or allergic response. Patients with widespread or spreading rashes after travel frequently have fever and malaise.

Those who appear with localised skin illness, such as a blister, nodule, plaque, or ulcer, on the other hand, are normally healthy but have received a bite/sting/penetrating injury or infection introduced directly into the skin at the afflicted spot. In general, extensive rashes are explored using blood tests/serology, whereas localised lesions are investigated with a skin biopsy for culture and histology.

Common Travellers Illness

Traveller's Diarrhoea 

Diarrhoea is the most prevalent health condition among travellers, and it is primarily caused by bacteria; prolonged diarrhoea is less likely to be infectious, but the prognosis is typically favourable. Visitors who have been bitten by an animal should be evaluated for rabies prophylaxis. Diarrhoea is by far caught the most while travelling; its higher levels of infection rate is the main reason to be cautious and prepared when travelling.

Its effects are based on you as an individual and can be short-lived if you're prepared enough. When Pepto-Bismol is ingested on a daily basis, it's shown to be effective in eradicating diarrhoea. In fact, it's one of the best prevention methods to utilise. Similarly, loperamide is also a good medicine to treat diarrhoea, however, it stings a little when passing fluids. Travellers to underdeveloped nations frequently have acute diarrhoea. 

The majority of instances of traveller's diarrhoea are caused by bacterial contamination of food, namely enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and salmonella. It is almost seldom fatal. Symptoms last, on average, four days. Up to 60% of persons report cramping, 15% report bloody stools, and 10% report fever or vomiting. Bacterial causes are less common when diarrhoea lasts 14 days or more. Non-infective causes include lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, post-infectious malabsorption, bile-salt enteritis, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, celiac disease, and medications.

Travellers' diarrhoea affects those who eat or drink contaminated food or water. It's a short-lived but unpleasant gastrointestinal illness characterised by loose stools and abdominal discomfort. Bacteria are usually too responsible. However, viruses and parasites can also be to blame. International tourists are especially vulnerable when visiting nations with less stringent sanitary standards than their own. When your immune system detects an infection in your digestive tract, it launches an inflammatory response to destroy and eradicate the organism.

This causes unpleasant infection symptoms such as fever, stomach cramps and diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting.It's usually short and self-contained. The main thing to keep an eye out for is dehydration induced by significant fluid loss. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and dairy products if you have travellers' diarrhoea since these may intensify symptoms or increase fluid loss. Continue to consume fluids, though. Drink canned fruit juices, weak tea, clear soup, decaffeinated soda, or sports drinks to replenish lost fluids and minerals.

If your diarrhoea improves, switch to a diet high in simple carbohydrates, such as salty crackers, bland cereals, bananas, applesauce, dry toast or bread, rice, potatoes, and plain noodles. A study was derided, and its information details that although intestinal protozoa account for a small percentage of cases of acute traveller's diarrhoea, they can also increase and are prevalent infections in travellers who develop prolonged diarrhoea during or after travel.

Pregnancy can make travellers' diarrhoea worse. It can also endanger your infant, particularly if the diarrhoea is caused by a more serious condition such as toxoplasmosis, listeriosis, or hepatitis E. To treat diarrhoea, avoid taking bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto Bismol).Consult your doctor about any drugs you may be allowed to take. Travellers' diarrhoea normally resolves on its own.

Individuals with chronic symptoms may require further tests, such as stool microscopy, stool culture and PCR, complete blood count, and/or biochemistry, depending on their history and clinical presentation.

Enterotoxin E. Coli Diarrhoea

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (E. coli), often known as ETEC, is a common cause of bacterial diarrhoea. ETEC infection is the most common cause of travellers' diarrhoea and a major cause of diarrheal sickness in low-income countries, particularly among youngsters.ETEC is spread by contaminated food or water containing animal or human excrement. Infection can be avoided by avoiding or safely cooking foods and beverages that may be contaminated with the bacterium, as well as by routinely washing hands with soap.

When people consume raw meat carrying trichinella larvae, the larvae grow into adult worms in the small intestine over several weeks. Adult worms then create larvae that go through different tissues, including muscle. Trichinosis is particularly common in rural places across the world. Antibiotics and antimotility medicines appear to be useful in treating travellers' diarrhoea in persons from resource-rich nations.

Antibiotics combined with antimotility agents may be more effective than antibiotics or antimotility agents alone in lowering diarrhoea duration and boosting cure rates in persons suffering from travellers' diarrhoea. Swimmers may become unwittingly exposed to a variety of potentially harmful waterborne pathogens that can contaminate swimming pools with illnesses such as E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Legionella, Pseudomonas, and norovirus.

Malaria

Malaria is a potentially lethal disease caused by a parasite that infects a specific species of mosquito that feeds on people. Malaria often causes severe disease, including high fevers, shivering chills, and flu-like symptoms. Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium malariae are the four types of malaria parasites that infect humans.

Arthropod exposures are more common during the warmer months when outdoor activity is higher, and insects and other arthropods are most abundant and active. Travel to a more tropical locale during the winter months, or exposure to indoor arthropods, are two exceptions to this rule. This can result in diseases such as the Chikungunya virus, yellow fever, and dengue fever. The Japanese encephalitis virus infects people with the bite of an infected mosquito. The majority of people who become sick have mild or no symptoms.

Fever, headache, and vomiting are common early symptoms in people who develop a serious disease. These symptoms may be accompanied by disorientation, unconsciousness, and convulsions. Humans get the Chikungunya virus after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Fever and joint discomfort are the most typical signs of infection. Mefloquine, often known as Lariam, is a malaria drug that is used to prevent or cure the disease. When used for prevention, it is often initiated before anticipated exposure and maintained for many weeks following potential exposure.

The Zika virus causes Zika infection (ZIKV). Mosquito bites spread the infection. ZIKV can be transmitted by mosquitos of the Aedes genus. These mosquitos primarily bite during the day and can transmit dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. ZIKV is seldom transferred during intercourse without the use of a condom. Infection with ZIKV during pregnancy can result in congenital Zika syndrome, which has serious effects on the newborn. ZIKV was identified in Africa and has subsequently been found in nations throughout Africa and Asia.

If you have any concerns, feel free to use our services and contact your doctor for the advice and treatment you need.For an ill returned traveller, it is generally wise to get specialist assistance from the local infectious disease section as soon as possible and to always consider malaria as a possible diagnosis. All significant imported infections are illnesses that must be reported.Until proven otherwise, a returning tourist with fever should be diagnosed with malaria.

If the initial films are negative, two further thick and thin films must be taken 12 to 24 hours apart. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test for dengue fever can be helpful. Illness in returned travellers can always be treated and accommodated through EIA scans.A blood or urine test called an enzyme immunoassay or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is used to identify infections and inflammatory illnesses. This is a simple checkup with no bad consequences.

Your EIA can help you diagnose your symptoms and guide your therapy. Both children and adults are subjected to EIA testing. An EIA test may be required if you develop symptoms or have been exposed to particular infections. This test is also used to diagnose allergies and some autoimmune illnesses.

Acute Febrile Respiratory Tract Infections

Acute respiratory infection is an illness that can cause difficulty breathing. It can impact either your upper respiratory system, which begins with your sinuses and finishes with your vocal cords or your lower respiratory system, which begins with your vocal cords and concludes with your lungs. This infection is especially harmful to youngsters, the elderly, and those with immune system abnormalities.

Acute fever infections caused by leptospirosis and schistosomiasis are not uncommon in travellers who experience freshwater exposure. Aeromonas and other water-associated infections must be considered in a traveller who has a skin and soft tissue illness. Water recreation is frequently connected with diarrheal diseases, particularly in youngsters, and enteric infections include bacterial pathogens such as E.coli.

Influenza

As a result of the influenza virus infection, the nose, throat, and lungs are exposed to an infectious respiratory infection. The flu can cause mild to severe sickness and in the worst case, death; the easiest way to stay healthy is to get a flu shot every year. Most specialists agree that flu viruses transmit mostly through minute droplets created when flu patients cough, sneeze or talk.

These droplets might wind up in the mouths or noses of nearby people. After getting into contact with a surface or object that has the flu virus on it, a person can obtain the flu by touching their lips, nose, or eyes.

Prepare For Travel

To prepare for a healthy holiday, you may do several things, including having a medical checkup. Make sure you're in excellent health before you leave. Update your immunisations and ask about extra shots. Bring a first-aid kit for yourself and any children you may be travelling with. If you require a prescription, be sure you have enough medicine.

Make travel insurance plans, which should include coverage for a proper hospital evacuation. Check your teeth and your eyesight, and have a backup pair of glasses on hand.

Travel Vaccinations

Vaccinations or drugs to guard against infections like hepatitis, typhoid, or malaria may be necessary. In reality, several countries mandate specific vaccines, such as yellow fever, from visitors. Since you'll require immunisations weeks or months before your trip, it's advisable to see your doctor 6 to 8 weeks ahead of time. If you need to travel quickly, though, you can still get some immunisations.

Tips For Older Travellers

Travelling poses the same, if not lower, risk of mortality or major illness for older persons than staying at home. Visit your doctor for a physical and to discuss your vacation fitness plan. Make appointments with your dentist and optometrist.

Bring a spare set of glasses, pills, and a small medical kit. If necessary, seek pre-existing disease travel health insurance. Ascertain that it has an emergency escape plan. Check your immunisation status and get flu and pneumonia injections; use baggage with wheels to protect your back and joints. Bring proper clothing and caps for the weather.

Tips For Travellers With A Disability

Travellers with disabilities must ensure that their needs are met in advance and should consider making arrangements for wheelchairs, guide dogs, and seating needs well in advance. They should Learn about medical facilities in the areas they will be visiting, obtain a letter from their doctor detailing their medical requirements or conditions, and carry a medical alert bracelet or pendant for specific conditions.

While You Are Away

You may reduce your risks of catching an infectious disease while travelling by taking a few simple measures. Infectious diseases are carried predominantly through the biting of infected mosquitos in various parts of the world. Yellow Fever, Malaria, and Dengue Fever are all potentially lethal mosquito-borne infections.

Wearing a mosquito repellent containing DEET or picaridin, which will assist you in avoiding getting bitten by a mosquito, is the most dependable strategy to ensure you don't develop a mosquito-borne disease. Rabies is a virus that may infect any warm-blooded mammal. It is spread through infected animals' bites or scratches. The most dangerous animals are those with whom people have frequent contact, such as dogs, but they also include monkeys, bats, and rats.

Rabies infections are extremely rare, yet the disease is nearly invariably lethal. It is not recommended to touch or feed wild or unvaccinated animals while you are travelling abroad. Infected animals are rare to act erratically or appear sick unless the bite or scratch is considered life-threatening.Immunisation and immunoglobulin will help prevent infection if the bite or scratch is considered life-threatening.

Food-borne sickness is a major source of disease in other countries, and it includes both 'traveller's diarrhoea' and more serious infections like hepatitis A or cholera. The food-borne disease does not always have clear sources. While a glass of soft drink may be safe, the ice in the glass may have been created with polluted water. Medical tourism is defined as travelling to another nation for medical treatment.

Many people go for medical care since it is cheaper in another nation. Cosmetic surgery, dental, and heart surgery are the most prevalent treatments performed during medical tourism visits. If you intend to go to another country for medical care, including a cosmetic operation, bear in mind that the quality of care may differ. It is in your best interests to consult with your healthcare provider before departing.

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