More and more Poles travel to overseas countries, and knowledge about diseases that can be infected there is still low. On Tuesday, doctors – specialists in travel diseases, told journalists about what to do to protect themselves against tropical diseases.
More than half of people who travel to tropical or developing countries suffer from related health problems. One in ten people must consult a doctor after their return, one in a hundred goes to the hospital, and one in one hundred thousand dies due to complications from diseases that we contract during distant travels, warned Dr. Agnieszka Wroczyńska from the National Center of Tropical Medicine in Gdynia .
The most common diseases that tourists suffer from are diarrhea, which every second person experiences, upper respiratory tract infections and malaria.
According to Dr. Wroczyńska, you can definitely improve your safety during long journeys by following a few basic rules.
First of all, before traveling to distant countries, you should gather information about diseases that can be infected in the countries you visit. Information should be obtained from trusted sources, websites of organizations such as the World Health Organization, the American health organization CDC or the Polish Travel Medicine Information Center (www.cimp.pl). You should not rely on information from travel forums. A doctor, a specialist in travel diseases, is also a very important source of information – said Wroczyńska.
In addition, you should take care of preventive vaccinations. You should visit your doctor for the first time at least 6 weeks before the planned trip. This is due to the fact that some preventive vaccinations need to be repeated in order to develop proper immunity, said Dr. Piotr Kajfasz from the Institute of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases of the Medical University of Warsaw.
Depending on the destination, vaccination against yellow fever should be considered, from which 30 people die. people a year, hepatitis A, which affects three out of a hundred tourists, rabies, which consumes 60 thousand worldwide. victims per year, typhoid fever, polio, whooping cough, tetanus, cholera or meningococcus.
The cost of such vaccinations before the first trip is several hundred zlotys – said Dr. Wroczyńska – but they have a long-lasting effect. – Before the next trips, only these vaccinations should be renewed, which is not only cheaper but also less troublesome. More information on vaccinations can be found at www.szczepieniadlapodrozujacych.pl
Malaria prophylaxis is also important. Malaria is the leading killer of travelers. It is transmitted by mosquitoes and occurs in 110 countries around the world. Mainly children who do not have developed defense systems against the disease are exposed to malaria, but also adult tourists. There is no vaccine for malaria yet, so you should defend yourself against it with repellants, mosquito nets, air conditioning, insecticidal candles, as well as taking preventive drugs – said Dr. Wroczyńska. Many people use home methods such as lubricating the body with garlic, eating hot peppers, drinking whiskey or taking vitamin B. The doctor warned that these methods are completely ineffective in deterring mosquitoes and preventing malaria.
Before leaving, you should also get a travel kit. If it is not necessary, you should not buy drugs in the countries you visit. According to the data cited by Wroczyńska, almost 80 percent. drugs in pharmacies in developing countries are drugs without registration, and in 29 percent. No drug substances were found in the drugs tested.
You should also remember about travel insurance. The vaccine will not help us when we climb Aconcagua and the pain of the appendix will get us – said Wroczyńska.
The doctor strongly advises against traveling with young children to distant countries, especially to areas affected by malaria. If you are going on a trip with your child, you must consult a pediatrician and a travel medicine clinic.
It is also important to follow the safety rules in the place of stay: eating only cooked products, and fruit or vegetables only fresh and peeled, drinking only boiled water or pre-packaged drinks, and not using ice in drinks. Dr. Wroczyńska adheres to the principle: Boil, bake, peel or forget! Meanwhile, more than half of tourists in tropical countries do not follow these recommendations.
Doctors also warned against accidental sexual contact, walking barefoot, swimming in inland waters, using local beauty services, and contact with animals. (PAP)