Over 50 percent During their trip, travelers encounter health problems that force them to change their vacation plans. These dangers can be easily prevented.
Virtually no corner of the world hides secrets from us. We travel to the most remote places: the Asian steppes, the African tropics or the wild islands of the Pacific. We often bring from there not only extraordinary memories, but also pathogens that cause diseases, often with tragic consequences.
If you travel to countries with low sanitary standards, you must be prepared for food contamination. The biggest problem is diarrhea, which usually occurs during the first two weeks of your stay. Be careful not only about what you eat, but also what you drink.
What to do?
– avoid tap water and drinks with ice cubes,
– drink only bottled or boiled water; also use it when brushing your teeth,
– do not drink water from bottles that have been previously opened by someone else,
– avoid dairy products (especially if you don’t know if they have been pasteurized),
– do not buy food from street vendors,
– eat hot foods right after serving them,
– wash your hands with soap and water before eating,
– eat raw fruit after washing and peeling it carefully.
Another common problem is malaria, which is most common in sub-Saharan Africa, less commonly in Asia and South America. Watch out for mosquitoes that carry this disease. Before traveling to malaria areas, obtain antimalarial medications prescribed by a doctor.
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) pose a risk for those who like to have fun and who do not avoid casual sex. It is estimated that 5 percent. Europeans have sex with the local population, most of them unprotected. This is the case in Africa, for example, where the prevalence of these diseases (AIDS, gonorrhea syphilis) is widespread.
Travel and coexisting diseases
Do you think accidents are the most common cause of death among tourists? Nothing could be more wrong. It is estimated that only every 5th death occurs as a result of bodily injuries resulting from traffic accidents or drowning. 50 percent of them are the result of cardiovascular diseases, mainly heart attacks. So let’s prepare well for your trip.
Where to start preparing for the trip?
Before leaving, the most important thing is to assess our health. If you are being treated for arterial hypertension or have a diagnosed heart disease, be sure to contact a doctor before leaving, who will determine the type of exercise you can take with you, and in justified cases, he will recommend prophylaxis, e.g. daily use of acetylsalicylic acid, i.e. a popular aspirin, to avoid the risk of blood clots.
If you are going on a long journey (several hours flight), you can also take aspirin prophylactically or use compression tights or socks. Also remember that an easy way to avoid a blood clot is to get up during the flight and take a short walk around the deck.
If you have other medical conditions and are taking your medications consistently, be sure to take them with you. A drug holiday can cost you dearly.
Threats in the tropics
If you are going to tropical corners of the world, you are more at risk of infectious diseases. Therefore, before leaving, gather information on the prevalence of endemic diseases in the country you are going to. You can get it from travel or tropical health care facilities and travel agencies that are legally obliged to provide this information.
Also, remember that you need to get vaccinated before going to some countries.
For most of them, the recommended time to vaccinate is 4-6 weeks before a planned trip.
If you are going to these countries
– Argentina – recommended vaccinations are: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid fever and yellow fever,
– Australia – recommended vaccinations are: hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis,
– Brazil – recommended vaccinations are: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid fever, meningococcal disease, yellow fever, cholera,
– China – recommended vaccinations are: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid fever, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, Heine-Medin disease,
– Egypt – recommended vaccinations are: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, rabies,
– South Africa – recommended vaccinations are: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid fever, rabies, cholera,
– Thailand – recommended vaccinations are: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid fever, Japanese encephalitis,
– Tunisia – recommended vaccinations are: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, rabies,
– Turkey – recommended vaccinations are: hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid fever, rabies,
– Canary Islands – recommended vaccinations are hepatitis B.
It is also worth remembering about antimalarial prophylaxis:
– in closed rooms, use air conditioning and nets on windows and ventilation grilles,
– wear appropriate clothes to protect your arms and legs,
– avoid being in the field when insects are most active, i.e. from dusk to dawn,
– use mosquito nets and repellants regularly.
In countries where malaria is endemic (Africa, South and Southeast Asia, some regions in Australia and Eastern Europe), use anti-malarial chemoprophylaxis. Treatment with an antimalarial drug should be started within 24-48 hours before reaching the endemic area. The effectiveness of such prophylaxis is almost one hundred percent.
When staying in a foreign country, you should also take precautions against being bitten by animals. Avoid touching and stroking animals, even when they are being friendly. Watch out for wild animals and bats that live in caves. If the animal is bitten or scratched by an animal, wash the wound with soap and water as soon as possible and report to a healthcare facility immediately. Wear appropriate footwear. Remember that even a small scratch can lead to tetanus infection.
Avoid contaminated soil and tall grass areas where snakes, spiders and scorpions can lurk, and shallow stagnant water tanks that may harbor parasites such as blood flukes that can pierce the skin and enter the bloodstream.
When you go away, make sure you always have sunscreen with you. Apply them every hour. Avoid piercing your ears and getting tattoos (risk of hepatitis B and C and HIV) and casual sex without a condom (risk of HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydiosis and hepatitis B and hepatitis C).
Text: Lidia Banach