The Travel Clinic Ltd

Date: 28/05/08

Disease outbreaks May 2008 - more news from The Travel Clinic

There are outbreaks of Yellow Fever still spreading across South America, prompting huge scale vaccination programmes, but recently the World Health Organisation has announced a yellow fever outbreak in Central Africa.

The Chikungunya season has started in India, with thousands of people affected. This is a particularly nasty flu-like illness, a little like dengue fever, but spread by both day time and night time biting mosquitoes.

Here at The Travel Clinic Ltd we advise insect repellents containing at least 35% DEET (N,N-Diethyl-m-tolumide) and we advise the long lasting ones, which can last up to ten hours if applied correctly. Available from our Travel Clinic at 41 Hills Road, Cambridge 01223 367362 or at The Travel Clinic @ Gilmour Pipers, 10 Fonnereau Road, Ipswich 01473 217592

27/05/08: Chikungunya fever in India (Karnataka) (update); Dengue fever in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City); Schistosomiasis in Madagascar
23/05/08: Yellow fever in Central African Republic
21/05/08: Measles in London Chikungunya in India (Karnataka)
20/05/08 Dengue fever in Philippines
19/05/08: Cholera in Myanmar, Hand foot and mouth disease in China (Macao) and Mongolia; Measles in Spain
14/05/08: Dengue fever in Indonesia (East Kalimantan); Hand foot and mouth disease in Mongolia; Earthquake in China
09/05/08: Hand foot and mouth disease in China ; Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in Turkey; Mumps in the United Kingdom
07/05/08: Yellow fever in Peru Tropical cyclone in Myanmar
06/05/08: Rabies in Argentina; Hand foot and mouth disease in Malaysia (Sarawak), Singapore and China; Chikungunya in Indonesia (Java)
01/05/08: Dengue fever in Thailand, Malaysia and Brazil; Chikungunya fever in Sri Lanka; Hand, foot and mouth disease in China; Rabies in France

Ideally, travellers should consult their healthcare professionals at least six weeks prior to departure to obtain advice on how to reduce travel-related health risks which may include anti-malarial drugs and vaccines.

Last minute bookings for cheap package holidays are popular and also some people, such as emergency relief workers and the military, may be forced to travel at very short notice, often to areas which are dangerous, remote or affected by war or natural disasters.

VACCINATIONS

* Some vaccines given to last minute travellers may not give effective protection even after travellers have arrived at their destination this particularly applies to primary courses. If the recommended booster dose interval has been substantially delayed the immune response, while usually still adequate, may also be delayed.

* Travellers leaving at short notice may not have time to complete the full course when primary courses require two or more doses usually given at intervals of days or weeks. Accelerated schedules (e.g. for hepatitis B and rabies) have been devised but they may not offer as complete protection as the full course and may need to be followed with an extra dose given before the normal first booster interval.

* Some vaccines e.g. Japanese B encephalitis may have delayed side effects that may be a cause of concern if the traveller is departing within a few days.

Yellow Fever

* Yellow fever is a mosquito borne disease and occurs most commonly in jungle areas. It is therefore more likely in travellers going to remote areas.

* A yellow fever vaccination certificate is necessary for crossing borders in many parts of Africa and South America.

* Vaccination takes about a week to become effective and a vaccination certificate is not valid until 10 days after primary vaccination although it is valid immediately after booster.

A useful website for vaccine preventable diseases is www.nathnac.org: this website is funded by the Department of Health and gives independent advice on vaccine preventable diseases and many other health issues.

If the traveller has no experience of using anti-malarial drugs previously and departure is within less than seven days (giving no time to try out the tablets in relation to possible side-effects) the choice of malaria drugs are very limited.

Firms, which frequently send employees abroad, should consider vaccinating personnel in anticipation of overseas assignments.

To find out more visit www.travelclinic.ltd.uk

See also:
Organisation: The Travel Clinic Ltd

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