Malaria is a protozoan (parasitic) infection caused by an infected Anopheles mosquito bite. About a quarter-billion infections occur annually, of which more than half million die each year. Malaria symptoms include high fever, body aches and rigors (intense shivering) with risks involving vital organs like your brain (causing confusion and coma), liver (jaundice), and kidneys (renal failure).
Travellers can get Malaria in most parts of Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the Caribbean and South Pacific.
Most travellers are not aware of such a risk and do not seek a pre-travel consultation.
Prevention:
Malaria is serious! Always keep that in mind.
Self-Treatment:
When you cross multiple time zones the rhythmic cues to the brain will alter some of the chemical signals that control the sleep-wake cycle. Its thought the Melatonin synthesis and release in the brain that is stimulated by darkness and suppressed by light, changes in a way that affects the internal body clock. This results in temporary sleep disturbance, which lasts longer with the more time zones traveled, especially eastward travel.
Eastward travellers will not be able to fall asleep at their destination’s routine bedtime and will have difficulty waking up in the morning. Westward travellers will have the opposite experience; they will fall asleep earlier and wake up earlier.
Prevention:
Self-Treatment:
Your travel doctor can give you a prescription for self-treatment medication to help you sleep well at your destination.
Altitude illness is comprised of three syndromes:
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS): This is very common. Symptoms are headaches that usually start few hours after arriving at the high altitude, nausea, loss of appetite and fatigue.
High-Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE): This is rare but fatal if person fails to descend after symptoms start. It’s like AMS plus lethargy, drowsiness, confusion and an unsteady gait. It can occur with HAPE.
High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE): The symptoms include cough, breathlessness and exercise intolerance. Fatal if a person fails to descend immediately. Can occur with the other two syndromes.
The main reason for altitude illness syndromes is the hypoxia associated with heights of 1500 m (4900 ft) and higher.
High-altitude destinations are widely sought by many travellers and include Cuzco, Peru (3400 m; 11150 ft), La Paz, Bolivia (3780 m; 12400 ft), Lhasa, Tibet (3660 m; 1200 ft), Everest Base Camp, Nepal (5364 m; 17598 ft), and Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (5895 m; 19341 ft).
To experience the magic of the high-altitude destinations you need good preparation techniques and health advice from your travel doctor, since altitude illness syndromes (especially HACE and HAPE) are very serious.
Prevention:
If you feel unwell at altitude, its altitude illness until proven otherwise.If you have symptoms of AMS, go no higher.If your symptoms are worsening (as with HACE or HAPE), you must go down immediately.Courtesy of Dr. David Shlim |
Self Treatment:
Prevention:
Self-Treatment:
TD affects millions of travellers visiting Asia, Africa, South America and the Caribbean. 1-3 out of 4 travellers will have TD.
Travellers Diarrhea is mainly caused by bacterial infection (sometimes viral or protozoan) of the gastrointestinal tract by ingesting contaminated food and drinks.
Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and abdominal cramps or sometimes bloody diarrhea.
TD has a great implication on travellers.
Imagine that you take a weeklong vacation to spend with your family on the beach and it gets ruined by TD.
Prevention:
TD can be prevented by health advice and vaccine. Ask your travel doctor how. (See: Vaccines & Food and Water Safety sections for more information on TD prevention).
Treatment:
Prevention:
There is NO self-treatment. It’s a MEDICAL EMERGENCY and you should seek immediate medical advice.
Contact us to schedule your next appointment.