Posts Tagged ‘Schistosomiasis.’

Prevention of Diseases During Travel

Travelers (especially traveler from a developed country to a developing or underdeveloped country) are at high risk of contacting many diseases compare to the local population. Many of the diseases are infectious diseases and many are not related to disease agents. All the risks are due to indulgent of travelers to different activities in the place of their travel.

Travelers are at high risk of contacting an STD (sexually transmitted disease). Recent studies show that large number of travelers engage in casual sex and they can get reluctant to use condom consistently and get infected with STDs. To prevent STD all travelers should use condom during casual sex and also carry condom with them. Use of condom can also prevent spread of HIV. In USA an increasing number of travelers are diagnosed with schistosomiasis. Travelers should avoid bathing, swimming or wading in freshwater lakes, streams, or rivers in parts of tropical South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Prevention of travel associated injuries or injury during travel is also very important as study shows that the chances of getting injury is much higher among travelers. Common-sense precautions should be taken during travel like not riding a motor cycle without a helmet, avoiding overcrowded public transport etc. A traveler should not travel in developing countries by road after dark (especially alone), particularly in rural areas. Traveler should not go out of his/her shelter after dark and alone. Travelers are cautioned to avoid walking barefoot because of the risk of hookworm infection and Strongyloides infection and snake bites. Excessive alcohol use has been a significant factor in drowning, assaults, injuries and not to mention the chances of increased motor vehicle accidents. Excess alcohol should be avoided during travel and also excessive “tasting” of local drinks, because travelers may get a bigger “kick” due to local alcoholic drinks.

Water Related Diseases

Human Health can be affected by drinking contaminated water through food or directly as drinking water and also by use of contaminated water for personal hygiene or recreation (swimming pools for swimming and diving and other water sports). The term water related disease include water borne disease also. Developing countries carry a heavy burden of water borne diseases due to lack of safe drinking water supply. Among the water borne and water related diseases diarrhea is most important. Water related disease can be biological (water borne disease) and chemical.

Biological: They are two types those caused by the presence of infective agents in water and those due to presence of aquatic host in water.

(1) Due to Infective agents:

These can be subdivided by the type of the infective agent present in water-

(a) Viral: Viral hepatitis (due to hepatitis A virus, Hepatitis E virus) poliomyelitis and rotavirus diarrhea in infants.

(b) Bacterial: Typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, Escherichia coli (E. coli) diarrhea, cholera, bacillary dysentery, Travelers diarrhea etc.

(c) Protozoal: Amoebissis (antameba histolytica), giardiasis (giardia lamblia).

(d) Helmintic: Worm infestation like round worm, thread worm and hydrated disease.

(e) Leptospiral: Weill’s disease

(2) Due to presence of aquatic host:

(a) Snail: Schistosomiasis.

(b) Cyclopes : guinea worm, fish tape worm.