Top 10 Most Common Traveler Diseases

by Symptom Advice on January 18, 2011

When going on a trip whether overseas or just a state away, there is always the chance that you may get sick. There are several diseases that you should avoid contracting while traveling. Here we will cover the 10 most common diseases you can get while traveling.

Hepatitis A is a viral disease that attacks the liver. This disease is prominent in Africa, Latin America, India, and Mexico. although it is rarely fatal, getting Hepatitis A can still be a miserable experience. Common symptoms include fever, nausea, abdominal discomfort, and a few days later jaundice.

In order to prevent contracting this disease, there is a vaccine that you should take about 4 weeks before taking a trip; follow up with the booster shot 6-12 months later.

Hepatitis B is similar to Hepatitis A in that it attacks the liver. However it is a far more dangerous strain of Hepatitis and can cause death among other things if not treated. This disease is found in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific Islands; however, in rare cases, people have been diagnosed with the disease in America, meaning there is an extreme outside chance you might catch it during your next Richmond extended stay or Houston lodging excursion. When the disease is found in the U.S., it is generally because someone has traveled abroad and brought the disease back with them to the States, much like an unwelcome foreign step aunt.

The symptoms are the same as Hepatitis A as well, but the prevention is a larger series of shots. three doses of the vaccine should be gotten 6 months before you travel anywhere where you are likely to contract this disease.

Cholera is a bacterial disease which affects the intestines. This disease is found in Indonesia, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Some of the symptoms of Cholera include vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration.

There are several things you can do to avoid getting Cholera. There is a vaccine you can get before you travel that is at least 50 percent affective. another thing you can do to avoid getting cholera is to avoid eating uncooked food and to boil all your drinking water.

Japanese Encephalitis is a very fatal disease attacks your central nervous system. This disease can be gotten when traveling in the agricultural regions of Asia. You contract this disease from the bite of an infected mosquito. the symptoms for this disease are tricky. they can either be nonexistent or they can resemble the flu with vomiting, chills, headache, tiredness, and diarrhea.

There are a couple things you can do to avoid getting this disease. You can try to avoid being around anywhere that has standing water, especially if you see bugs around it. There is also a vaccine that is over 90 percent affective if taken in two doses.

Meningitis is a bacterial disease that infects the blood stream or the lining of the spinal cord and brain. it is most commonly found in the sub Saharan Africa although it has been known to be in Saudi Arabia. You can catch this disease if you come into direct contact with infected people’s coughing or sneezing. Some of the symptoms of meningitis include fever, headache, nausea and vomiting, and a stiff neck.

You can avoid getting this disease by steering clear of people who are sick, so they cannot cough or sneeze on you. There is also a vaccine and some antibiotics that will help.

Tetanus, also called lock jaw, is a bacterial disease that affects all of your central nervous system. This disease can happen anywhere. You can get tetanus if you have an open wound that becomes contaminated with the bacterial organism. Some signs that you have tetanus include a stiff jaw, stiff neck,, fever, hard time swallowing, tight abdomen, and sometimes spasms.

A way to avoid this disease is to make sure that any open wounds you have are cleaned out and bandaged well, to avoid getting anything in them until they heal. the vaccine you can get is one hundred percent effective. it is best if you get the vaccine every ten years, if you do a lot of traveling. This disease can be fatal if left untreated.

Typhoid Fever is a disease that infects the intestinal tract and sometimes also your bloodstream. You are at greater risk of getting this disease if you travel to India or the lower income countries of Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. Some of the symptoms are a sudden fever, nausea, loss of appetite, and can sometimes follow with a hoarse cough and diarrhea.if you want to avoid getting this disease, stay away from any food or water that may have salmonella. You can make sure of this by always boiling any water you drink or use and cooking your food thoroughly before you eat it. There is also a vaccine that is pretty effective in preventing you from contracting this disease.

You can get yellow fever from the bite of an infected mosquito. Yellow fever is a viral disease found in Sub Saharan Africa, and tropical South America. Common symptoms of this disease are fever, headache, vomiting, and backache. as the disease gets worse your pulse will get weaker, your gums may bleed, and you may find blood in your urine.

Some obvious ways to avoid getting this disease are to stay away from standing water and avoid areas that are prevalent with insects. There is also a vaccine that lasts up to 15 days each time you get it.

This disease can happen anywhere, in fact you have probably already had it at least once in your life. as you may well know, diarrhea is when your bowel movements are less solid than normal. You can actually catch this disease if you drink or eat something that is contaminated with it.You can avoid getting diarrhea by not eating uncooked food or drinking non boiled water. if you do get diarrhea, make sure you have Pepto-Bismol or Imodium with you.

You can get Malaria from more than forty percent of the world. Some countries where this disease is more common are Sub Saharan Africa, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Malaria is a severe disease caused by a parasite and it can be fatal. This disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. Malaria symptoms are flulike in nature and include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness.

To avoid getting malaria, stay away from standing water. also try to avoid places that are prone to having insects. There are also four different drugs that can be taken before and during your trip to help you avoid getting this disease.

There you have it, the top ten most common traveling diseases. Do not let this scare you into not taking your business trip or vacation. Merely make sure you are prepared so that if something does happen to you, you will only suffer mildly.

John Smith is owner of Nursing Scrubs website NursingUniforms.net.

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