Trip overseas could give you more than you bargained for!

Jan 16 2006

According to a new study by U.S. researchers, that trip overseas to an exotic country may not be as trouble free as you might wish, and you could bring back more than you bargained for.

Researchers from 30 GeoSentinel sites, which are specialized travel or tropical-medicine clinics on six continents, found that as many as 8 percent of travelers, or more than 50 million people visiting developing countries, needed health care during their trip or when they returned home.

Depending on the destination, up to two-thirds become sick, most with short-lived diarrhea, skin problems and respiratory infections.

The team examined data for 17,353 sick travelers returning from six developing regions of the world.

They found that when traveling to Africa or Southeast Asia, malaria and dengue fever are of concern, while in the Caribbean and South America infections from worms and other parasites are more of an issue.

Apparently travellers to south-central Asia are more vulnerable to respiratory illness.

Most visitors to exotic locations are aware they should not drink the local water, eat well cooked food and wash fruit, but there are other health threats from mosquitoes and other insects.

Much of the travel advice offered and many doctors at home are ill-equipped to recognise some the diseases and conditions brought home from some countries.

The study showed on-going diarrhea from infections by parasites is now more often seen than bacterial diarrhea and dengue fever is more prevalent than malaria in most regions, while infections and illness as a result of a tick bites occur more frequently than typhoid or dengue in parts of Africa.

GeoSentinel will shares its findings with health agencies so that they can update travel recommendations.