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Rising numbers of traveller are getting malaria

By
admin
– April 23, 2013Posted in: Specific Health Issues

A growing number of Calgarians who travel abroad are coming home with malaria, according to a new University of Calgary study that suggests fewer residents are taking the right steps to ward off the tropical disease.

According to the study, Calgary saw 295 laboratory-confirmed imported malaria cases between 2000 and 2011. Of those cases, less than 25 per cent of those infected sought medical advice before travelling, and just 60 per cent who did seek information from health professionals took preventive treatment.

“Calgarians can get malaria if travelling to affected regions. The good news is malaria can be prevented if the right precautions are taken,” says Dr. Dylan Pillai, senior author on the study and member of the U of C’s Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases.

If you do fall ill then make sure you have the best travel insurance cover you can afford.

“There are very effective drugs available to both prevent and treat the illness, provided it is accessed within a timely fashion.”

The study was published Monday online in the journal PLOS ONE.

Malaria, caused by a bite from an infected mosquito, isn’t contagious and only visitors to affected regions are at risk. While severe cases can be fatal, no deaths have been reported in Calgary in the past 10 years.

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SARS

By
jod
– November 30, 2011Posted in: Specific Health Issues

SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is endemic in countries like:

  • China
  • Hong Kong
  • Vietnam
  • Singapore
  • Taiwan
  • Indonesia
  • Philippines
  • Thailand
  • Canada
  • Singapore

Travellers are advised to take extra precautions when going to the countries where SARS is very rampant. In fact on the 2nd of April 2003, the Department of Health advised to be extra careful when traveling to Hong Kong and Guangdong Province in Southern China as these are the places where SARS was originated. When travelling to the mentioned places make sure that you bring your insurance to cover your medical care.

Symptoms of SARS include:

  • High fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
  • Respiratory symptoms such as:
    • Cough
    • Sore throat
    • Shortness of breath
    • Difficulty in breathing

SARS virus transmits from an infected person to another if they have close contact. The paramyxo virus that causes SARS is the same virus that cause measles and mumps but recently determined as a member of the coronavirus family that is not seen in humans.

 

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    It is vital that if you are travelling with medical conditions that you take out appropriate medical cover. Travel insurance for epileptics is a specialist site for pre-known medical conditions.

    Travel-associated measles importation

    Because of high immunization rates for measles in the United States, CDC declared the disease eliminated in 2000, following interruption of the transfer of disease from person to person. However, the 222 measles cases and 17 outbreaks in 2011 reported to CDC from 31 different states were the most since 1996, during which 508 cases occurred. Schuchat said that between 2001 and 2010, a median of 60 cases of measles were seen each year.

    On a worldwide level, however, measles is much more prevalent; globally, 20 million people get measles each year. The virus can be easily imported by travelers visiting the United States or Americans who acquire measles during travel abroad and bring it back.

    "Measles can be serious—even in developed countries like the United States," said Schuchat. "For every 1,000 children who get measles, between 1 and 3 might die from the infection, despite very good treatment."

    Measles is extremely contagious and can be spread easily through coughs and sneezes. "You could catch measles just by being in the room where a person with measles has been, even after that person has left the room," noted Schuchat.

    In 2011, 72 actual cases of measles importation occurred; nearly half were from the European region. "Recently, there has been a lot of measles in Europe," said Schuchat. "In 2011, more than 37,000 measles cases were reported from Europe, and some of the countries that have been hardest hit are places that Americans frequently travel, like France, Italy, and Spain."

  • Travel News

    When planning for your trip overseas then you should ensure you have taken our sufficient travel insurance for the over 80s if you are an older traveller.

    Popular Travel Destinations

    We are going to take a look at the most popular summer vacation destinations. No surprise here, AAA says, Orlando, Florida held on its top spot. It's followed by Honolulu, Rome, London and Anaheim.

    The top cruise vacation destination is the Caribbean, with Alaska in second place. AAA reports more people are booking cruises as family vacations. Cruise Lines International Association forecasts that more than 17 million people will take a cruise in 2012. That's one million more than last year.

    AAA says China is the top exotic vacation destination for its customers. Peru and Amazon also make AAA's top five list.