October 23, 2009

Be Aware Of Illness Potential After Your Big Overseas Trip

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During your travels to foreign countries, particularly in areas endemic of tropical diseases, you are likely to become exposed to some of these diseases. Not everyone gets sick after exposure...

During your travels to foreign countries, particularly in areas endemic of tropical diseases, you are likely to become exposed to some of these diseases. Not everyone gets sick after exposure to some of the parasites, viruses and bacteria that cause disease, but there is always the chance that it could occur.

Some diseases present symptoms fairly quickly, just a day or two, after exposure. This means you may become ill during the trip itself, requiring medical attention immediately. However, some diseases have a longer incubation time which means that you unknowingly bring home a potentially infectious souvenir.

A Traveler's Risks

There are several things that will be investigated should you become ill after arriving home from some foreign destination. First of all, a doctor will want to know specifically where you went and what region. They will want to know how long you were gone from home, how long you stayed in each place and what your travel and hotel accommodations were. Then, you will be asked what underlying medical conditions you may have in addition to what immunizations you might have had before your trip.

Knowing all of this information can help a doctor pinpoint what type of tropical disease you could have so immediate treatment can begin. In the meantime, a lab would then have an idea of what tropical diseases to test for with cultures of your blood, stool and urine. Postponing any medical treatment while waiting for an answer could delay any progress in recovering from your illness.

Most tropical diseases will present symptoms within the first three months after returning from abroad which greatly helps in the diagnosis and proper treatment of the illness. However, some diseases do not manifest themselves for months or even years later. In this regard, it can be quite harder to link your illness to a tropical disease. As a result, diagnosis could be delayed hindering your treatment and recovery time.

If you happen to become ill within a few months of returning from travel to a tropical disease endemic country, you should try and visit with a doctor that specializes in tropical diseases. In addition, if you travel abroad frequently, you should make it a matter of course to visit a doctor after your return home for routine blood, urine and stool sample screenings. This routine check could save you a lot of grief in the long run should you have contracted a disease that might not make it known for months or years. You could get treatment of the disease before it even presents symptoms thus saving yourself a lot of pain and suffering.

The possibility of a tropical disease should always be on your mind when you book a trip to a foreign land, particularly one in a developing or third world country with questionable water and waste management practices. The smart move would be to check with the Centers for Disease Control in advance and check for any travel advisories to the country in question. You could find out quickly whether there are any disease outbreaks as well as tips to help avoid disease.