Malaria is one of the most widespread tropical diseases in the world and there has been nothing so far to truly eradicate the disease from existence. Mosquitoes infected from parasites transmit malaria to unsuspecting blood meals like humans. These malaria-ridden mosquitoes can be found all over the world in tropical and sub-tropical places like Africa, Mexico, Central and South America, Asia and more.

Are you planning any trips to Africa, India or South America? How about certain areas in Russia like Uzbekistan or countries in Southeast Asia? These particular developing regions bring great risk of the disease typhoid fever. Over ten million people each year get it and because you live in the U.S. where sanitary conditions keep such diseases at bay, you could be more susceptible to it if you are traveling to developing countries for work or pleasure where water and sewage treatment facilities are not the norm.

Malaria is one of the most contracted tropical diseases in the world. It is quite deadly but death can be treated successfully and even prevented. Malaria is typically the result of a parasite which infects mosquitoes that in turn bite humans, spreading the disease. There are four different types of parasites which directly affect humans: Plasmodium malariae or P. malariae, P. falciparum, P. ovale and P. vivax.

Marburg hemorrhagic fever aka Marburg virus is quite a nasty disease. It is related to the Ebola virus, an equally deadly illness and both diseases belong to the filovirus family. Marburg is one of the most devastating of the filoviruses because of the severe bleeding that can occur, thus the Marburg hemorrhagic fever name. Most primates, including monkeys and humans can contract the disease.

It was 1967 when this disease was discovered when several lab workers in Marburg became ill with the virus along with several people in cities with the same lab. It turned out that some monkeys from Africa used for research purposes transmitted the virus to these workers.

Oropouche fever is a tropical disease that typically manifests itself in epidemics rather than single cases here and there. It is a febrile illness with no particular telling characteristics other than it is often compared to mild cases of dengue fever. Oropouche fever is named after the Oropouche River found in Trinidad and Tobago. There is also a nickname for this tropical illness, febre de Mojui, named after a village called Mojui in Northern Brazil where the illness presented itself during a clearing of rainforested areas there.

Mosquitoes are the bane of many people's existence. They are also the transmitter of many viruses and parasites that cause countless diseases around the world. One of these illnesses is West Nile virus. While common in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, this virus has also made an appearance in the United States as well.

Some people may be bitten by an infected mosquito and not get any symptoms while others may experience mild ones. There are a few people however who experience life-threatening illnesses as a result of a simple bite from a mosquito infected with this West Nile virus.

Blame this tropical disease on snails living and infecting bodies of water. Schistosomiasis may not be known in the United States but over 200 million people all over the world have intimate knowledge of this disease. Sometimes called Bilharzia, this nasty tropical disease is caused by parasitic worms just as many other tropical diseases are.

There are three types of Schistosoma worm that cause the disease Schistosomiasis in humans – S. japonicum, S. mansoni and S. haematobium. You can become infected when fresh contaminated water in which schistosome-carrying snails thrive comes in contact with your skin. People who have Schistosomiasis may infect fresh water areas when they have any body eliminations in the water which releases eggs from this parasitic schistosoma worm.

Dengue fever is quite special – it is caused by four different viruses that are all transmitted by a particular type of mosquito. People have developed mild cases of dengue which causes rashes, high fever and sore joints and muscles. The severe forms – dengue shock syndrome and dengue hemorrhagic fever – can cause similar symptoms along with plummeting blood pressure, excessive bleeding and death.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 100 million cases of dengue fever occur each year around the world. While some cases have cropped up in Hawaii, Texas and the borders of Mexico, this tropical disease is primarily found in tropical and sup-tropical areas of Africa, India, the Central and South Pacific regions, the Caribbean, South and Central America and Southeast Asia.

There are countless species of mosquitoes all around the world and each and every one of them has the potential to carry bacteria, viruses and parasites that cause disease, in some instances, some of the deadliest diseases known to man. Millions of people worldwide die each year from diseases carried by the mosquito and millions more get sick and have to be hospitalized for treatment.

Sand flies are not only pesky creatures but they can make your life miserable when you are traveling thanks to the parasitic disease they carry. This tropical disease is called leishmaniasis and it comes in several forms – visceral leishmaniasis which affects internal organs of the body and cutaneous leishmaniasis which can cause sores on the skin.

If you follow the news at all, you probably remember reports of occurrences of SARS, a respiratory illness caused by a particular strain of the corona virus. Hong Kong, China and other Asian destinations had reports of outbreaks and deaths. SARS stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and can be first publicly traced back to China in November of 2002.

Travel advisories to Hong Kong were issued around March 2003 by the World Health Organization because it was not known what the cause was at the time. By the end of July, almost 10,000 people were affected with almost 1,000 deaths, quite significant for industrialized areas.

When planning your vacation to a foreign country, you are coordinating flight schedules, rental cars and booking hotels. The logistics of the trip as well as the activities you have planned are what usually consume your attention. However, what you should also be thinking about is how to stay healthy. After all, you don't want to bring home an unintended infectious souvenir that will leave you down for the count in bed!

Contaminated food and water are two of the biggest culprits that spread disease around the world. One of the most prevalent diseases found in countries with poor sanitation efforts is amebiasis. This disease is caused by entamoeba histolytica, a single celled parasite.

Who is at Risk?

Virtually anyone can get amebiasis and it is most common in developing and third world countries where sanitary conditions are poor. This disease is usually not seen in the United States unless an immigrant from one of the third world countries visits here. Travelers to these countries can also bring the disease home with them.

If your trip to Jamaica will be aboard a cruise ship or you plan to stick to one of the lush resorts, chances are that you won't have to take more than rudimentary measures to protect yourself against disease. However, if you are a bit of an adventurer and plan to explore the island and its rich culture, then you need to be up on all the latest travel advisories of the area in regards to disease.

With the multitude of tropical diseases around the world, there is a select group of them that have been labeled as "neglected." About 1/6 of the world's population, almost 1 billion people, are afflicted with neglected diseases. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) earn their name because they occur in the poorest of poor areas in countries around the world whereas the surrounding areas as well as industrialized and wealthy countries never even see them.

Mexico is one of the most affordable and most desirable destinations for a vacation. However, did you know that there are several diseases you could pick up during your stay? The often joked about Montezuma's Revenge aka diarrhea is just one of the symptoms of the many illnesses you could pick up in this country. While it can be a lovely paradise, paradise does come with its "serpents."

In the tropical and sub-tropical areas of Mexico, there has been an upsurgence of dengue fever, a viral disease that can become hemorrhagic if left untreated or if your immune system is compromised by pre-existing conditions. Malaria is a problem as well as a host of other diseases like leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, river blindness, leptospirosis, roundworms, histoplasmosis and the list goes on.

When traveling to other countries, it is contaminated water and food that will likely make you sick and cause disease rather than the potential mosquito and insect bites. This is especially true if you do not plan to venture to the more rural areas of the country. You cannot be blasé about what you drink and order off of the menu. You will have to weight the pros and cons of possible contamination with every drink and food choice you make.

There are a few tropical diseases that affect both animals and humans. Rift Valley fever or RVF is a viral disease that is spread mainly through mosquito bites and because these pests take their blood meal wherever they can get it, both domesticated animals and humans can contract the disease from them.

Rift Valley fever is a phlebovirus and identified in the early 20th century, first in livestock in Africa. Typically, you will find this disease in southern and eastern Africa as well as Madagascar, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern areas. Epidemics of the disease typically occur when the environment or relationship between animals and humans are disrupted.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the usual suspect when it comes to the transmission of dengue fever, one of the most prevalent viral diseases in tropical and sub-tropical areas around the world. People who live or have traveled to parts of Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, northern Australia and India have a decent chance of developing the disease.

The risk of exposure to dengue fever is mainly through the bite of the mosquito and danger varies from season to season, usually following rainy seasons. Dengue is not just a rural or impoverished disease. As the mosquitoes that carry the dengue germ love to breed in man-made containers and areas filled with water, you could run into a mosquito bite in the middle of a city or town.

While traveling in the United States may have its share of dangers, having an adventure in a foreign land is liable to cost you more than the airfare, especially if you are planning an eco adventure to the Amazon, braving the wilds of Africa for a safari or just exploring the countryside and villages of Vietnam. In fact, traveling to any region in developing or third world countries is liable to give you a souvenir that keeps on giving – in the form of disease.