Whether traveling to the tropics for business or pleasure, you should be aware of possible dangers including tropical diseases. The following are recommendations to follow in order to avoid contracting a tropical disease.
Be sure to bring this list of recommendations to your doctor when you make your 6-week prior to leaving appointment. Your doctor can go over them and let you know which diseases are active in the area you will be traveling to.
The first step to take is to identify the tropical diseases in the area you will be traveling to. As an example – Yellow fever is a tropical disease found in tropical America south of Panama Canal and sub-Saharan Africa. Currently 11 countries in Latin America and 33 countries in Africa have active cases of yellow fever. Most of the cases of yellow fever occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
Receiving available immunizations is a preventative measure that your doctor can explain to you as well as give to you.
You will need to keep your International Certificate of Vaccination (ICV) in your passport to prove that you have been vaccinated. The vaccine should be administered no later than 10 days before entering an active country for that disease.
Malaria is one of the most common of the tropical diseases and can be contracted in both the rural areas as well as the cities.
Malaria is a highly curable disease if caught early on so detection, diagnosis and early treatment are important.
Here are some tips a traveler needs to follow to avoid malaria:
1. First, take the anti-malarial medication when you are in a risk-free zone
2. Avoid bites by using deet containing insect repellent
3. Wear long-sleeved clothing
4. Do not wear perfumes or colognes
5. Sleep inside in an air-conditioned room or if this is not possible sleep under a good quality mosquito net.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has a policy that states that immunization against Cholera is no longer required for travelers.
Tips for traveling safely in tropical diseased areas:
1. Take antimalarial pills
2. Avoid mosquito bites
3. Use sunblock when traveling to tropical climates to avoid burns as damaged skin can be entry points for disease causing agents.
4. Avoid ice, salads and reheated foods, uncooked shellfish and street vendor food should also be avoided as well as any food that has been left out unattended.
5. If you are traveling to the Caribbean, South America, Africa or the Middle East or
even Southeast Asia then do not swim in fresh water unless you know for sure it is free of biharzia (schistosomiasis)
6. Avoid walking around in bare feet as parasites can be contracted that way. This is actually good advice for any worldwide location not just the tropics.
7. Use condoms when having sex with foreigners and avoid anal-oral sex as this can expose you to diseases including tropical ones.
8. Use either air-conditioning when sleeping or a good quality sleeping net for protection from mosquitoes. It is also wise to spray all window screens with insect repellent.
Use these recommendations and any advice from your doctor and you should be able to prevent any tropical diseases from spoiling your trip.
About the Author
Scott Meyers is a staff writer for Its Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Tropical Diseases.
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Different Kinds of Skin Infections
Many different kinds of skin infections can affect dogs. Despite their fur, dogs can be easily infected with skin diseases that can cause adverse effects such as hair loss. The different kinds of dog skin diseases are allergic, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic skin infections. The names imply the sources of the infections. Dog skin diseases caused by allergies are very common in dogs, just as allergies are very common in humans. Dog allergies are caused by the same factors that cause allergies in humans. They are adverse reactions to certain allergens, which are usually dust, molds, insects, unfamiliar particles, and food. Thus, there are different kinds of allergies. bacterial skin diseases are not contagious. Bacterial skin infections can spread all throughout a dog’s body. These skin diseases usually affect areas where skin is folded, such as the chin. The third kind of skin infection in dogs is called fungal skin infection, which, as implied, is caused by fungi. This is contagious to humans, so it is considered very dangerous. Fungal infections are one of the reasons why it is important to wash your hands after holding your dog. If you have several dogs, make sure to separate the others from the infected dogs, since fungal skin infections can also pass from one dog to another.
The Signs of Skin Diseases
To know whether your dog is a victim of skin diseases, be sensitive to your dog’s skin. Look for signs of irritated skin. Also, if your dog is itching, that’s your first cue. Allergies are usually characterized by skin lesions and even digestive disorders. The infected area can also appear moistened. If the infected area is reddened, itchy, and dries up, and if there is hair loss around the area, the skin infection is probably caused by bacteria. Fungal skin infections, on the other hand, can be detected when the dog develops hair loss in circular patterns, the center of which is very dry. Fungal skin infections can be mostly found in the dog’s legs.
Curing Skin Infections in Dogs
If you see signs of skin infections in your dog, it is best to consult your veterinarian first and foremost. In case of skin infections caused by allergies, the only way to effectively solve the problem is to identify the primary source of irritation. That is, the allergen that triggered the adverse reaction. To determine the type or source of allergic reaction, one important factor is the location of the irritated area. However, just as in humans, allergies cannot easily be cured. Attacks can simply be prevented with the help of antihistamines. Bacterial skin diseases can be cured by the proper antibiotic medication or ointment that will work best for it. It is also necessary to clean the infected area using shampoos that contain benzoyl peroxide. Also, since other diseases or allergies can cause skin diseases due to bacteria, it is also important to know the primary cause of the skin disease. Antibiotic agents can cure a skin infection, but in order to keep the skin disease from coming back, curing whatever caused it is more important. However, if the problem is triggered due to a physical factor, such as a deep fold in the skin, surgery may be necessary to cure the skin disease completely. When it comes to fungal skin infections, the best way to prevent and also cure them is to use fungicidal agents or shampoos. Your dog also becomes considered a dangerous carrier, so try to keep the dog away from humans, especially children, at all costs.
About the Author
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Another question..help me please..:)?
How would you allocate x billion dollars between primary treatment for AIDS and cardiac patients versus education programs oriented toward prevention of these diseases?
Please explain your reasoning.10pts for the best answer.Thank You..:)
I think the best way would be spend almost all x billion on primary treatment and research of AIDS and cardiac diseases, so we can understand the diseases totally. As soon as we totally understand the diseases, I would spend half of the money on the ways to prevent the diseases and to educate people about these diseases and the other half on primary treatment. As we get closer to the treatments that can totally cure the diseases, I would spend most of the money on prevention and enough on primary treatment. I would hope that we can make a vaccine for these diseases or find other effective methods to prevent the diseases. If we can develop these kind of very effective methods to prevent the disease, I would cure the last people with the diseases, and use the money on vaccines to stop these diseases.
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