Polio
What is it:
Poliomyelitis is a very infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system.
Risk Areas:
According to the World Health Organisation, only four countries in the world remain polio endemic; Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. The Americas (North, south, central and the Caribbean Islands) and have been declared poliomyelitis free. Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions are not far behind.
Transmission:
It is found in faeces of infected persons and is generally spread due to poor personal hygiene or droplet transfer. Most common causes are contaminated food, water and swimming pools.
Symptoms:
Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, vomiting, stiffness of the neck and pain in the limbs.
Treatment:
There’s no specific treatment for polio infection. Most countries that are immunised against polio from a young age have eradicated the disease.
Vaccinations:
In the UK routine polio jabs are offered to babies, with boosters available before they start school. Travellers to countries where there is still a risk of polio will require further boosts prior to departing. Check with your GP.
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Dr Travel Tips
- When camping, reduce the chance of insect bites by wearing light coloured clothing and avoiding perfumes.
- This is on ‘oldy but a goody’: always pack a spare pair of clothes in you hand luggage just in ‘case’ the airline loses your other baggage.
- Before you travel you should call your bank and let them know where you are travelling and the dates of your trip to avoid bank card issues.
- Some tips seem obvious but return the best value, this is one. Always retain a cheery disposition wherever you are travelling, you will receive far greater service – a smile is multilingual.
- To save space in your luggage and reduce the weight should you be charged extra, take samples of toiletries rather than packing your large ‘home size’ containers.
