Tuberculosis
What is it?
Tuberculosis is an infection of the lungs initially that can spread to other organs of the body.
Risk areas:
Worldwide; areas of particular risk include South America, Africa (Sub-Saharan and North West) and the tropical Asia-Pacific regions, including the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia.
Transmission:
Most commonly spread though inhaling infected saliva, from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person. Can also be spread through infected unpasteurised milk.
Symptoms:
Symptoms may not surface for years after the initial infection. Later symptoms may include Chronic or persistent cough with mucus, fatigue, lack of appetite, weight loss, fever and night sweats.
Treatment:
Requires specialist medical treatment.
Vaccination:
Most health authorities in the UK recommend vaccination for teenagers, however is no longer routinely given. However, it should be ensured that travellers going to countries where tuberculosis is common have been vaccinated, especially those mixing closely with the local population such as health care workers. It may be less important for the short-term package tourist mixing mostly with other expatriates and staying in good accommodation.
If you are travelling to a country which may be affected by Tuberculosis please contact your GP for full vaccination details.
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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.
