Travelling abroad to third world countries is exciting and offers more unique experiences than our usual, humdrum office routines. But in the back of our minds we know to take precautions against the well known diseases that are easy to catch in less developed areas of the world. Malaria is one of them. It's transmitted by mosquitoes and if not treated quickly it can be fatal. But there are other strange illnesses that you might not know about, and some of them are listed below.
Sleeping Sickness
Otherwise known as trypanosomiasis, this is passed on to humans from the bite of the tsetse fly, and the usual symptoms are a high fever, excessive sleeping and confusion. If not treated the disease always causes death and it's most common in Central, Western and Eastern Africa. There is no immunization available for travellers so the best things you can do to protect yourself is to use insect repellent on your wrists and ankles (and wear long sleeved shirts and trousers). Fortunately, if caught early there are drugs that can effectively reverse the progress of the disease, like suramin or eflornithine.
River Blindness
This disease is transmitted by the bite of infected black flies, and is most common in remote African villages near fast moving streams or rivers. Cases have also been seen in Brazil, Colombia and even Mexico and Guatemala. The symptoms are rashes on the skin with intense itching, and eye lesions which can lead to blindness. This is how the disease got its name. The good news is that it's not easy for casual travellers to get this illness because it takes more than one insect bite for the disease to develop, unlike malaria. However, if you are a missionary, a Peace Corps volunteer or a member of Médecins Sans Frontières, (Doctors Without Borders) the chances of catching this illness is greater. Use insect repellent with a high DEET content and avoid wearing shorts or t-shirts. A drug called Invermectin is used to treat river blindness and it's given orally.
Buruli Ulcers
Not much is known about how this disease is transmitted but it comes from the same family of bacteria that causes leprosy and tuberculosis. It begins with a seemingly harmless swelling usually on an arm or a leg, but the bacteria destroys healthy tissue and causes debilitating ulcers which in turn leads to restricted joint movement. The only known method to remove the ulcers is surgery, and this disease is common in Africa, some parts of Asia, and Central and South America.
Guinea Worm Disease
Nowadays this is most common in Africa and people get it by drinking water with a flea that contains the larvae of the Guinea worm. The parasite matures inside the human body and can grow to a length of three feet and eventually makes its way out of the body through painful sores and blisters. Most of the cases are found in Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and the Ivory Coast. The disease has also appeared in Chad and Ethiopia. There is no medication to treat this although antibiotics can reduce the swelling of the blisters. Making sure that your drinking water has come from a safe source is the best way to prevent infection.
Sources for this article:
- CBS Healthwatch
- The Centers for Disease Control
- The World Health Organization
