By Agnes & Aarini, 30th November, 2022
ABSTRACT
When we travel, we step outside of our comfort zones and are motivated to explore,
taste, and experience new things. It continuously tests our ability not just to adapt to and
explore new environments but also to interact with various people, seize opportunities for
adventure, and share fun experiences with friends and family. Along with having the
anticipation to travel, especially during these December holidays, it is important to take into
account the various diseases that could be caused, transmitted, and spread during our tour.
Although this article elaborates on just a few infections that could possibly be spread, the
probability of more isn't limited. Ever Since the fall of COVID-19, the number of tourists that
have stepped out of their homes has strikingly increased, which ends up extending our list
even more than it was, creating the need to develop the global medicinal industry and
increase access to medical equipment.
Vector-Borne Diseases
1. Malaria
Source: https://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/mmg_disp.jsp?med_id=78939
Malaria, classified as an "acute febrile illness," is one of the world's deadliest diseases,
despite global efforts to reduce its spread. Malaria is spread to humans through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito, which is caused by plasmodium parasites. There are four types of plasmodium parasites that cause malaria: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium malariae. This disease can cause small flu-like symptoms like headaches, tiredness, and muscle aches, as well as fatal symptoms like anemia and jaundice due to a lack of red blood cells in the body. Each year, the United States reports about 2,000 cases of malaria. Travellers and immigrants returning from regions of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where malaria transmission occurs, make up a great proportion of cases in the United States. Treatment for malaria needs to be effective and quick; otherwise, the disease can lead to kidney failure, seizures, coma, and, moreover, death.
The diagnosis of malaria is done using a blood test to determine whether the patient has an
active parasite in their blood and to also identify what type of Plasmodium parasite has
caused the disease. Treatment for malaria can be done using medications and prescription
drugs like chloroquine phosphate and artemisinin-based combination therapies (antimalarial drugs), but this depends on the type of parasite, the age of the patient, as well as the seriousness of the symptoms.
2. Yellow Fever
Source: https://www.netmeds.com/health-library/post/yellow-fever-causes-symptoms-and-treatment
Infected mosquitoes transmit this viral hemorrhagic disease called yellow fever which
justifies its name by turning the patient’s skin yellow. The bite of an infected Aedes of
Haemagogus mosquito is what spreads this disease. Symptoms include fever, a severe and
lasting headache, chills, tensioned backache, weakness, nausea and vomiting. More harsher ones are a slow heart rate, gum bleeds, and jaundice. However, symptoms will not show up the instant you get a bite; it normally takes about 3 to 6 days after the bite for symptoms to show. There is no actual cure or treatment for the disease, but there are vaccines that you can take to be prevented from contracting it later on.
Air-borne Diseases
1. Anthrax
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthrax
The bacteria Bacillus anthracis caused the infection, Anthrax. These bacteria produce spores that have hard and protective shells. When you breathe these spores, or the spores enter through cuts in the skin, the infection enters your body. Symptoms include painful swallowing, hoarseness, nausea, blood vomiting, and bloody diarrhoea. Anthrax can be treated using antibiotics injected into the body through the vein.
2. Aspergillosis
Aspergillosis is a fungal disease caused by a common cold called Aspergillus. Aspergillus is a filamentous fungus that can be found in soil, decaying seeds, and vegetation as a
saprophytic organism. With 22 known species, the majority of which are harmless to humans, aspergillosis can be mild or severe depending on the type of Aspergillus that infected the patient. Aspergillosis is transmitted through inhalation because it is airborne. The spread of aspergillosis is more common in developing countries. This is because the fungus can be found in dust and particulates from the construction of buildings. This disease can thus be contracted while travelling to areas where new buildings are being constructed.
Aspergillosis in its early stages shows little to no symptoms, but in its latter stages, symptoms include coughing with mucus or sometimes even blood, wheezing, breathing difficulties, kidney or liver failure, fever, etc.
Aspergillosis shares the same symptoms as cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis, and so this
infection can be identified using a blood test, X-ray, CT scan, or even a biopsy. Treatment for this disease includes oral corticosteroid drugs and antifungal drugs, but if conditions get
serious and worse, surgery would be more appropriate.
Water-borne Diseases
1. Typhoid fever
Source: https://www.britannica.com/science/typhoid-fever
Typhoid is a bacterial disease caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi. S. typhi attacks the
gastrointestinal tract and the blood; therefore, the faeces passed by the person infected with typhoidal Salmonella contain the bacteria itself. The faeces can contaminate food and drinking water, making it a waterborne disease or a disease transmitted through water. Typhoid fever is more common in countries with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water.
The main symptoms of typhoid fever include headache, cough, fatigue, constipation, and
diarrhoea. 1 in 5 people diagnosed with typhoid fever dies each year because of ineffective
treatment. Children are more vulnerable to getting infected with this disease because their
immune systems are still developing, but symptoms of typhoid fever in children are milder
in adults.
Antibiotics like Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), Azithromycin (Zithromax), and Ceftriaxone can be
used to treat typhoid fever. However, new strains of Salmonella typhi are beginning to form
that are resistant to these antibiotics. Therefore, before travelling to underdeveloped regions, it is important to get vaccinated against typhoid fever to prevent getting infected with this disease.
2. Dysentery
Source: https://www.findatopdoc.com/Healthy-Living/What-Is-Dysentery
A painful and problematic intestinal infection that causes vomiting, bloody mucus, tinted
phlegm, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, and a high body temperature is Dysentery. Dysentery can
be thoroughly avoided by proper hygiene and cultivating a zero-food contamination-tolerance
policy. Treatment for this infection is very household-friendly, requiring a minimal 48 hours
of rest, and thorough hydration.
Reason Why It Might Spread Even More
The covid-19 pandemic truly changed the world’s point of view. Travel has now become a
popular activity because the pandemic paused tourism for more than a year now, yet several
air travel forecasts state that airlines will not be expected to fully recuperate before 2025.
Although travel in 2022 has only reached 55% to 70% of what travel was in 2019, it is
steadily increasing. Travel Expedia Group, an American company, has reportedly called
2022, the ‘GOAT’ year, GOAT as in “greatest of all trips”. This is because most tourists have
decided to release their discomfort in immobility that occurred in the midst of the pandemic
in the form of exploring the world.
A sudden increase in travel will however lead to a sudden increase in diseases caused due to travel. Urbanisation comes under travel and this practice has sparked the growth of enormous cities with populations of at least ten million people. Several live around unhygienic regions and this causes pathogens and pests to infect the people living there, resulting in various diseases and problems with overcrowding can also cause the diseases to spread rapidly.
Conclusion
While traveling, there is a purpose, and that purpose becomes all one can think about that we
often forget that germs are forever around us. It is easy to fall severely sick because people do
not take certain precautions against it. Safety is the only milestone that can never be
achieved. So let us all remember that it is better to be safe than sorry, and take all possible
precautionary measures to avoid contacting infectious diseases during travel.
Works Cited
• https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/21/the-biggest-2022-travel-trend-go-big-spend-big-on-
bucket-list-trips.html
• https://www.bain.com/insights/air-travel-forecast-when-will-airlines-recover-from-covid-19-
interactive/
• https://www.wondriumdaily.com/malaria-the-deadliest-killer-disease-ever-
known/#:~:text=Malaria%20is%20one%20of%20the,to%20decrease%20the%20mortality%20rates.
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/aspergillosis/symptoms-causes/syc-
20369619#:~:text=Aspergillosis%20is%20an%20infection%20caused,is%20everywhere%20%E2%80%94%20indoors%20and%20outdoors.
•https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/typhoidfever/#:~:text=Typhoid%20fever%20is%20a%20bacterial,that%20cause%20salmonella%20food%20poisoning.
• https://www.uptodate.com/contents/pathogenesis-of-salmonella-
gastroenteritis/print#:~:text=The%20typhoidal%20Salmonella%2C%20such%20as,with%20little%20or%20no%20diarrhea.
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/typhoid-fever/diagnosis-treatment/drc-
20378665
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