Top Tips For Staying Safe From Diseases While Travelling

Whether you’re planning a family holiday or on an adventure with friends, if you’re heading off abroad, it pays to plan ahead to ensure you and your loved ones have a safe and injury-free trip. We’ve put together a list of our top travel health and safety tips, covering everything from food and first aid, to sun safety and malaria prevention.

Foreign Food And Water

One of the first things to be aware of is that the human digestive system can be very delicate, so a change in your usual diet can have significant consequences for your stomach and bowel habits when you go away. An upset stomach can be a common occurrence and is usually a result of eating food you aren’t used to, untreated water, or even poor food prep hygiene. While an upset stomach is rarely serious, it can be unpleasant and very inconvenient when you’re travelling or trying to relax on holiday.

While there are diarrhoea treatments that can help, there are things you can do to reduce your risk of developing stomach issues while you are away:

• Avoid shellfish and dairy products
• Be careful buying food from street sellers
• Buy bottled water rather than drinking or brushing your teeth with tap water
• Avoid ice in your drinks
• Wash your hands regularly

Treating Insect Bites And Stings

If you’re heading somewhere warm, it’s best to prepare for the bugs you’ll probably encounter while you’re away. Insects can thrive in warm and humid environments, and although they are usually fairly harmless (if more than a little annoying!), bites and stings can cause temporary pain and irritation. There are also some serious infections that can be transmitted by insect bites, such as yellow fever, dengue fever and malaria. There are medications and vaccinations available to help prevent them, but it’s also a good idea to take precautions against bites and stings, to keep your trip as comfortable as possible.

Some of our top tips for avoiding mosquito bites (which carry malaria) include wearing DEET mosquito repellent, taking some bite/sting cream with you, staying indoors at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active, wearing long sleeves and trousers, and to consider using a bed-net to keep them away while you sleep.

If you are unlucky enough to experience a bite or sting while you’re away, treat it right away by removing the sting if it’s still embedded in your skin. You can usually do this with a pair of tweezers. Then wash the affected area with warm soapy water, and apply a cold compress to combat any inflammation and irritation. Try not to pick it or scratch, as this will likely lead to the bite becoming infected.

Get Vaccinated

If you’re travelling to a country where there are serious diseases present, it’s strongly recommended that you’re vaccinated against them. Travel vaccinations against diseases like typhoid and hepatitis are essential if you are visiting high-risk countries, and not only will they stop you from getting sick, but in the case of some contagious diseases, they could stop you from infecting people around you or bringing them back home too.

Factors such as your medical history, age, travel location, type of travel (staying in a 4* resort is very different to backpacking through a rainforest) and the length of your stay will determine which vaccinations you’re recommended to have. Always check the travel vaccination information for your country of travel well in advance - at least six to eight weeks. This is because some vaccines need to be given at least a month or two in advance for your body to develop full immunity, and some need to be given over a number of different doses.

Malaria Awareness

Malaria is a serious disease that is most often seen in Africa, South Asia and parts of Central and South America. It’s spread by mosquitos, who carry blood infected by a parasite called plasmodium from person to person. If you’re bitten by a mosquito carrying this parasite, you’re likely to develop malaria.

Early symptoms of the disease include fever, muscle pain, headaches, diarrhoea and coughing. If it’s not treated early, it can lead to severe illness and even death. This means that if you’re travelling to a country where catching malaria is a possibility, taking preventative treatment and other steps to protect yourself is essential.

Anti-malarial tablets are preventatives that can reduce your risk of catching malaria by up to 90%, and these treatments are available on prescription. These can have some mild side effects including headaches and nausea, but taking them should be a priority. You can also explore other ways to protect yourself against mosquitos, such as by using DEET products on your skin, and mosquito nets wherever possible.

Stay Away From Animals

Wild animals can often be found roaming the streets in many countries outside of the UK. While it can be tempting to feed or even pet them, many cats, dogs and other wildlife carry diseases and parasites including leptospirosis, ringworm and fleas.

Stray animals can also carry rabies - a potentially deadly disease that is contracted by being bitten or scratched by an animal like a dog, cat, fox, raccoon or mongoose. Staying away from stray/wild animals can prevent you from contracting rabies, which is fatal once symptoms - such as a fever, sensitivity to light, confusion and aggressive behaviour - develop. If you’re unlucky enough to get scratched or bitten, it’s essential that you seek medical help right away.

There is an injection available that can increase the amount of time you have to get to a hospital in the event that you’re bitten. Speak to your GP for more advice and support. You can also check which vaccines you may need based on the country you are travelling to. If you are planning on going to a destination where there’s a chance you’ll come into contact with stray or wild animals, it may be worth asking your GP whether you should consider getting a rabies vaccination.

If you have questions about health and travel, our dedicated UK-based pharmacy team is on hand to help. Get in touch by phone or email and have your questions answered by a qualified health professional today.