Prevention of infectious and tropical diseases: a few recommendations
Adventure, escape and a change of scenery: tropical destinations are all the rage, but traveling there can expose you to medical problems or illnesses typical of this climate.
That's why it's important to know the health situation in your destination before you leave, and to take the following points into account:
- Water quality and food hygiene
- Type of climate (hot, cold, high altitude, humid, etc.)
- Infectious diseases (hepatitis, yellow fever, thyphoid fever...)
Before you leave, have a check-up and make sure your vaccinations are up to date. Some vaccines may also be recommended, depending on your destination.
What zones are at risk?
First of all: what exactly are the tropics? The tropics are the area north and south of the equator. This includes countries such as Brazil, Thailand, Kenya and Uganda. The subtropics lie between the tropics and the warm temperate zone. Many Asian countries and large parts of Africa and Australia lie in the subtropical climate zone.
Below you'll find a list of risk zones and common tropical diseases in these travel regions. But beware: distribution locations can change rapidly.
Africa
- malaria
- yellow fever
- African panosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
South and Central America
- dengue
Zika virus diseases
malaria
Southeast Asia
- dengue
- paludism
- chikungunya fever
Some parts of Oceania
- dengue
- Zika virus diseases
Tropical and infectious diseases
Mostly found in hot, humid climates, tropical diseases are caused by pathogenic micro-organisms (viruses, bacteria, etc.) that can be transmitted from person to person and sometimes from animal to human.
The most common are malaria, hepatitis, yellow fever, cholera, dengue fever and typhoid fever...
The following pathogens cause various tropical diseases:
- Single-cell organisms (e.g. malaria)
- Bacterial diseases (e.g. typhus)
- Worm diseases (e.g. schistosomiasis)
- Viral diseases (e.g. dengue fever)
Tropical diseases are closely linked to climatic conditions and environmental factors in the affected regions. Poor hygiene, lack of sanitation, limited access to drinking water, poverty and limited health services also contribute to the spread of tropical diseases.
The good news: you can protect yourself against tropical diseases. Vaccinations, preventive medication and appropriate behavior are useful measures to prevent diseases caused by parasites, viruses and bacteria.
Typical symptoms of tropical diseases
The exact symptoms of tropical diseases vary according to the disease. However, some signs are very typical:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain
- Rash
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
In some tropical diseases, such as malaria, symptoms appear at regular intervals.
Other diseases, on the other hand, appear very suddenly and severely. If you have these symptoms and have been in a high-risk area, be sure to talk to your doctor.
Before you leave
When you travel abroad to countries with very different environments, there are a number of things to bear in mind:
- Risks present in the country
- Travel conditions and length of stay
- The age, health and physical condition of travelers
- Mandatory or strongly recommended vaccinations (get them well in advance, as second doses are often required every few weeks).
Vaccines and special treatments for tropical diseasess
Getting vaccinated will help you avoid the very serious diseases contracted in certain tropical countries, and also protect local and Swiss populations from epidemic risks.
When you're going far away, it's a good time to check your vaccination record to make sure you're up to date. These include "classic" vaccines such as diphtheria, DTP, tetanus and yellow fever, which are mandatory for travel to or even transit through certain countries, particularly in Africa. This vaccine will then appear on your international vaccination record.
Generally speaking, when traveling to Africa or Asia, you'll be advised to take the following vaccinations: yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis (2 doses), hepatitis A and B, rabies (2 doses), tick-borne encephalitis, cerebrospinal meningitis.
To find out more about what you need to know, consult your family doctor or make an appointment at one of the canton's vaccination centers.
>> Travel well protected: calculate your premium here <<
The International Vaccination Certificate
This certificate is valid for 10 years and is given to you when you are vaccinated against yellow fever, which cannot be done at your family doctor's office. The vaccine is administered at a specialized vaccination center.
Preventing malaria
Malaria-affected regions are classified into three groups according to the level of chloroquine resistance, and there are various preventive treatments depending on the level.
- Group 1 (no chloroquine resistance)
- Group 2 (chloroquine-resistant zone)
- Group 3 (high prevalence of chloroquine resistance or multi-drug resistance)
This tropical disease is transmitted by a mosquito (Anopheles family) that attacks mainly when the sun goes down. In addition to anti-malaria prophylaxis, we strongly advise you to wear covering clothing impregnated with mosquito repellent, to apply repellent every 2 to 5 hours, depending on the concentration of the product used and the temperature, and to sleep under a mosquito net impregnated with repellent.
Preventing diseases transmitted by other animals
Many infections that have no known vaccine or preventive treatment are transmitted by insects. So you need to protect yourself from bites to prevent other potential illnesses. To protect yourself, it's the same as for malaria, but you need to take into account the time of day (protect yourself 24 hours a day to be on the safe side).
As for venom (scorpions, snake bites, contact with poisonous shells, etc.), we recommend wearing high, closed shoes with pants down to the feet, tapping the ground with a stick and making noise to keep the beasts away, regularly shaking your clothes and belongings, and avoiding walking without shoes on the beach.
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Precautions and rules of conduct: tips to follow
There are many tropical diseases that cannot be prevented by vaccination. However, with appropriate behavior, you can also reduce the risk of infection and protect yourself from pathogens.
Food hygiene
Tourista is often mentioned as the disease to avoid if you want to have a good vacation, but there's also hepatitis A, amoebiasis... To prevent these diseases, wash your hands with soap, drink only bottled water (open in front of you) or filtered water (special straw, lozenges), peel your own fruit, boil your milk too, don't eat raw vegetables, avoid ice cubes, shellfish...
Body hygiene
To avoid bacteria or parasites on the ground or in the water, avoid drying your laundry outside, walk with shoes on the beach, don't lie directly on the sand, don't walk or swim in fresh water, don't pet animals.
Basic first-aid kit
In some countries, you won't have easy access to a pharmacy, so it's imperative to carry a small first-aid kit for first aid. Your family doctor can prescribe a few preventive or curative medicines, which you should take with you.
Bear in mind that some places may be inaccessible to emergency services, with limited or no means of evacuation, depending on your location.
Information
On the Department of Foreign Affairs website, you'll find a wealth of up-to-date information, including official recommendations on health risks.
You'll also find useful information on the website of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.
Travel insurance for a carefree vacation
To prepare for your trip to the tropics, we recommend that you take out travel insurance. It protects you from high costs if something unexpected happens.
