General Advice

Over 6 to 7 millions Australian travels every year.

Traveller’s travel for various reasons. Majority of the traveller are Holidaymakers, Business Traveller’s. VFR s  (Visiting Friends and Relatives) and  Adventure Travellers.

Other traveller’s include expatriates, Charity & Aid workers,

Risk for Traveller’s can be classified as following

• Accidents
• Food & Water borne disease
• Animal & Insect bites
• STD (sexually Transmitted diseases)

Accidents

Accidental Injury -Road accident is the main cause of death and injury to the traveller.

Traveller travelling to unknown places should take proper precaution and obey the rules and regulation of the local area.

Drowning deaths are also frequent as traveller tend to take risk of swimming at unfamiliar places Drugs and alcohol are also major contributing factors for deaths.

Food and water borne diseases

Traveller travelling to developing or underdeveloped countries should be aware of contaminated food and water problems as they can cause disease like TD.

(Traveller’s Diarrhoea ) Hepatitis A & Typhoid –Click here for more information.

• Beware of the saying “cook it, boil it peel it or forget it”
• Always go for cooked food as cooking kills any infective Bactria and Viruses
• Avoid salads, cold meat and uncooked sea food
• Always stick to boiled or bottle water
• Avoid Ice cubes, as ice cubes could be made out not clean water
• Avoid brushing teeth in tap water or drinking shower water

Insect and Animal Bites

Insect bites especially mosquitoes bite is one of the common problem of carrying diseases like Malaria, Dengue Fever, Japanese Encephalitis, Yellow Fever and many more diseases.

Part of Africa also carry insects like Tsetse fly, which causes sleeping sickness Swimming in some parts of African countries like Malawi lakes can carry Bilharzias is, -tiny worms penetrating the skin can travel to infect various parts of the body.

Rabies is the most important disease through animal bite as it is 100 % fatal Rabies is present in most of the countries -click here for more information.

STD-Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually Transmitted diseases like Hepatitis B, HIV, Syphilis, Herpes and Gonococcus are some of the common STD diseases travellers should be aware, You should take appropriate care and precaution Consult our doctors for advice and vaccination.

VFR’s

VFR –Travellers Visiting Friends and Relatives to their country of origin tend to believe they are immune against many of the diseases. Unfortunately this is not true as they do loose their immunity gradually over period of time. They are exposed to high risk of infection. VFR should consult Travel doctor prior to travel for proper advice.