Diseases of travel, with particular reference to tropical diseases

Abstract

The large amount of disease acquired by travellers demonstrates that at present travel is not safe. Study of this disease, however, indicates that travel could be made safe by the application of relatively simple precautions. Groups of travellers particularly liable to develop illness include those on short-term business and holiday trips to the Tropics. Young persons undertaking low cost overland journeys are particularly at risk. Among the important protozoal diseases acquired by travellers are malaria, trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis and amoebiasis and the recent recognition of Lassa fever requires noting in connection with the diagnosis of fevers among persons who have recently travelled from West Africa. It is most important that travellers should receive information on precautions they should take in tropical regions and that doctors in temperate regions should ask patients if they have recently travelled and, if the answer is in the affirmative, tropically-acquired disease should be considered.