Australia is one of the safest countries in the world to travel around. You are unlikely to pick up a travel related disease while travelling here but that is not the case for many other regions in the world. High risk areas include many parts of Asia, Africa, and South America. As usual, prevention is generally better than the cure so we recommend discussing your travel plans with your doctor well in advance of your departure date. Your doctor can suggest preventative measures such as getting travel vaccinations, avoiding mosquitos, and reducing the risk of drinking contaminated water. Diseases which you can be vaccinated against include:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Cholera
• Japanese Encephalitis
• Rabies
• Typhoid Fever
• Yellow Fever

Hepatitis A can easily be spread through personal contact, eating contaminated raw seafood or drinking contaminated water, so you may consider getting vaccinated against it no matter where you are headed.

Japanese encephalitis may be a risk for travellers to:

• Bali
• Bangladesh
• Cambodia
• China
• India
• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Papua New Guinea
• Thailand
• Timor
• Torres Strait islands
• Vietnam

Vaccination against cholera is recommended for emergency relief and health care workers travelling to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa.

Travellers heading to developing countries in Asia (especially India), Africa (north and west), and Central and South America (especially Peru) may wish to get vaccinated for Typhoid Fever.

Vaccination against Yellow Fever may be necessary for travellers to certain regions in Africa, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Other diseases to be aware of when travelling are:

• Dengue Fever
• Malaria
• Meningococcal Meningitis
• Other strains of hepatitis
• HIV/AIDS

If you require a vaccine or would like further information, contact us for an appointment. We are registered with Travel Clinics Australia to provide travel vaccinations and can help you with all your vaccination needs.

Typhoid Fever is caused by a bacteria that is usually spread when the faeces or urine from an infected person contaminates food or water. It can also be spread by flying insects which have fed on contaminated faeces. When travelling in endemic areas, be especially careful when consuming:

• raw fruit
• raw vegetables
• milk
• other dairy products
• seafood
• water

Symptoms of Typhoid Fever

Some people present no or very mild symptoms so it is important to see your doctor immediately if you suspect you may have Typhoid Fever. There is a wide range of possible symptoms which may or may not include the following:

• sustained fever
• severe headache
• constipation
• chills
• sore throat
• nausea
• abdominal pain
• skin rash
• loss of appetite
• diarrhoea
• enlarged liver

Treatment for Typhoid Fever

Antibiotics are used to treat Typhoid and prompt treatment reduces the fatality rate to around 1%. However, left untreated, the fatality rate is around 10% to 30%.

Typhoid Fever Vaccination

Prevention is the best cure so it is advised to avoid consuming potentially contaminated food and water in high risk, unsanitary areas. In such high risk areas, you may wish to only consume bottled water, even when cooking and when brushing teeth.

If you will be travelling to a country where the disease is endemic, you may wish to get vaccinated against Typhoid Fever. This can be achieved by a simple injection, giving you immunity for 3 years. It is important to note that the vaccine doesn’t give 100% immunity so good hygiene is essential while travelling.

High Risk Destinations

Typhoid Fever is rarely found in developed countries. High risk areas include any endemic regions where environmental hygiene is poor and drinking water is unsafe. This includes certain regions of:

• Asia (especially India)
• Africa (north and west)
• South America (especially Peru)