Travel insurance – who needs it ? A surprising number of Australians think they don’t. Some travellers see insurance as a waste of money. By that logic, life rafts on a boat are a waste of money. (Sometimes waste is a good thing.)   Travellers say “I’m taking nothing of value“. Yes.. a lost camera […]

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BE AWARE ! Choosing safe food and drink, includes choosing safe alcohol. Only drink beverages from a trusted source. Do not drink local brews such as Arak. Only drink beverages you have opened and poured yourself. Ideally dont drink from already opened bottles. ( Its easy to refill that vodka bottle on the shelf in […]

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Some recent studies have documented the likelihood of illness in children travellers. They reported roughly one in 3 children who travel abroad, will acquire a travel-related illness. Diarrhoea, feverish illness, skin conditions, and respiratory problems were the most common. Infected insect bites and sunburn also rated a special mention. Risk varied by age groups and […]

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Herbal remedies may not be especially safe or environmentally sound. A recent research study looked at the contents of Chinese herbal remedies using DNA sequencing. They found plant species that are known to contain toxic chemicals and identified animal DNA from species that are currently endangered and protected by international laws. Some samples were mislabelled […]

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The incidence of Travellers Diarrhoea in persons cruising down the Nile approaches 90%, so in the past Travel Medicine doctors have sometimes prescribed a daily dose of a special antibiotic while on the 3-6 day cruise for the prevention of this very debilitating condition. However, recent research in Canada has been released that suggests persons […]

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Even if you had an influenza vaccine last year, to stay protected you need to have a booster. The vaccine is effective for about 12 months. Influenza vaccination is especially worthwhile if you travel on public transport, or work with the general public or in healthcare. In Australia, the vaccine is FREE for persons over […]

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Recently there have been two cases of sleeping sickness reported in European travellers who had visited slightly different parts of the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya, one traveller was from Germany and the other from Belgium. Thankfully both persons recovered. Prior to this, there had been no reported cases in the Masai Mara for […]

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We have had several phone calls asking about meningitis risk in travellers to Vietnam. There have been a few news reports about meningitis in children, and young adults. The baseline rate of meningococcal disease in the human population is about 1 per 100,000 population, so there will always be a few cases – the disease […]

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      [slideshow] Many travellers who have visited our clinics will have received polio vaccination. One of our patients has kindly written this piece for our newsletter. Jenny Horton is an Australian Rotarian who has volunteered with the program for over 10 years in Ethiopia, Botswana, Nigeria, Pakistan and now India. Jenny writes … […]

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Hookworms may provide a key to treating coeliac disease, according to research undertaken in Australia Persons with Coeliac disease cannot tolerate the wheat protein, gluten, in their diet. This is a challenge as they cannot eat regular bread, pasta, and even some medications. The study found that infection with a common species of hookworm (necator […]

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