Health Encyclopedia
Traveler's guide to avoiding infectious diseases
Alternative Names
Infectious diseases and travelers; Avoiding infectious diseases when travelingInformation
Different areas of the world have different diseases and different prevalence rates of disease. Factors that contribute to these differences include climate (tropical, subtropical, temperate, arid, and so forth), native insects, parasites and animals, and population density.
Travelers to foreign countries (any country not of the traveler's origin) may encounter diseases to which they have no natural immunity, to which they are not exposed in their own country, and which are likely to have a significant impact on their health.
Below is a listing of countries and some of the diseases you may encounter there. The risk of infectious diseases varies in different countries, and depends on local conditions, including local outbreaks of particular diseases. The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) routinely updates information on the risk of particular diseases for travelers planning to visit different countries. This up-to-date information (called the "CDC Yellow Book") can be obtained by calling the CDC at 1-800-311-3435. In addition, the Yellow Book and additional information for travelers is found on the CDC website (www.cdc.gov/travel). This information is updated frequently. Prior to traveling, you may want to read about the individual diseases that are common in the areas you are planning to visit.
Northern Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Tunisia)
- Insect-borne diseases (uncommon here, but may be encountered): leishmaniasis, malaria, relapsing fever, Rift Valley fever, typhus, sandfly fever, West Nile fever
- Water and food-borne diseases: dysentery (caused by many different organisms), cholera, Hepatitis A, typhoid fever, giardiasis, brucellosis, echinococcosis, intestinal worms (helminthic infections), poliomyelitis (polio)
- Rabies
Nile delta
- Filariasis, schistosomiasis
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Sub-Saharan Africa
- Insect-borne diseases (very common here): malaria, filariasis, onchocerciasis (river blindness), cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis), relapsing fever, typhus, plague, yellow fever, hemorrhagic fevers (such as Dengue hemorrhagic fever, etc.)
- Water- and food-borne diseases: intestinal worms (helminthic infection), dysentery, giardiasis, typhoid fever, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, cholera, dracunculiasis, echinococcosis, poliomyelitis
- Other: Hepatitis B, trachoma, Lassa fever, Ebola fever, Marburg fever, meningococcal meningitis
Southern Africa
- Insect-borne diseases: malaria, plague, relapsing fever, Rift Valley fever, tick-bite fever, typhus
- Water- and food-borne diseases: amebiasis, typhoid fever
- Other: Hepatitis B, rabies
Botswana, Namibia
- Sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis), schistosomiasis
South Africa, Swaziland
- Schistosomiasis
North America
- Insect-borne: Lyme disease, and rare cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia
- Water- and food-borne diseases: rare outbreaks of cryptosporidium, rare giardiasis
- Other: extremely rare case of rabies
Central America (general area)
- Insect-borne diseases: malaria, cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease), dengue fever, Venezuelan equine encephalitis
- Water- and food-borne diseases: amoebic dysentery, dysentery, typhoid fever, cholera, Hepatitis A, intestinal worms (helminthic infection)
- Other: rabies
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico
- Visceral leishmaniasis
Mexico, Guatemala
- Onchocerciasis
Costa Rica
- Filariasis
Caribbean Islands
- Insect-borne diseases: see below
- Water- and food-borne diseases: Hepatitis A, dysentery, amebic dysentery
- Other: see below
Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama
- Oriental lung fluke (paragonimiasis)
Dominican Republic
- Malaria, schistosomiasis
Cuba
- Liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica)
Haiti
- Malaria, tularemia
Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Lucia
- Schistosomiasis
Tropical South America
- Insect-borne diseases: malaria, American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease), cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, yellow fever, viral encephalitis, Dengue fever
- Water- and food-borne diseases: amebiasis, dysentery, intestinal worms, helminthic infections, Hepatitis A
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
- Visceral leishmaniasis
Brazil, Guyana, Suriname
- Filariasis
Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru
- Plague
Colombia, Peru
- Typhus
Temperate South America
- Insect-borne diseases: American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease)
- Water- and food-borne diseases: salmonellosis, tapeworm (taeniasis), typhoid fever, echinococcosis, Hepatitis A
- Anthrax
Argentina
- Malaria, cutaneous leishmaniasis, cholera, Hepatitis A, rabies
Chile
- Cholera
East Asia (general area)
- Insect-borne diseases: see below
- Water- and food-borne diseases: Hepatitis A, diarrheal diseases, oriental liver fluke (clonorchiasis), oriental lung fluke (paragonimiasis)
- Other: Hepatitis B
- Rabies
China
- malaria, visceral leishmaniasis, plague, typhus, trachoma, leptospirosis
Mongolia
- Korean hemorrhagic fever, Japanese encephalitis, Dengue fever
Japan, Republic of Korea
- Scrub typhus
Southeast Asia
- Insect-borne diseases: malaria, filariasis, plague, Japanese encephalitis, Dengue fever, Dengue hemorrhagic fever, typhus
- Water- and food-borne diseases: cholera, dysentery, amebic dysentery, typhoid fever, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, giant intestinal fluke (fasciolopsiasis), paragonimiasis, melioidosis
- Other: Hepatitis B, schistosomiasis
- Rabies
Vietnam
- Plague, trachoma
Indochina, Myanmar, Thailand
- Trachoma
Indian subcontinent
- Insect-borne diseases: malaria, filariasis, sandfly fever, visceral leishmaniasis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, relapsing fever, typhus, dengue fever, hemorrhagic fevers
- Water- and food-borne diseases: cholera, typhoid fever, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, intestinal worms (helminthic infections), brucellosis, echinococcosis
- Other: Hepatitis B, poliomyelitis, trachoma,
- Rabies
Islamic Republic of Iran
- Giardiasis
India, Nepal
- Meningococcal meningitis
The Middle East
- Insect-borne diseases: cutaneous leishmaniasis, typhus, relapsing fever
- Water- and food-borne diseases: typhoid fever, hepatitis A, tapeworm (taeniasis), brucellosis, echinococcosis
- Other: hepatitis B, schistosomiasis
Northern Europe (general area)
- Insect-borne diseases: rare occurrences of tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever
- Water- and food-borne diseases: tapeworm, trichinellosis, fish tapeworm (diphyllobothriasis), liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica), Hepatitis A
- Other: rabies
Siberia
- Typhus
Russian Federation, Ukraine
Southern Europe (general area)
- Insect-borne diseases: murine and tick-borne typhus, West Nile fever, tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease
- Water- and food-borne diseases: dysentery, typhoid fever, brucellosis, echinococcosis, Hepatitis A
- Other: Hepatitis B, rabies
Australia, New Zealand, Antarctic
- Insect-borne diseases: mosquito-borne polyarthritis, viral encephalitis
- Water- and food-borne diseases: amebic meningoencephalitis
Melanesia, Micronesia-Polynesia
- Insect-borne diseases: malaria, filariasis, typus, Dengue fever
- Water- and food-borne diseases: dysentery, typhoid fever, intestinal worms (helminthic infections), Hepatitis A
- Other: Hepatitis B, trachoma
MALARIA
Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the world, affecting millions of people every year. Malaria is not a problem in cold climates, and is a lesser problem in temperate climates, but it is a threat to those living or traveling in subtropical and tropical climates.
Resistance of the malaria organism changes rapidly, and frequent updating on resistant strains, especially the falciparum, is necessary for safe travel. Travelers should visit the CDC Web site for complete, up-to-date information: www.cdc.gov/travel. Prophylaxis -- medicine to prevent malaria -- is recommended for travelers to endemic regions. Malaria prophylaxis usually involves taking a medication prior to travel, during travel, and for a short period after returning.
YELLOW FEVER
There is an effective vaccination for yellow fever -- a mosquito-borne, frequently fatal viral infection that causes fever, jaundice, and bleeding. Travelers to areas where yellow fever is present should be vaccinated a minimum of 10 days prior to entering a yellow fever zone. Certificates of immunization may be required for entrance into some countries if the travel has just been in an endemic zone.
- SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Surinam, Venezuela
- AFRICA: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zaire, Zambia
Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
