7 Health Issues You May Experience Abroad - http://clapway.com/2015/10/11/7-travel-health-issues123/

Health is a huge concern when it comes to traveling, especially since we are constantly exposed to foreign substances and unfamiliar environments. All too often, we put ourselves at risk of contracting various diseases that can be easily avoided with just a bit of caution and preparation. Here are 7 Common Health Issues You May Experience Abroad.

Your Travel Health Guide:

1. TRAVELER’S DIARRHEA

Up to 20%-50% of international travelers experience a stomach infection at some point or another, making it the most common travel-related sickness. Side effects include loose stool and abdominal cramps – not too pretty, my friends.

How you can avoid it:

When traveling, especially to developing nations where the risk of contracting traveler’s diarrhea is higher, avoid raw or undercooked meat, fish, and vegetables; fruit is generally safe once you peel it, but tap water (and ice!) that is used to wash the produce can also contaminate your food. When purchasing bottled water, make sure it is sealed and branded, as some vendors might bottle and sell local water. Also, ask your doctor for antibiotics before traveling, and keep hydrated with lots of water in the event you do contract an infection.

2. RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS

There’s nothing more annoying than the common cold or flu, but if you contract a respiratory infection while traveling, the experience in 10 times more painful. To make the matter worse, the URI is found nearly everywhere, and symptoms, including runny nose, slight fever, ear pressure and muscle aches, can really slow you down.

How you can avoid it:

If you begin to feel a cold coming on, make sure to stay hydrated and get some rest. There are also a bunch of over the counter medications that can help you immediately feel better, i.e. nasal decongestants (pseudoephedrine), painkillers (acetaminophen, paracetamol), and nasal steroid sprays for ear pressure or nasal stuffiness. However, if symptoms become worse, seek a doctor.

3. SKIN INFECTIONS

If you’re an adventurous traveler, you’ll likely end up with a few cuts and bruises that can serve as breeding grounds for infections. Usually, infections will cause redness and swelling around the site of injury. However, if you develop a fever, experience intense pain or see pus/discharge, this may be a sign of something serious.

How you can avoid it:

Besides the obvious way to avoid injury, make sure you have had your tetanus vaccine before traveling; this way, you have one less thing to worry about. If you already have a cut, keep it clean and protected, using soap and water. Once cleaned, apply an antibiotic cream and a clean, dry dressing, which should be changed at least twice a day. Seek medical attention if the infection spreads.

4. BUG BITES

All sorts of bugs, especially mosquitoes, can carry deadly diseases, such as malaria. Anybody who spends a lot of time in the outdoors should be especially wary of where they are venturing off to.

How you can avoid it:

Wear long-sleeve shirts, pants, and a hat, if possible. It also helps to tuck your shirt into your pants, although insect repellants are definitely the most effective way to reduce bug bites. In addition, you may use permethrin spray on your clothing or tents, and mosquito netting.

5. MOTION SICKNESS
Motion sickness occurs when your inner ears and other senses detect motion, but your eyes do not; these mixed signals can trigger a gnarly bout of nausea or dizziness – whether you’re traveling by plane, car or boat.

How you can avoid it:

If you’re on a boat, head up to the deck and focus on the horizon. Traveling by car? Sit in the front seat. Over the counter motion sickness patches or medicine, like Dramamine, can also help.

6. SUNBURN

If sipping apple martinis by the seaside sounds like your ideal getaway, don’t ruin your trip with a painful sunburn that your friends keep poking.

How you can avoid it:

Always bring sunscreen and a lip balm with SPF 30 or higher, even if it doesn’t look too sunny out. It should say broad spectrum or UVA+UVB on the label. Taking a cool bath or wearing wet cloths can also ease the pain if you already have a sunburn. In addition, make sure to avoid the sun to let your skin heal. While it does, stay hydrated and treat moisturizer like your new best friend.

7. JET LAG

Unfortunately, when you travel, you most likely will have to acclimatize to a new time zone. This can completely throw off your sleep cycle, keeping you wide-awake during the wee-hours of the morning, and leaving you feeling drowsy during the daytime.

How you can avoid it:

Although there’s no exact way to avoid jet lag, the process of acclimatization doesn’t have to be too painful.

Follow these travel health tips, and you’ll be back on your feet in no time. Don’t let your sickness ruin your next vacation.

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7 Health Issues You May Experience Abroad

What you need to know about #MERS, wherever you are. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/27/suspected-mers-outbreak-reported-in-the-uk-234/

The Manchester Royal Infirmary in the UK has shut its Accident and Emergency unit after a suspected Middle East Respiratory Syndrome–-MERS–outbreak, today. According to the hospital, two patients are investigated for the condition. This obliged the administration to shut down their emergency department.

A hospital spokesman said: “Both patients have been isolated for ongoing clinical treatment and management of their condition,” a hospital spokesperson said, adding that there was “no significant risk to public health,” the BBC reported.

Details are still emerging.

Some facts about MERS

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), MERS was first reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in September 2012. To date, 26 countries have reported infections, including China, Malaysia, the Philippines, the UK, the US and the Republic of Korea from the Western Pacific Region.

“It is possible that further healthcare associated clusters could occur in the Western Pacific Region following an imported case returning from the Middle East, as is currently being observed in the Republic of Korea,” WHO recently said.

What are the symptoms?

The organization recommends increasing efforts to raise awareness of the disease among travellers going to and travelling from affected countries. Typical symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Around 36% of reported patients with the virus have died.

The viral respiratory illness spreads quickly. The last case of MERS infection in the Republic of Korea was confirmed on July 4 2015. Yet, by July 27, there were 186 confirmed cases – most reported in the Republic of Korea, 1 in China – including 36 deaths.

Mostly human-to-human infections

The virus is particularly dangerous for older people, people with a weak immune systems, and those with chronic diseases such as cancer, chronic lung disease and diabetes. Although the majority of human cases of MERS have been attributed to human-to-human infections, camels are also likely to be a major reservoir host for the disease.

Despite the emergency, the virus does not seem to pass easily from person to person unless there is close contact, such as occurs when providing unprotected care to a patient. However, experts highlighted the importance of clustering the virus around health facilities in order to prevent it from circulating in communities. In any given country, continued monitoring for MERS cases is critical.

If you got news about the MERS outbreak in the UK, share them in the comments section below.

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Suspected MERS Outbreak Reported in the UK

Lyme Disease Spreading to New Areas, Says CDC - http://clapway.com/2015/07/18/lyme-disease-spreading-to-new-areas-says-cdc896/

The Background and What We Know about the disease

Everyone should know what Lyme disease is or at the very least have an idea of the bugs that might spread it to you.

Usually, when you get bitten by a troublesome bug, you feel like you may have a fever, but with an accompanying rash. The untreated disease can wreak havoc on your body. However there is a slight chance you run the risk of developing Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, no one really knows what causes this but guesses go to lingering damage to your tissue and immune system may be a contributing factor.

According to data from CDC monitoring, Lyme disease has really only been abundant in the Great Lakes area and the upper New England area. But it has seen a case or small smattering in other regions in the U.S. So you’re not entirely risk free.

The Bad News about Lyme disease.

Since the topic of geography is at hand, now is a good time to mention that the CDC has released a report available online now, and later in print in August. The report that says Lyme disease is spreading. The monitoring of the disease has been observed in a nine-year time period of the number of cases across the U.S.

In those years of observations, the high concentration of cases in the New England have risen an unbelievable number of 320%. That is a radical increase and when you observe how much the percentage increases in the nine year period it’s less shocking but still baffling to see it rise.

The Great Lakes are was not as high a percentile as the New England area but it was still really high with its number of an estimation of 250% rise in incidents with Lyme Disease.

The two high concentration areas spell trouble for residents and others worldwide

Not only is the concentration rising in those hot spots in the U.S., there is some movement outside of the areas that suggest spreading due to the conditions existing at that time that may help the ticks survive in the geographical area. So, the CDC says measures must be taken to prevent a severe Lyme disease epidemic.

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Lyme Disease Spreading to New Areas, Says CDC

Beach Sand Makes It Easier for You to Get Sick - http://clapway.com/2015/07/17/beach-sand-makes-it-easier-for-you-to-get-sick784/

The memo by officials

Summer is the prime time for people to go on road trips, take their boats out onto the water, and settle on the sand for a tan. Basically, everyone wants a nice time out in the sun for the family. However, what you may not know is that the beach, specifically the sand, is what possibly making you sick.

The American Chemical Society put out a public release  on Wednesday warning everyone who goes to the beach about the illness you contract at beaches from the water may factor in more from the sand. The change in where you contract the ailments came from a study from the Environmental Science & Technology, which covers the fact that infections may come from the fecal contamination that linger in sand.

How does beach sand make you sick?

After initial exposure to whatever fecal contaminations into the water, the bacteria from the waste get split into the beach sand and into the open water. However, the water decays the bacteria faster, whereas in the beach sand, it decays slower, thereby allowing more time for you to risk getting infected.

Only certain bacteria decayed slower in the beach sand than in water. Those bacteria were the Enterococci and the C. perfringens. The latter causing abdominal cramping and some diarrhea that if not hydrated frequently could take you to the ER.

Efforts to prevent people from getting sick at the beach

Besides releasing a public announcement of the risk of contracting illness associated with the beach area, signs have been put up that warn against swimming so that the likelihood of infection is decreased. The reason being is that some coastal waters are subjected to sewage dumps and the fecal matter that then settles in the water contaminate it and begins the aforementioned contamination cycle.

So the next time you go to the beach, think twice about venturing too far to the water as that is where the risk of infection is most high. But maybe the consideration of relocating to a beach where waste dumps don’t occur is a better idea, or even a community pool.

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Beach Sand Makes It Easier for You to Get Sick

Presence of Brucellosis at Yellowstone Has Science Panel Convening - http://clapway.com/2015/07/03/presence-of-brucellosis-at-yellowstone-has-science-panel-convening987/

Why in the world is there brucellosis at yellowstone?

Lately, there has been a presence of Brucellosis at Yellowstone in livestock, especially bison and elk populations. This disconcerting presence has officials talking and now have a team of people to convene in a panel to talk about the aforementioned problem. The team of people was assembled by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

It is also a concern with Brucellosis because there is a risk of people getting infected with it although the bacteria usually infects livestock such as sheep, cattle, pigs, dogs, and other animals. The CDC has said that people who come in contact with the infected animals or animals products made from them can contract the bacteria, thereby spreading it in the human community as a result.

Sincerity in Managing Efforts for Brucellosis at yellowstone

Ryan Clarke of APHIS told the National Academy of Sciences group, “We want you to . . . help us see a future path for actions we might take to address brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area.“ Clarke later went on, saying that although they reached a dead end, they are looking at other options and are open to advice as to what to do next.

Complications

However not everyone is as hopeful in finding a solution to managing the presence of Brucellosis at Yellowstone. “Reducing the prevalence of brucellosis in bison in the park would take decades and decades of work and would still not change how the animals are managed and would still leave many bison carrying the disease,” said P.J. White, Yellowstone’s chief of wildlife resources on the finding of the earlier scientific results.

Complications such as one mentioned above make decisions on how to handle the situation and the next step forward difficult and no easy feat to manage.

What can you look out for?

Some of the symptoms that accompany this infection are: having a fever, headache, lack of appetite, malaise, fatigue, possible depression, and other concerning symptoms. All in all, at first it seems very innocuous and can be mistaken for a regular cold perhaps.

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Presence of Brucellosis at Yellowstone Has Science Panel Convening