Outbreak Information and News
Vaccines and Volcanoes
Icelandic volcano,
Eyjafjallajokull, is spewing out millions of cubic metres of
ash - enough to shut airports. As well as being a struggle
to pronounce, and disrupting many persons travel plans, this
event has caused delays in vaccines arriving from Europe to
Australia, particularly influenza vaccine.
Swine Flu
Swine Flu has started appearing
in Australia again. The 2010
Seasonal Flu vaccine contains Swine flu protection
PLUS two other less common strains. Those who have had Swine
flu vaccine can have Seasonal flu vaccine as well to access
protection from the 'other' strains. The 2010 Seasonal flu
vaccine is free if you are over 65
or have serious medical problems.
Philippines: Measles increase
Measles cases have been
351 percent higher in the
Philippines this year! Latest data on measles
incidence in the country show 1,473 cases since 1 Jan 2010.
They report 8 deaths during the same period. Measles is
transmitted through airborne
droplets; one person afflicted with measles can
affect 12 to 18 other persons. This resurgence in measles
cases is probably due to relaxation of the vaccination
programme as a result of financial constraints.
Canada: Measles increase
29 cases of measles have been
reported since February, primarily in the Lower Mainland
region. These are the first reported cases since 2007.
Travellers who have had the disease measles are safe from
contracting it a second time.
Travellers born from 1966 -1981 need a booster measles
vaccine.
Bali: Rabies still spreading
Latest figures show that
42 people have died of rabies
since the outbreak in Bali in November 2008. Travellers who
have not been pre-vaccinated with rabies vaccine should know
what to do in the event of an animal bite - i.e. wash the
wound with soap and running water for 5 minutes and take the
next flight back to Australia as the post exposure treatment
for rabies is not available in Bali.
Travel Health
App goes to #1
The Travel Health App for the
iPhone - based on the book, Travelling Well, has recently
spent time as the number one medical app on the Australian
iTunes store! If you have an iPhone, check it out
here.
Oyster farms cause Norovirus
outbreak in US
38 cases of norovirus
[infection] in Mississippi and the New Orleans area were
tied to oysters from the 3 separate zones in Louisiana
waters. A total of 11 people got
sick near Pascagoula after eating oysters at a
seafood-related conference at the Grand Bay National
Estuarine Research Reserve; another 13 got sick at a wedding
in New Orleans. Noroviruses are highly contagious, and can
be transferred from someone who has the virus onto the raw
shellfish, or to another person through human contact.
...Prepared by Dr Deborah Mills, Brisbane, Travel Medical Alliance
Malaria
rapid test kit now available for travellers
Travellers who will be visiting
places remote from medical care now have the option of
taking a test kit for malaria. This Rapid Diagnostic kit
allows the traveller to take a sample of blood and
accurately test their blood for
malaria, so they will know whether they have
malaria and which strain they have. This makes it easier to
treat themselves, if they are in a country where the local
medical services are unreliable. The kits cost about $200
from your local TMA clinic, and the expiry date is about 12
months.
The World Health Organisation has recently updated their
guidelines on the management of malaria. The availability of
these Rapid Diagnostic tests has meant that it is now easier
to accurately diagnose malaria. This means better treatment.
In the past, many patients were treated as if they had
malaria, when they did not REALLY have malaria.
Test kits are available from your
local TMA clinic. For further info go to
here.
...Prepared by Dr Deborah Mills, Brisbane, Travel Medical Alliance
Picaridin - new mosquito repellent
Picaridin is a new but effective
repellent, that some persons find
more pleasant to use than DEET.
'DEET' is the gold standard effective mosquito repellent to
apply on your skin. Repellents work by blocking the
receptors on the mosquitoes antennae, so the mosquitoes
cannot find you - a bit like wearing Harry Potter's
invisibility cloak. It gives protection for 4 hours. Higher
concentrations protect for longer, but sadly more is not
always better; above 50% DEET, the duration of protection
plateaus. 'Sticky' products with higher DEET (e.g. Bushman
80%) may be useful in conditions where persons are sweating
profusely e.g. Kokoda track. DEET has been on the market for
45 years and side effects do not occur if used according to
the directions.
DEET products on the skin have been found to be
more effective than coils,
citronella candles, sonic repellers, UV light lures, and
'mozzie plants'. E.g. Citronella protects for
less than 20 minutes and wristbands average 12- 18 seconds
(swapping to a fresh wrist band every 12 seconds is likely
to somewhat hinder ones enjoyment of the destination).
The downside of DEET is that, if it
leaks, it can damage plastics, synthetic fabrics,
leather and painted or varnished materials. This is a bit of
a problem for travellers as we tend to carry things like eye
glasses, cameras, phones etc, and its not easy to get to
shops to replace our precious toys - even if we had spare
money to buy them, and trusted the guarantee etc. DEET has
no effect on cotton, wool or nylon or skin.
Picaridin is nearly odorless
(mild citrus scent when first applied) and your cameras,
phones and other toys will rest easy in your pockets as it
is safe for plastics and synthetic materials. It is present
in the Australian product OFF! Skintastic.
...Prepared by Dr Deborah Mills, Brisbane, Travel Medical Alliance
SPOT QUIZ: What simple
household drug, improves survival from heart attack by 15%
if given within 4 hours of chest pain?
Read on to find out an an
essential first aid tip that is useful for both at home or
overseas.
Chest pain can be serious. The
person may be having a heart attack.
Warning Signs of a Heart
Attack:
-
Chest pain, squeezing or
crushing discomfort, pressure or pain in the centre of
the chest or behind the breastbone.
-
Pain may spread to the back,
neck and arms.
-
Persists more than 10 minutes.
-
May develop gradually or suddenly.
-
May also be sweaty, dizzy, short of
breath and nauseous.
Treatment:
-
Advise sufferer to rest.
-
Support them in the sitting
position if conscious.
-
Loosen tight clothing.
-
Assist sufferer to take their prescribed
medication e.g. anginine.
-
If pain persist for longer than 10 minutes,
call an ambulance.
-
Chew one aspirin tablet (300mg), (unless severe
allergy to aspirin, or on anti-coagulant medication (e.g. warfarin)).
-
Chewing speeds absorption. A single aspirin
taken in the early stages of a heart attack thins the blood and improves
survival by 15%.
-
If casualty is unconscious, turn to recovery
position and prepare to give CPR.
...Prepared by Dr Deborah Mills, Brisbane, Travel Medical Alliance
Travel Photo: Palm tree with a secret
in Morocco
This Palm tree is fake - it is a phone tower in Morocco!
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Have you any really
interesting travel photos?
We would love to publish them in our
newsletter. Not only will you win fame and glory
with your name published ... if the photo is
published in our newsletter,
you will win a first aid kit valued at $35.
If you do have an interesting travel photo,
(especially those with a health theme) send it
to TMA care of
info@travelmedicine.com.au. |
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