The day is finally upon us! With only hours to go until the 2014
World Cup begins in Brazil, excitement has reached fever pitch and it is
unlikely you will be able to walk down many streets in England without
seeing red and white flags displayed to support the national team.
When we see these millionaire footballers such as Wayne Rooney and
Frank Lampard on our television screens, many probably see them as
god-like figures, superstars with such vast wealth and fame that they
are immune to everything else around them, whether it is criticism,
scorching hot weather or disease.
However, underneath all the money and
glamour, they are just human beings like the rest of us. Yesterday
Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy reported how the entire England camp are
having to take antimalarial Malarone to fend off malaria, showing they
are still at risk of contracting any number diseases whilst in Brazil,
as any other holidaymaker would be whilst visiting the particularly
at-risk regions.
There are 12 host cities for the 2014 World Cup, including Manaus in
the Amazon region where England begin their World Cup campaign on
Saturday. Health risks for individuals in Brazil for the event will vary
according to the stadia hosting the game, duration in the country,
other places being visited around Brazil or other countries and leisure
pursuits. In addition, age, pregnancy, pre-existing medical conditions
and medications, are all issues to take into account.
Here Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy discuss some of the diseases that are common in Brazil.
Malaria
It is vital to disclose exactly which regions you are visiting in
Brazil and the possibility of travelling to any neighbouring countries,
as malaria risks can vary considerably. Arena Amazonai in Manaus is one
stadium in a ‘high risk’ area for malaria, but the remaining 11 stadia
are situated within ‘low to no’ malaria risk areas.
People are advised to increase their malaria awareness, take antimalarial tablets such as Malarone
and learn mosquito bite avoidance measures. The latter is especially
vital as there may be a risk of other mosquito-borne infections such as
dengue fever.
Sexually transmitted infection
A staggering 3.7 million football fans are expected to descend onto
Brazil this week, a country where prostitution is legal. As such,
Brazil’s one million sex workers will be looking to cash in on the
influx of extra potential customers.
However, it is worth remembering that Brazil is one of numerous
countries in South America with high rates of sexually transmitted
infection and HIV, although recent intervention from the Brazilian
government has led to condom distribution increasing more than 45%
between 2010 and 2011 (from 333 million to 493 million condoms).
Holidays may be a time to have fun, but it shouldn’t be at the expense
of your health. Medical Specialists™ Pharmacy advise all UK travellers
to pack good quality UK-manufactured latex condoms and use one each and every time you have sex.
Dengue fever
Dengue fever is a huge problem in Brazil. In fact, last year there
were a record 1.4 million suspected dengue fever cases reported in the
country. UK travellers should be aware that there is a risk of dengue
fever in certain stadia to be hosting games during the peak dengue
season in their area. All are found in the north-east of the country:
Fortaleza (Ceara state), Natal (Rio Grande Do Norte state), Recife
(Pernambuco state) and Salvador (Bahia state).
Travellers should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites due to the
fact there is no vaccine to protect against the dengue fever virus.
Using insect repellent and sleeping under a mosquito net are two ways to
help protect yourself.
Yellow fever
Similar to malaria and dengue fever, yellow fever is transmitted
through mosquito bites. However, the disease is preventable by a
vaccination, especially recommended to those who are visiting the highly
popular tourist destination Igazu Falls. Even if going into a low-risk
yellow fever area, travellers are still advised to apply a DEET-containing insect repellent to exposed skin and consider other mosquito-bite prevention methods, for both indoors and outdoors.
Just a single dose of the yellow fever vaccine offers protection
against the disease for around 10 years, but must be administered at
least ten days before a trip. Moreover, many countries require you to
have a yellow fever vaccination certificate before entry, although
exemption certificates can be provided for people unable to have the
vaccination on medical grounds.
Rabies
Rabies is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal,
commonly through a bite, scratch or lick on broken skin, and Brazil is
deemed to be a ‘hisk risk’ country for rabies in animals by the World
Health Organisation.
For those only in Brazil to attend World Cup, it may just suffice to
increase awareness of the rabies risk, avoid contact with animals
(including bats), as well as report any bites for assessment. However,
those planning to stay in Brazil after the tournament has finished to
travel to more remote and rural areas – i.e. for caving trips where
immediate access to treatment is unavailable – may be advised to have a
rabies vaccine.
No comments:
Post a Comment