David Cohen, M.D.·Published 2 April 2005·5 min read
Key points
Different areas of the world have different diseases and different prevalence rates of disease.
Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the world, affecting millions of people on every continent except Australia.
There is an effective vaccination for yellow fever - a mosquito-borne, frequently fatal viral infection that causes fever, jaundice, and bleeding.
Factors that contribute to these differences are climate (tropical, subtropical, temperate, arid, and so forth), native insects, parasites and animals, population density, and a myriad of other factors.
Alternative names
Infectious diseases and travelers; Traveler's guide to avoiding infectious diseases
Information
Different areas of the world have different diseases and different prevalence rates of disease. Factors that contribute to these differences are climate (tropical, subtropical, temperate, arid, and so forth), native insects, parasites and animals, population density, and a myriad of other factors.
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 the diseases you may encounter there. You may want to read about the individual diseases that are in 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, echinococcoisis, intestinal worms (helminthic infections), polio
Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the world, affecting millions of people on every continent except Australia. Malaria is not a problem in cold climates, and is a lesser problem in temperate climates, but 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.
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.
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
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