Tourists bring exotic diseases

Tourists increasingly bring with them exotic diseases

17/08/2012

More and more tourists are infected with exotic diseases. Some carrier animals have long made the leap to Europe due to the global warming. In most cases, the sometimes dangerous viruses are transmitted by insect bites. But even infections via fecal germs such as in sarcocystosis, which has spontaneous bowel movements result, occur. The unwanted souvenir from the holiday can have serious health consequences and even lead to death in the worst case. Vacationers should inform themselves before their trip and protect themselves.

Exotic mosquito species meanwhile also in Germany
In the past, exotic diseases such as Chikungunya, Pappataci or Dengue fever were considered very rare in Germany. In the meantime, especially during and shortly after the peak holiday season, it is almost daily routine for many doctors. Due to climate change, exotic carrier animals have also been present in Europe for some time. The Asian tiger mosquito is also native to the Upper Rhine, for example.

"Especially diseases transmitted by insect bites are on the increase," explains Christian Meyer from the Hamburg Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNI). In the first place of the introduced disease is still malaria. Every year around 500 cases occur in Germany, which only rarely ends when doctors do not recognize the disease. While the number of malaria cases has stabilized, other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes are on the rise. Meyer calls in this context the dengue and Chikungunya fever.

Exotic diseases are commonly transmitted by mosquitoes
Both diseases are transmitted, inter alia, by the Asian tiger mosquito. It is considered the main transmitter of the diseases. The Chikungunya fever first appeared in the summer of 2007 in northern Italy. At that time, around 200 people were infected with the virus. Today, about 20 to 50 German tourists get sick every year who bring the virus mostly from Thailand, Indonesia or the Maldives. The symptoms of Chikungunya are similar to those of a flu. In addition to high fever joint problems occur. The diagnosis is made by means of a blood test. The disease is benign in most cases without causing permanent damage. Rarely occurs the so-called hemorrhagic fever, which can lead to internal bleeding. A deadly course of Chikungunya is very rare.

The dengue fever is also transmitted by the Asian tiger mosquito. While sufferers initially show flu-like symptoms such as fever, limb pain and joint pain, internal bleeding and the so-called dengue shock syndrome (DSS) can occur in the further course, which in both cases can lead to the death of the patient. Dengue fever is the fastest-spreading and mosquito-borne viral infectious disease worldwide. So far, there is neither a vaccine nor a promising antiviral therapy. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are approximately 20,000 deaths from dengue fever worldwide each year. Dengue is also native to southern France and Croatia since 2010. As reported by the Center for Travel Medicine, about ten times more tourists now lug the virus into Germany than in 2001.

The so-called Pappataci fever is transmitted by sandflies and occurs in Tuscany. In addition to high fever, severe malaise and very severe headaches, infection can also cause meningitis and comatose conditions in up to twelve percent of cases. Other symptoms of Pappataci fever include dizziness, nausea and vomiting, muscle and joint pain, stiffness in the legs and back pain.

For vacationers protection against mosquito bites and bacteria important
To protect against the disease-carrying mosquitoes, mosquito-repellent sprays and lotions help, which should not only be applied to skin and clothing in the evening, as both the Asian tiger mosquito and the African sleeping tsetse flies are active during the day. The funds should contain a high proportion of the active substance DEET, as this distributes the annoying insects.

Frequent hand washing, boiled foods and drinks from sealed bottles are a must on holiday to protect against bacterial diseases that usually lead to diarrhea. Shigelliosis, a diarrheal disease known as dysentery, is increasing, according to the Robert Koch Institute. It is mainly imported from countries such as Egypt and India.

A particularly unpleasant parasite occurs in Asia. "About one-fifth of humanity is infected with the roundworm," explains tropical medicine Meyer. This makes it the world's most frequently occurring parasite. He can be up to 30 inches long. The infection takes place via the food intake of dung-fertilized and not sufficiently boiled vegetables, on which the eggs of the roundworm sit. In the intestine, the larvae hatch and migrate from there through the entire body of the affected person and back into the intestine, where they grow into large accumulations of thick worms and lay up to 200,000 eggs per day. Affected persons can suffer a life-threatening intestinal obstruction. (Ag)

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Dengue fever: Bacteria against viruses