Holiday hotspots the place 4 uncommon illnesses trigger joint pains, fever and bleeding gums
Millions of Brits will be looking forward to a holiday as the schools break up for summer, but could you end up bringing back an unwanted illness you’ve never even heard of?
Here we look at four of the freaky unexpected ailments you could pick up on your travels, with advice on how to avoid them and what to do if you do fall victim…
Chikungunya
What: It’s nothing to do with chickens, but a little-known but widespread viral infection spread by a type of mosquito that bite in the daytime, unlike those that carry the deadly but more familiar malaria. Actress Lindsay Lohan was a victim.
These nasty buzzers can cause all kinds of diseases(Image: Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)
Where: In over 120 countries from the Caribbean to Sri Lanka and Thailand, with some cases in the Med. Cases of UK travellers returning with it are up 43%.
Symptoms: Occurring three to seven days after being bitten, they include severe joint pain, fever, nausea, fatigue, headache and a rash. Rarely fatal, but can cause problems that last for months or years.
Avoid: Get advice from a health professional before travelling. Covering up and using insect repellent is key in affected area and there are vaccines available too.
Treatment: There’s no cure, but if you think you may have seek urgent medical help and report it to your doctor when you get home too.
Use insect repellent if you want to avoid chikungunya(Image: Getty Images)
Dengue
What: Another mosquito borne disease spread by the day biting Aedes variety, which can also spread illnesses like the Zika virus. British movie star Charlie Hunnam has suffered with it.
Where: India, Barbados, Thailand, some parts of the Americas and even Southern Europe countries like France, Italy and Spain.
Symptoms: Start four to 10 days after you’ve been bitten. Flu-like, they commonly include fever, headache, a blotchy rash, as well as muscle and joint pain. Rarely a killer, but a dangerous severe type of the illness can include bleeding gums, vomiting and breathing problems.
Avoid: Cover up, use a mosquito net and insect repellent. Vaccines are available.
Treatment: Pain-killing meds. Seek emergency care if you think you have severe dengue.
No effective vaccine yet exists for schistosomiasis(Image: Getty Images)
Schistosomiasis…
What: This is an infection caused by tiny parasitic worms that live in infected freshwater lakes and rivers. These can get on to your skin while swimming or washing and burrow into your body, laying eggs in your bowel, bladder or liver. Tour de France winner Chris Froome got it.
Where: Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia and the Caribbean. European cases are rare but there have been recent outbreaks include Corsica and Spain. It’s spreading, with 200million cases worldwide a year.
Symptoms: An itchy, bumpy rash which appears after a few days and headaches, tummy ache and joint pain along with a cough, diarrhoea or blood in your urine and poo. These can appear weeks after infection. Left untreated it can lead to complications like bladder cancer and infertility.
Avoid: Take advice at home and locally before swimming in lakes and rivers abroad. Only drink water sources your trust. You can’t get it from swimming in the sea.
Treatment: There are pills you can take to kills the worms and steroid meds to help the body fight the symptoms of the infection.
Lyme disease causes a distinctive ‘bullseye’ rash(Image: Getty Images)
Lyme disease…
What: A bacterial infection spread by the bites of ticks. Around 10%of ticks in the UK carry Lyme disease. Ticks can also carry tick-borne encephalitis, though the UK risk is low. TV star Martine McCutcheon and comedian Mirand Hart have both had Lyme disease.
Where: Europe, North American and Asia. In the UK more infected ticks are found in Scotland and England’s South and South-West. British cases have increased by 20% in the last year.
Symptoms: A rash, often looking like a bullseye appears, sometimes months after being bitten, as well as fever, headaches, fatigue and muscle pain. It can lead to long term complications like neurological and cardiac problems.
How to avoid: Cover up exposed areas of skin especially when walking through grassy areas or woodland and use insect repellent.
Treatment: See the NHS advice website on how to remove a tick quickly from your skin if you do get bitten. It’s hard to diagnose with blood tests, but can be treated with courses of antibiotics.
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