Traveling while being sick is not ideal thing to do and it is riskier for you catch more severe disease. One thing you need to know about traveling is that souvenirs are not the only thing you could bring home with. You could return from your trip bringing weird diseases with you. The most common diseases you can catch while traveling are cold or flu. However, there are also other diseases you catch during traveling and you could bring them home when you return.
Be aware of diseases you may catch when or after traveling
Sometimes travelers forget to pay attention to their health when traveling due to the buzz of excitement. They also tend to be more ignorant of food they eat throughout the trip. Sanitation is also often to be the main issue of catching disease when traveling. Here are unusual diseases you could catch while traveling overseas:
- Schistosomiasis is a disease usually caught by travelers who like swimming. The symptoms shown include itchy, rash skin. Not long after, fever comes, accompanied by cough, chills, as well as muscle pain. It happens when travelers swim in contaminated fresh water such as ponds, lakes, or rivers. The most potential places you could get this diseases are some areas in Africa, Asia, South America, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. If you are unsure of the water you are going to jump into then you’d better stick with pool water or ocean.
- Next unusual disease you could catch when traveling is African Trypanosomiasis. The symptoms shown include fever, joint pain, headache, and itching. The second stage is disrupted sleep cycles. It happens due to the bite of an infected tsetse fly. The fly transmitting parasite and infection happens. This happens often in sub-Saharan Africa and it is life-threatening disease. Thus, you’d better use preventive techniques just like you do to deal with mosquitoes. Wear proper clothes and mosquitoes repellent all the times.
- Hookworm is weird disease you could catch while traveling. The symptoms shown include painful blisters and itchy feet. They are followed by the swelling soon after. It happens if you often to walk barefoot on the beach. Keep in mind that hookworm larvae live in the sand. It can penetrate your skin when you walk on it. This can be treated but it leaves marks that can be hidden afterward. Thus, wear flip flops and avoid skin contact with the sand throughout your beach activities.
- Transient Global Amnesia (TGA) is a condition when you wake up with no memory of how you get in the place where you are or even who you are. It is bizarre disease but a 2006 study showed that 3 of 10 people contracted this disease. People in age between 51 and 80 are the most common to suffer from it. Travelers with migraine and susceptible to heart diseases have higher risk to experience TGA, as well as those who take too much of sleep aid. People in severe stress when traveling can also catch it.