Overseas travellers warned of risk of hepatitis A and B
20 September 2003
The results of an annual survey of Australian travellers has this month prompted the Travel Health Advisory Group to issue a warning that travellers are putting themselves at risk of infectious diseases such as hepatitis A and B when abroad.
This year’s annual Australian travellers’ survey conducted in 503 returned travellers who had travelled overseas in the last 2 years showed that more than half of the respondents did not seek travel health advice before their departure.
This is despite the fact that nearly two-thirds of those travellers surveyed, visited countries with medium to high levels of risk for infectious diseases such as hepatitis A and B. These destinations included countries in Asia, Africa, South America and the South Pacific.
Dr Bernie Hudson, microbiologist and infectious disease physician at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney and Chair of the Travel Health Advisory Group said that hepatitis A and B are the 2 most vaccine preventable diseases in travellers.
‘With travel to destinations such as Vietnam and Fiji on the increase, as well as the overall rebound in travel to South East Asia, it is alarming there is still a significant proportion of travellers ignoring the health risks in these destinations,’ Dr Hudson said.
He explained that many infectious diseases such as hepatitis A and B are endemic in these areas, and travellers can easily prevent these infections by receiving appropriate vaccinations from their GP or travel health clinic at least 6 weeks before departure.
‘Whilst diarrhoea is the most common health complaint in travellers … hepatitis A is also contracted through ingestion of contaminated food and water,’ Dr Hudson said.
In contrast to hepatitis A, hepatitis B is spread through contact with infected contaminated blood and other body fluids. This can occur as a result of involvement in an accident or medical emergency that requires surgery; unprotected sexual contact; and exposure to contaminated needles (e.g. during acupuncture, piercing or tattooing).
The survey also found that more than 50 per cent of Australians preferred to stay in 3 to 5 star accommodation and that these travellers are less likely to be vaccinated.
Dr Hudson said the results suggest that travellers to these types of accommodation travel with a false sense of security: ‘In many cases it is the nice looking hotel buffets that are the real culprits.
‘People make the assumption that the higher the class of accommodation, the safer the food. However, they forget that the staff preparing the food often reside in rural areas with poor living conditions,' explained Dr Hudson.
Professor Zwar, Professor of General Practice form Fairfield Hospital, Sydney, commented that unvaccinated travellers not only put themselves at risk, but also create a public health risk, as hepatitis A and B can easily be introduced into their home communities upon their return to Australia.
‘For hepatitis A, this is particularly the case for people who holiday in their country of birth with their unvaccinated, Australian-born children,’ he said.
Last Reviewed: 22 September 2003
