Earlier in this section of the forum, I wrote down some observations about
Travelling in the transition period from the COVID19 lockdown to new normal. A part of the new normal has been a transition into a more divided world with some regions suffering conflict, military spending at the cost of health and employment initiatives as well as green agendas leading towards less industrialization. When travelling, there can in some regions be an increased risk of exposure to parasites coming from food, water, or the environment. Considering this development, it might be time to consider the issue of travelling and parasites. The following advice, given by the Cs with regard to the coronavirus, might have application when travelling and wishing to avoid problems from parasites:
Session 23 April 2022
Q: (L) Well, going along with that question: Is our current interaction with the coronavirus gonna provide us with any upgrades?
A: In some respects. But remember what was said about parasites at times of major change and remain vigilant and proactive.
Q: (L) In other words, don't just assume that things can go a positive way without taking action yourself. Like hyperbaric chambers or vitamin C or ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, and all of that.
People are different. Some are very sensitive to water and food, others less, some can can function reasonably even after long hours of travelling, others are more battered by fatigue, or body aches. Below are a few excerpts from various articles concerning:
How to Avoid Parasites When Traveling
Posted on
July 12, 2023 by
Simon Greenberg
[...]
Watch What You Eat
When traveling, it’s essential to be mindful of what you eat to avoid parasites. Consuming raw or undercooked meats, seafood, or vegetables can expose you to parasites such as tapeworms, hookworms, and giardia. To avoid these parasites, it’s best to stick to cooked foods and wash fruits and vegetables with clean water before consuming them. It’s also important to
avoid consuming food and water from street vendors or unknown sources as they may not have followed proper hygiene practices. It’s best to avoid consuming unpasteurized dairy products and beverages as they can cause food poisoning. In areas where tap water isn’t safe to drink, be sure to use bottled water or filter your own with a portable filtration device.
Keep Pests Away
Parasites can be transmitted to humans through bites from fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks. Even pests like fleas are
known to carry tapeworms. It’s essential to take steps to keep pests away when traveling. Wear long sleeves and pants, use insect repellent containing DEET, and avoid areas with standing water or where pests are prevalent. Make sure to inspect your accommodations for signs of pest infestation, such as bed bugs or fleas, and report it to management if found. Lastly, use caution when bringing items into your home from outdoors, and make sure to thoroughly clean them before bringing them inside. Taking these simple steps can help you keep pests away and avoid contracting serious diseases.
Regarding bed bugs, there is a WikiHow:
A Complete Guide to Getting Rid of Bed Bugs that contains these sections:
The article has several suggestions that are easy to implement:
Take precautions while traveling so bed bugs don’t hop into your luggage. Stash your luggage in the bathroom when you first arrive; that way, bed bugs can’t sneak into your belongings from the nearby carpet, furniture, and bedding. Then, thoroughly inspect the luggage stand for critters, stains, or other telltale bed bug signs. If everything looks good, stick your luggage on the stand for the rest of your trip.
[32]
- Try to keep your luggage in your suitcase, too. Dressers can be a popular spot for bed bugs to hang out.
Continuing with the article
How to Avoid Parasites When Traveling:
Be Careful Where You Swim
Swimming in contaminated water can lead to infections by parasites such as schistosomiasis, which is prevalent in freshwater bodies in developing countries. When swimming, stick to designated swimming areas and avoid swimming in areas with stagnant water, as they are more likely to be contaminated. It’s also a good idea to shower after swimming to remove any parasites that may be on your skin. Wear protective clothing, such as a wetsuit, to protect yourself from the sun and from any parasites that may be in the water. Lastly, never swallow the water you swim in, as it could contain harmful bacteria or viruses. If swimming outdoors is unavoidable and there’s no way to
avoid contact with potentially contaminated water, you should at least be aware of it and take the appropriate precautions. Be sure to use a good-quality water filter, drink plenty of clean filtered water, and practice basic hygiene such as washing your hands before eating.
[...]
Taking the above advice, swimming in the waters of some rivers, needs a risk assessment. Here is one from India:
2023: Which are the most polluted rivers in India?
June 5, 2023 by
Ground report
The recently released State of the Environment (SOE) Report 2023 by the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) has shed light on the deteriorating state of India’s rivers. The report reveals that about 46% of the country’s rivers, including major water bodies like the Ganges, are dealing with pollution issues.
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh emerge as the states with the highest number of polluted rivers, while Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Punjab top the list in terms of lethal pollution levels in terms of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD).
One article
5 Ways to avoid parasites while travelling from Readers Digest, is probably written for North America, but has some useful ideas:
Parasites are so common that Dr Andrea Boggild, Director of the Tropical Disease Clinic in
Toronto, Canada says she goes through at least one prescription pad a day issuing drugs for anti-parasitic medication.
The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to parasitic diseases as “neglected tropical diseases”. According to Dr Boggild, “A safe estimate of the global prevalence of people with some sort of parasitic infection is between ten and 30 per cent of returned travellers who are ill or new migrants”.
If you are travelling to any high-risk destinations (which include Mexico, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Central and South America, Eastern Europe and some parts of the
Caribbean), heed the advice in this article to prevent bringing back any unwanted guests.
Symptoms vary and are sometimes difficult to diagnose but left untreated can lead to long-term health issues. According to Dr Boggild, “Fever anytime within three months of returning from any high-risk destination is a medical emergency and warrants prompt attention to rule out, for example, a life-threatening malaria infection.
There are different varieties of malaria. The one that can give fever within three months is
Plasmodium falciparum. The article,
Malaria in Europe: emerging threat or minor nuisance? has:
P. falciparum is the one most likely to be detected shortly after the patient's arrival because of its typically pronounced clinical presentation. However, P. vivax and P. malariae might remain undetected for a significant amount of time, the former because of its tendency to form dormant stages in the liver and the latter because of its benign nature and extremely low density in the peripheral circulation.
Besides malaria, there are other risks. The Reader's Digest article writes:
However, serious non-parasitic infections—such as typhoid fever, meningitis, and dengue may also present with fever after travel and should also be eliminated as possibilities. Additionally, any gastrointestinal, respiratory, neurologic, or skin symptoms that occur without fever but persist beyond a few days, and are moderate to severe in nature, should motivate a medical assessment.”
The article uses the term non-parasitic, but the outcome for the human is that the disease thrives while the human being suffers. About
typhoid fever, the Wiki has:
Typhoid fever, also known as
typhoid, is a disease caused by
Salmonella serotype Typhi bacteria.
[2]
About
meningitis:
Meningitis is
acute or
chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the
brain and
spinal cord, collectively called the
meninges.
[10]
[...]
The inflammation may be caused by infection with
viruses,
bacteria,
fungi or
parasites.
[12]
About
dengue fever:
One risk for picking up parasites and diseases while travelling is from pets. One article lists
9 Diseases Dogs Can Transfer to Humans including round worm, giardia, tapeworm, filariasis, ringworm, scabies, rabies, leishmaniasis and leptospirosis. About the last disease, they write:
Leptospirosis in dogs and humans
After reviewing the main pathologies which can be passed on from dogs to people, we end with
leptospirosis. This is a bacterial disease for which there is no vaccine.
The symptoms it produces are varied and can affect the digestive system, the liver or kidneys. The bacteria spreads through the urine of dogs and can remain in the ground for a period of months. Both other dogs and humans can be infected by coming in contact with this material. Infected material can also get into the body through an open wound or by drinking contaminated water. [...]
External parasites transmitted from dogs to humans
Fleas, ticks and live are all parasites which can easily transfer from a dog's skin to our own. Although a change of host does not necessarily constitute the spread of disease, these parasites can pass on disease through their bites, eggs and droppings. These disease may be some of the ones written about above, but
they can also pass on diseases such as Lyme disease.
There is a range of tick borne diseases, one can pick up in new surroundings, if not careful. What is found in one area may vary from what is found in another. For the EU, there is this page
Tick-borne diseases See also the Wiki for
Tick borne disease, which can give suggestions for topics and variants to look up elsewhere.
Round worms can transmit from dogs. They belong to the species rich family of
nematodes. About round worm infection, also known as ascariasis, the
Wiki has:
About 0.8 to 1.2 billion people globally have ascariasis, with the most heavily affected populations being in
sub-Saharan Africa,
Latin America, and Asia.
[1][10][11] This makes ascariasis the most common form of
soil-transmitted helminthiasis.
[10] As of 2010 it caused about 2,700 deaths a year, down from 3,400 in 1990.
[12] Another type of
Ascaris infects pigs.
[1] Ascariasis is classified as a
neglected tropical disease.
[6]
In populations where
worm infections are widespread, it is common to find that most people are infected by a small number of worms, while a small number of people are heavily infected. This is characteristic of many types of worm infections.
[1][13] Those people who are infected with only a small number of worms usually have no symptoms.
[14]
More on:
What is an Ascaris infection?
Ascaris infections are an infection of the parasitic roundworm Ascaris (Ascaris lumbricoides). The medical term for an Ascaris infection is Ascariasis. (Citation: 1) Ascaris is one of the three main soil-transmitted helminths (worms) that affects millions of people every year, together with hookworm and whipworm. (Citation: 2) Ascaris is the largest parasitic roundworm (nematode) that lives in the human intestines. The female worms are 20-35 centimeters; the male worms are 15-30 centimeters.
Having come this far with general considerations, next is a little about my own interest in the subject of travelling and parasites. Perhaps others have some ideas and thoughts they would like to share too?
Years ago, I was preparing for a journey to the tropics. I visited a doctor, read up on tropical diseases, including those caused by parasites, and was taken aback by the range of issues that one can be affected by. When I arrived to my destination, I made efforts to go for boiled and filtered water, or in some circumstances commercial still water. A local nurse recommended a course of antiparasitic medicine every six month as a precaution. Other measures included a bitter decoction made by boiling a lemon or a lime, cut into quarters, with kernels and skin in a litre of water, until the water was reduced to a quarter. Another aid which I occasionally took preventively for liver protection and against malaria was the Indian Ayurvedic preparation, Mahasudarshanghan Bati, produced by the company, Baidyanath. Later, I discovered that chewing a couple of neem leaves after food worked wonders. On page 233 of
Ayurvedic Medicine: The Principles of Traditional Practice, Sebastian Pole writes about the
neem tree,
Azadirachta indica:
INDICATIONS
Skin
Most effective in inflammatory skin conditions due to aggravated rakta and pitta with itching, oozing, burning and infection: eczema, psoriasis when active with Auspitz sign and bleeding, acne, urticaria, ringworm, scabies, lice. The oil is especially effective when applied externally for treating fungal and bacterial infections and as a mosquito repellant (use externally at 2–5% dilution). Its intense bitterness found in azadiracht in has renowned antibacterial and fungicidal activity. This property, plus its chlorophyll content, adds to its potential as a deodorant for putrid-smelling sweat and infected sores (Bhavaprak´a, Bone 2003).
Digestion
Neem is used in intestinal inflammation and is specific for hyperacidity, ulcers, colitis and Crohn’s disease with high pitta and kapha. It clears mucous and bleeding from the GIT. Useful in fissures, fistulas and haemorrhoids due to local congestion in the lower bowel. It clears the intestines of parasites and worms. Neem leaf is very useful in chronic intestinal dysbiosis such as with Candida albicans, protozoal infections and bacterial infestation (Tillotson 2001).
[...]
To avoid malaria, I also wore long sleeves and trousers all the time, at night socks and closed shoes. A bit extreme perhaps, but I only rarely suffered from falciparum type malaria. When I slept in unknown places, I tried to keep the luggage closed and have a minimum lying around. Even now, after travelling, I have often put travel bags in a large 100 l plastic bag, given it a dose of insect spray, closed it and left it until the next day. Maybe it was not necessary, but who can tell, and given the changes occurring, the risk of parasitic infection or infestation has not yet become irrelevant.
