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Don't consu)e unpasteurised )il$% cheese% ice crea) and other dairy products% or ra! or

undercoo$ed seafood&

ou should only eat freshly prepared food that is thoroughly coo$ed and served piping hot%* says +rofessor Hill&

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Avoiding insect bites

Try not to go to areas that are highly infested !ith biting insects&

Malaria )os4uitoes bite bet!een dus$ and da!n% so being indoors during these hours can reduce the

nu)ber of bites&

"esearch sho!s that products containing the che)ical D55T are the )ost effective insect repellents and

are safe !hen used correctly&

Mos4uitoes can bite through tight clothing% so !ear loose6fitting long trousers and long sleeves in the

evenings in )alaria hotspots&

Sleep under a )os4uito net to avoid being bitten at night& -arry a s)all se!ing $it so you can repair any

holes thatdevelop&

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Travellers' diarrhoea (TD)

Travellers' diarrhoea is the )ost co))on illness in people travelling fro) the 01 to developing countries& TD is caused

by eating or drin$ing conta)inated food or !ater& 7oods )ost li$ely to cause TD are those that have not been thoroughly

heated or that have been left out at roo) te)perature&

ou can reduce your ris$ of TD by follo!ing good food and !ater hygiene practices& If you develop TD% drin$ regularly to

avoid dehydration& In )ost cases% TD !ill only last a fe! days but you )ay !ant to pac$ )edications&

7ind out )ore aboutpreventing diarrhoea&

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alaria

Malaria is a serious and so)eti)es fatal disease that is co))on in tropical countries& It is spread by night6biting fe)ale

)os4uitoes carrying a parasite called plas)odiu)& About 8%9:; people a year return to the 01 !ith )alaria& Most of

the) catch it because they didn

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7ind out )ore aboutdengue&

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!"# and $T"s

0nsafe se#ual behaviour can e#pose travellers to HIV and se#ually trans)itted infections .STIs/% such as gonorrhoea%

chla)ydia or syphilis& Drin$ing too )uch alcohol )ay decrease your inhibitions and )a$e you )ore li$ely to have unsafe

se#&

Avoid se# !ith a ne! or un$no!n partner% and al!ays use condo)s& The condo)s you can buy in developing countries

)ay not be reliable% so buy the) in the 01 and ta$e the) !ith you&

7ind out )ore aboutSTIs&

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!e%atitis A

Hepatitis A is caused by a virus& It is caught through food or !ater that has been conta)inated by hu)an faeces& 7oods

that gro! close to the ground% such as stra!berries and lettuce% are particularly ris$y& -rustaceans that feed on the

seabed% such as oysters and cla)s% are also a ris$&

Infected people can pass on the virus if they don

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"abies is caused by a virus that attac$s the central nervous syste)& When it reaches the brain% it causes s!elling%

infla))ation and death& The virus is found in the saliva of infected ani)als% including dogs and bats% and is passed to

hu)ans by bites or scratches&

Africa% Asia and South A)erica are rabies ris$ areas& Vaccination is advised before you travel to high6ris$ areas& If you

get a bite or scratch fro) a potentially infected ani)al% !ash the !ound !ith soap and !ater and see$ urgent )edical

care&

7ind out )ore aboutpreventing rabies&

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eningitis

Meningitis is the s!elling of the lining around the brain and spinal cord% !hich is caused by different types of ger)s&

5arly sy)pto)s include fever% headache% nausea and vo)iting% (ust li$e )any )ild illnesses& The ger)s% !hich are

present in the nose and throat% can be passed fro) person to person by close and regular contact through coughing%

snee3ing and $issing&

Meningitis ris$ areas include sub6Saharan Africa% !here there are annual outbrea$s& Vaccines are available to travellers

visitinghigh6ris$ 3ones% although the ris$ of )eningitis for tourists is lo!& Vaccination against )eningitis is a re4uire)ent

for pilgri)s attending the Ha(( or 0)rah in Saudi Arabia&

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Rabies/Pages/Prevention.aspxhttp://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/travelhealth/Pages/Travellersillnesses.aspx#backtotophttp://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Rabies/Pages/Prevention.aspxhttp://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/travelhealth/Pages/Travellersillnesses.aspx#backtotop