Health

Athlete's foot and other fungal infections are best treated by sunshine and a proprietary preparation such as Tolnaftate.

Other risks and more serious diseases

Infectious Hepatitis (Jaundice)
The main symptoms are pains in the stomach, lack of appetite, lassitude and yellowness eyes and skin. Medically speaking there are two main types. The less serious, but more common is hepatitis A for which the best protection is the careful preparation of avoidance of contaminated drinking water and scrupulous attention to toilet he other, more serious, version is hepatitis file which is as acquired usually as asexually transmitted disease or by blood transfusion. It can less commonly be transmitted by injections with unclean needles and possibly by insect bites. The symptoms are the same as for hepatitis A. The incubation period is much longer (up to six months compared with six weeks) and there are more likely to be complications

Hepatitis A can be protected against with gamma globulin it should be obtained from a reputable source and is certainly useful for travelers who intend to live rough. You should have a shot before leaving and have it repeated every six months. The dose of gamma globulin depends on the concentration of the particular preparation used, so the manufacture’s advice should be taken. The injection should be given as close as possible departure and as the dose depends on the likely time you are to spend in potentially affected areas. FIT(, manufacturer’s instructions should be followed. Gamma globulin. has really been superseded now by proper a vaccination against hepatitis. A (Havrix),which dives immunity lasting up to 10 years. After that boosters are r x monodose is now widely available as is junior Havrix. the vaccination has negligible side effects and is extremely effective-Gamma globulin. There are other kind viral injection can be a bit painful it is cheaper than Havrix and may he more available in some places.

Hepatitis B can be effectively prevented by specific vaccine (Engerix) - three shots months before travelling If you have had jaundice in the past it would be worthwhile having a blood test to see if you are immune to their of these two types, because this might avoid the necessity and costs of vaccination or gamma globulin. There are other kinds of viral hepatitis (C,E etc) which are fairly similar to A and but vaccines are not available as yet.

AIDS
AIDS in southeast Asia is increasingly prevalent. Thus, is not wholly confined to the well know high risk section of the population homosexual men, intravenous drug abuser and the children of infected Mothers Heterosexual transmission is probably now the dominant mode of infection and so the main risk to travelers is from casual sex. The same precautions should be taken as when encountering any sexually transmitted disease. In soma Southeast Asian countries, Thailand is in entire population of female prostitute is HIV positive and in other parts intravenous common. There is possibly less of a problem in Malaysia.

The AIDS virus (HIV) can be passed via unsterile needles which have been previously used to inject HIV positive patient, but the risk of this is very small indeed. It would, however, be sensible to check that needles have been properly sterilized or used. The chancels of ficking up hepatitis B in this way is much more of carrying disposable needles. Customs official may risk of find them suspicious. The risk of receiving a blood transfusion with blood infected dirty needles because of the amount of fluid exchanged. Supplies of blood for transfusion are supposed to be screened for HIV in all reputable hospital so the risk should be small. Catching the virus which causes AIDS does not necessarily produce illness in itself ; the only to be sure if you feel you have been put at risk is to have a blood lest for HIV antibodies on your return to a place where there are reliable laboratory facilities. However, the test does not become positive for many weeks.

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