Different areas of the world have different diseases and different prevalence rates of disease. Factors that contribute to these differences are climate (tropical, subtropical, temperate, arid, and so forth), native insects, parasites and animals, population density, and a myriad of other factors.
Travelers to foreign countries (any country not of the traveler's origin) may encounter diseases to which they have no natural immunity, to which they are not exposed in their own country, and which are likely to have a significant impact on their health.
Below is a listing of countries and diseases that may be encountered at some time during the different season. You may wish to read about the individual diseases listed below that are in areas you are planning to visit.
AFRICA
Northern Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Tunisia)
- insect-borne diseases: insect-borne diseases in this area are uncommon, but these may be encountered: leishmaniasis, malaria, relapsing fever, Rifte Valley fevertyphus, sandfly fever, West Nile fever
- water and food-borne diseases: dysentery (many organisms), cholera, Hepatitis A, typhoid fever, giardiasis, brucellosis, echinococcoisis, intestinal worms (helminthic infections), polio
- rabies
Nile delta
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Sub-Saharan Africa
- insect-borne diseases: insect-borne diseases in this area are very common: malaria, filariasis, onchocerciasis (river blindness), cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis), relapsing fever, typhus, plague, yellow fever, hemorrhagic fevers (such as Dengue hemorrhagic fever, etc.)
- water- and food-borne diseases: intestinal worms (helminthic infection), dysentery, giardiasis, typhoid fever, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, cholera, dracunculiasis, echinococcosis, poliomyelitis
- other: Hepatitis B, trachoma, Lassa fever, Ebola fever, Margburg fever, meningococcal meningitis
Southern Africa
- insect-borne diseases: malaria, plague, relapsing fever, Rift Balley fever, tick-bite fever, typhus
- water- and food-borne diseases: amebiasis, typhoid fever
- other: Hepatitis B, rabies
Botswana, Namibia
- sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis), schistosomiasis
South Africa, Swaziland
NORTH AMERICA (general area)
CENTRAL AMERICA (general area)
- insect-borne diseases: malaria, cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease), dengue fever, Venezuelan equine encephalitis
- water- and food-borne diseases: amoebic dysentery, dysentery, typhoid fever, cholera, Hepatitis A, intestinal worms (helminthic infection)
- other: rabies
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico
Mexico, Guatemala
Costa Rica
Caribbean Islands
- insect-borne diseases: see below
- water- and food-borne diseases: Hepatitis A, dysentery, amebic dysentery
- other: see below
Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama
- oriental lung fluke (paragonimiasis)
Dominican Republic
Cuba
- liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica)
Haiti
Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Lucia
SOUTH AMERICA
Tropical South America
- insect-borne diseases: malaria, American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease), cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, yellow fever, viral encephalitis, Dengue fever
- water- and food-borne diseases: amebiasis, dysentery, intestinal worms, helminthic infections, Hepatitis A
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Brazil, Guyana, Suriname
Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru
Colombia, Peru
Temperate South America
- insect-borne diseases: American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease)
- water- and food-borne diseases: salmonellosis, tapeworm (taeniasis), typhoid fever, echinococcosis, Hepatitis A
- anthrax
Argentina
Chile
ASIA
East Asia (general area)
- insect-borne diseases: see below
- water- and food-borne diseases: Hepatitis A, diarrheal diseases, oriental liver fluke (clonorchiasis), oriental lung fluke (paragonimiasis)
- other: Hepatitis B
- rabies
China
- malaria, visceral leishmaniasis, plague, typhus, poliomyelitis, trachoma, leptospirosis
Mongolia
- Korean hemorrhagic fever, Japanese encephalitis, Dengue fever
Japan, Republic of Korea
Eastern South Asia (Southeast Asia)
- insect-borne diseases: malaria, filariasis, plague, Japanese encephalitis, Dengue fever, Dengue hemorrhagic fever, typhus
- water- and food-borne diseases: cholera, dysentery, amebic dysentery, typhoid fever, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, giant intestinal fluke (fasciolopsiasis), paragonimiasis, melioidosis
- other: Hepatitis B, schistosomiasis, poliomyelitis
- rabies
Viet Nam
Indochina, Myanmar, Thailand
Middle South Asia (Indian subcontinent)
- insect-borne diseases: malaria, filariasis, sandfly fever, visceral leishmaniasis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, relapsing fever, typhus, dengue fever, hemorrhagic fevers
- water- and food-borne diseases: cholera, typhoid fever, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, intestinal worms (helminthic infections), brucellosis, echinococcosis
- other: Hepatitis B, poliomyelitis, trachoma,
- rabies
Islamic Republic of Iran
India, Nepal
Western South Asia (The Middle East)
- insect-borne diseases: cutaneous leishmaniasis, typhus, relapsing fever
- water- and food-borne diseases: typhoid fever, hepatitis A, tapeworm (taeniasis), brucellosis, echinococcosis
- other: hepatitis B, schistosomiasis
Northern Europe (general area)
- insect-borne diseases: rare occurrences of tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever
- water- and food-borne diseases: tapeworm, trichinellosis, fish tapeworm (diphyllobothriasis), liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica), Hepatitis A
- other: rabies
Siberia
Russian Federation, Ukraine
EUROPE
Southern Europe (general area)
- insect-borne diseases: murine and tick-borne typhus, West Nile fever, tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease
- water- and food-borne diseases: dysentery, typhoid fever, brucellosis, echinococcosis, Hepatitis A
- other: Hepatitis B, rabies
Croatia, Yugoslavia
Australia, New Zealand, Antarctic
- insect-borne diseases: mosquito-borne polyarthritis, viral encephalitis
- water- and food-borne diseases: amebic meningoencephalitis
Melanesia, Micronesia-Polynesia
- insect-borne diseases: malaria, filariasis, typus, Dengue fever
- water- and food-borne diseases: dysentery, typhoid fever, intestinal worms (helminthic infections), Hepatitis A
- other: Hepatitis B, poliomyelitis, trachoma
MALARIA
Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the world, affecting millions of people on every continent except Australia. Malaria is not a problem in cold climates, and is a lesser problem in temperate climates, but is a threat to those living or traveling in subtropical and tropical climates.
Resistance of the malaria organism changes rapidly and frequent updating on resistant strains, especially the falciparum, is necessary for safe travel. Travelers should call the CDC (Centers for Disease control and Prevention) for the most up-to-date information on travel and malaria. The numbers are:
(404) 332-4555
(404) 639-3311
The CDC Web site is also complete, up-to-date, and convenient: http://www.cdc.gov/www.cdc.gov.
YELLOW FEVER
An effective vaccination exists for yellow fever, a mosquito-borne, frequently fatal viral infection that causes fever, jaundice, and hemorrhaging. Travelers to areas endemic for yellow fever should be vaccinated a minimum of 10 days prior to entering a yellow fever zone. Certificates of immunization may be required for entrance into some countries.
SOUTH AMERICA
Bolivia
Brazil
Columbia
Ecuador
French Guyana
Guyana
Panama
Peru
Surinam
Venezuela
AFRICA
Angola
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
Cote d'Ivoire
Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Liberia
Mali
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
Sudan
Togo
Uganda
United Republic of Tanzania
Zaire
Zambia
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