Guest post by IAMAT Board member Shirley Cheng, MPH. Shirley has over 20 years of public health experience in both Canada and China. She holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Medical Sciences from West China University of Medical Sciences. Chest x-rays courtesy of Stock.XCHNG. Today is World Tuberculosis Day. One hundred and thirty years ago, the German doctor Robert Koch discovered the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis which causes tuberculosis (TB). TB continues to be a global health concern: In 2010, 9 million people suffered from TB, 1.4 million people died from this infection, and one-third of the world’s population is at risk. The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated March 24 ...

Photo – Children getting medication to prevent NTDs in India. Photo by Esther Havens. Guest post by Caitlin Garlow, Communications Associate, Sabin Vaccine Institute. Sabin is a non-profit organization working to eliminate neglected tropical diseases through innovative vaccine research and development, and advocating for improved access to vaccines and essential medicines for citizens around the globe. For health-conscious individuals planning to visit other countries, there’s a pre-travel checklist: Visit the travel clinic, check Catch up on necessary immunizations, check Research medical insurance, check But even the savviest travellers may not know about all the diseases that are native to the countries they visit, how to avoid them or how they can help those affected by particularly devastating diseases that most people have ...

When rabies comes up in conversations, it’s often in veterinary clinics where our pets are vaccinated against infection. Rabies however, is also a major concern for travellers. More than 150 countries report rabies in their animal population putting humans at risk. The majority of human rabies cases are reported from Asia and Africa and 99% of cases are from dog bites. The World Health Organization estimates that 55,000 people die annually, although the illness is often misdiagnosed or under-reported. On a positive note though, the WHO states that 15 million people worldwide receive the post-exposure vaccinations, preventing an estimated 327 000 deaths annually. It’s not only travellers going on eco-tourism or adventure expeditions that are at risk. In many ...

The recent dengue outbreaks, notably in the Philippines, USA (Key West), India (Delhi), and China (Guangdong province) got us thinking about why infection rates are on the increase and how the disease is spreading to areas previously believed safe from the virus. The dengue virus is primarily spread by infected female Aëdes aegypti (urban domestic) mosquitoes that bite during the day (dawn to dusk) both indoors and outdoors. The disease has become a major economic burden and serious public health concern in tropical and sub-tropical areas. According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 50 million infections worldwide each year and 2.5 billion people are at risk of contracting dengue. However, under-reporting (because the patient did not receive ...

The recent polio (poliomyelitis) outbreaks in Central Asia (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia) are reminders of how travel and migration can contribute to the re-emergence of a disease in a region previously declared free of infection. In Tajikistan, for example, the country was declared polio free in 2002, but this year alone 239 children became paralyzed and 15 patients have died of the disease imported from India. The disturbing news is that since 2003 there have been 25 countries – originally declared polio free – that have been re-infected. (Kenya, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Cameroon, Burundi, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, and Guinea are some of the countries that have since taken steps to control the reappearance of polio.) Travellers ...

Measles continues to be a threat all over the world, even making resurgences close to home. During the last decade we have seen measles outbreaks in places where this disease is considered a rare occurrence. The most recent cases were reported in Vancouver, British Columbia, and San Francisco and Amador Counties in California. Two factors explain the resurgence of measles in our communities: International travel and lack of immunization. The cases in Vancouver show that people who contracted the infection were not vaccinated or did not follow-up with the second dose required for effective protection. Add travel to the mix and you have the recipe for spreading this highly contagious disease. Here at home, even if you are not ...

We’ve been getting many online inquiries from people who are getting ready for aid missions in Haiti. Emergency relief efforts are underway to help Haitians recover from the devastating earthquake of January 12. Prior to the earthquake, Haitians were already struggling with access to health care, clean water, and proper sanitation. Only 11 percent of the population had access to water in their homes and the median life expectancy is 60 years. While the death toll continues to mount and survivors have to rebuild their lives, there is hope that reconstruction efforts can be done in such a way that Haitians affected by the earthquake will have universal access to proper shelter, food, and clean water. So what do ...