Vaccine Preventable Diseases

• A viral infection that causes the liver to become enlarged, inflamed and tender.
  Severity of disease ranges from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months.

• The virus is found in the stools of people infected with the virus
• Person-to-person
• Ingestion of contaminated food and water
• Cold cuts, fruits and fruit juices, vegetables, salads, undercooked shellfish and iced drinks
• Shellfish and salads are the most frequent sources

Persons infected with the virus may not exhibit any symptoms. If symptoms are present, they may include:

• Dark urine
• Fever
• Tiredness
• Loss of Appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Pale Coloured Stool
• Abdominal discomfort
• Joint Pain
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

• Anyone with no prior exposure or vaccination can contract Hepatitis A
• Other risk factors for the virus include:
  • Injecting drugs
  • Living in a household with an infected person
  • Travel or work in regions with high rates of Hepatitis A
  • Patients with pre-existing liver disease, eg: patients with Hepatitis B or C are at greater risk of having severe disease

The most common infection of the liver is caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). It can lead to the following complications:

• Chronic hepatitis (permanent liver inflammation)
• Liver cirrhosis (permanent scarring and hardening of the liver)
• Liver failure
• Liver cancer

Transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids (i.e., semen and vaginal fluid) of an infected person

• Injecting drug use
• HBV is a major infectious occupational hazard of health workers (HBV is not spread by contaminated food or water, and cannot be spread casually in the workplace)

• Acute Symptoms: jaundice, dark coloured urine, abdominal pain, nausea & vomiting
• Hepatitis B can also cause chronic liver infection that can later develop into cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer

Situations or activities that may carry increased risk for HBV infection for travelers while overseas include the following:

• Travel to countries with moderate to high rates of Hepatitis B
• An injury or illness that requires invasive medical attention (eg: injection, IV drip, transfustion, wound stitching)
• Dental treatment
• Unprotected sexual contact
• Sharing illegal drug injection springes • Skin-perforation practices (e.g: tattooing, ear piercing, acupuncture)
• Cosmetic practices with risk for skin perforation (e.g: Manicure/ Pedicure)
• Sharing of personal grooming items
  (e.g., earrings, toothbrush, razor)

• A viral infection of the respiratory tract
• At times, the infection can lead to complications or even death10

• Through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks
• The virus can also be spread indirectly when a person touches a surface with flu viruses on it (for example, a door knob) and then touches his or her nose or mouth

• Influenza typically has a sudden onset with headache, chills and coughs. Followed rapidly by a fever, appetite loss, muscle aches and tiredness.
  Severe cases of influenza can lead to pneumonia and other complications such as bronchitis, sinusitis, ear infection and meningitis (inflammation of the lining that covers the brain)

• The risk for exposure to seasonal influenza during international travel depends on the time of year and destination
• Older people, young children, people with weakened immune system, or those with heart and lung diseases are at higher risk
• For protection against influenza, travelers should talk

• A life threatening illness, caused by Salmonella Typhi. Serious complications of typhoid fever includes intestinal hemorrhage or perforation, which can be life threatening.

• Persons with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream
• The bacterium is usually spread through contaminated food and water

• Sudden onset of sustained fever, severe headache, nausea, loss of appetite, constipation or sometimes diarrhea
• In severe cases, mental dullness and meningitis are common

• Risk is greatest for travelers to South Asia (6 to 30 times higher than all other destinations). Other areas of risk includes East and Southeast Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The risk of acquiring typhoid fever increases with the duration of stay. However, travelers have also acquired typhoid fever even during visits of less than 1 week.

• Malaria is a life-threatening mosquitoborne disease • Most malaria cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. However, Asia, Latin America, and to a lesser extent, the Middle East and parts of Europe are also affected.

• Transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes

• The first symptoms – fever, headache, chills and vomiting – may be mild and difficult to recognize as malaria
• If not treated within 24 hours, malaria can progress to severe illness often leading to death
• Children in endemic areas with severe disease frequently develop severe anaemia, respiratory distress, or cerebral malaria
• In adults, multi-organ involvement is also frequent

• International travelers from non-endemic areas are at high risk of malaria because they lack immunity
• Non-immune/semi-immune pregnant women are also at risk as malaria causes high rates of miscarriage and maternal death. An estimated 200 000 infants die annually as a result of malaria infection during pregnancy
• People with HIV/AIDS are at increased risk of malaria disease when infected

• A potentially fatal bacterial infection, known as either meningococcal meningitis (inflammation of the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord) or meningococcal septicemia (blood poisoning by the meningococcal bacteria).

• Person-to-person transmission by close contact via droplets of respiratory secretions from the nose and throat of infected persons
• Up to 5 to 10% of people may be symptomless carriers

• Intense headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, sensitivity to bright lights, and rashes
• In young infants, the classic symptoms of fever, headache and neck stiffness may be difficult to detect, and the infant may only appear irritable with poor appetite. As the disease progresses, seizures may occur, irrespective of age

• Persons with compromised immunity, as well as travelers to endemic areas of the world are at increased risk
• Pilgrims (or large population of people movement) are also at risk. The Haji pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia has been associated with outbreaks of meningococcal disease in returning pilgrims and their contacts

• Yellow fever is a viral disease that occurs in tropical regions of Africa and in parts of South America.

• Transmitted to human through the bite of infected mosquitoes.

• Many yellow fever infections are mild, but the disease can cause severe, life threatening illness
• Symptoms of severe infection are high fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, and backache
• After a brief recovery period, the infection can lead to shock, bleeding, kidney and liver failure. Liver failure causes jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes), which gives yellow fever its name
• Severe yellow fever infections can be fatal

• Travelers visiting places where yellow fever occurs such as Africa, Central and South Amercia

• An acute, often fatal, disease caused by an exotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium tetani.

• Usually via injuries from contaminated objects • Tetanus has been associated with apparently clean superficial wounds, surgical procedures, insert bites, dental infections, compound fractures, chronic sores and infections, and intravenous drug use

• Muscle rigidity and painful spasms, often starting in the muscles of the jaw and neck
• Severe tetanus can lead to respiratory failure and death

• Everyone who has not had a tetanus shot is at risk to this
• Revaccination is recommended every 10 years

• Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious acute bacterial disease involving the respiratory tract
• It is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis

• Through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks

• Typical symptoms include severe cough of several weeks’ duration with a characteristic whoop, often with vomiting, and appearance of blue or purple skin colouration due to low oxygen level
• In young infants, the cough may be absent
• Although pertussis can occur at any age, most serious cases and fatalities are observed in early infancy. Major complications include pneumonia, encephalitis and malnutrition (due to repeated vomiting)

• Unprotected young infants are at the highest risk of severe pertussis
• Older children, adolescents and adults are also at risk if they are not fully immunized

• Rabies is a deadly viral infection that is mainly spread by infected animals.

• Rabies is spread by infected saliva that enters the body through a bite or broken skin. The virus travels from the wound to the brain, where it causes swelling, or inflammation. This inflammation leads to symptoms of the disease. Most rabies deaths occur in children.

• Symptoms includes: fever, headache, and general weakness or discomfort.
• As the disease progresses, more specific symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation (increase in saliva), difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water).

• Travelling or living in developing countries where rabies is more common, including countries in A frica and Southeast Asia.
• Activities likely to put you in contact with wild animals that may have rabies, such as exploring caves where bats live or camping without taking precautions to keep wild animals away.