Travel Clinic

Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases in the world today, and is a serious health risk for people travelling to particular areas of the world. If you are planning to travel to an area at risk of malaria, it is vital that you take the necessary steps to protect yourself. With a variety of antimalarials available, you should be able to find the most appropriate treatment for you, depending on your medical condition and your destination.

The disease is caused by one of four types of plasmodium parasite. The most common is plasmodium falciparum and the other three are plasmodium ovale, plasmodium malariae and plasmodium vivax. The female anopheles mosquito carries the parasite and can pass it on when it bites people. Once in the bloodstream, the parasite invades your red blood cells and multiplies, causing them to burst and release huge numbers of parasites into your body. In the most serious cases, this can result in death.

Early malaria symptoms present themselves as similar to those of the flu virus, which is why people who are infected, often are not immediately aware that this is the case. Malaria is usually curable, but it is far better to prevent the disease rather than wait for the symptoms to occur.

Large numbers of tourists experience the discomfort of travellers' diarrhoea every year, usually during the first fortnight of their holiday, making it a significant health concern for visitors abroad. Diarrhoea most often occurs in areas of the world where the sanitary and hygiene standards are lower than the traveller is used to, although it can also affect people whose bodies are sensitive to the bacteria in a new environment. This is more likely if the country you are visiting is hotter than what you are used to.

Diarrhoea is an unpleasant illness but it should not last for very long. With treatment, you should expect to recover after three to five days. Medication is recommended to help your body rehydrate after losing important minerals and salts (electrolytes) during the course of the illness. There is no vaccine to help prevent diarrhoea, but it is easily treatable if it does occur. To protect yourself, it is advisable to drink clean water and make sure the foods you are eating have been handled hygienically.

Altitude sickness is a name given to the symptoms that occur in people who are in a high mountain, often trekking or skiing. It is caused by a change in atmospheric pressure at a height of over 2,500m above sea level, which limits the oxygen supply to your brain and muscles. Most people think that altitude sickness only causes unpleasant symptoms such as dizziness and headaches but if left untreated it can lead to severe health problems including hospitalisation and even death.

Diamox is a treatment, which can be used to help prevent altitude sickness along with appropriate precautions such as allowing the body acclimatisation time whilst climbing up the mountain and resting if symptoms appear.

Jet lag is a condition that affects people when they travel through different time zones, causing the body to become confused by the disparity between its natural body clock and the surroundings which indicate a different time of day. This can cause a number of unpleasant symptoms such as lethargy, insomnia or disorientation.

Jet lag symptoms can persist throughout the holiday, which can be very frustrating particularly if you are going abroad for just a short period of time. This is why we offer a jet lag treatment pack, which contains a medication with the natural hormone melatonin to help get your sleeping pattern back on track.

Travel sickness occurs when the eyes perceive movement whilst on a vehicle but the inner ear sends conflicting messages to the brain, as it does not identify movement if the body is stationary. This can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness and drowsiness.

In order to avoid these unpleasant symptoms when travelling by plane, car, boat or train, euroClinix is now offering a selection of travel sickness treatments in the form of patches and tablets, which can be used to avoid travel sickness. If you are worried about suffering from motion sickness you can purchase Kwells, Scopoderm or Avomine.

Here at euroClinix you can take care of your travel health concerns with a choice of antimalarials and the Travellers' Diarrhoea Pack. You will need to complete a brief online consultation, which is completely free, to ensure that the travel health treatment you have selected will be suitable for you. One of our doctors will assess the consultation and prescribe the medication if it is deemed appropriate. This will then be dispensed by our registered pharmacy and sent to you via free overnight delivery, whether you are in the UK or abroad.