On May 16, a state of siege was declared for the region of Peten in response to suspected drug-related violence. Additional police and military forces have been dispatched. Travelers should avoid this region, including the tourist destination of Tikal, and monitor the situation through local media.
Heavy rainfall in Thailand has caused severe widespread flooding in many parts of the country; it is considered to be the worst flooding the country has experienced in a long time. Floods can result in an increased risk of certain diseases that are transmitted by: Food and water such as travellers’ diarrhea, cholera, hepatitis A,…
Since February 2015 local health authorities and the World Health Organization has reported over 2100 suspected typhoid fever cases in Kampala, Uganda. Identified specimens include both Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi. The main sources of contamination are drinking water and juices. The main water sources are heavily contaminated with E.coli and fecal matter. Typhoid fever…
Dengue Fever is the most common viral disease spread by a mosquito bite. Outbreaks have become more and more frequent as 40% of the worlds population live in dengue risk zones. Dengue is widespread amoungst parts of Central and South America, the Carribean, South and Southeast Asia, Western, Eastern and Central Africa and Oceania. There is…
A typhoid fever epidemic is currently occurring throughout Zambia. Risks are higher in impoverished areas outside the capital city of Lusaka. Cases of typhoid fever in the local population are usually under-reported. Typhoid fever is a serious and potentially fatal infection caused by the bacteria salmonella typhi. It is spread person to person through contaminated food and water. …
According to Ghana’s Ministry of Health, approximately 4,000 cases of cholera have been reported since September 2010. The most affected areas are the Greater Accra (including the capital city of Accra), Central, Eastern, and Upper Eastern regions. Risk to travelers is minimal. Extreme care in hygiene and food habits is essential for travel to risk…
According to international health authorities, 2 confirmed cases of pneumonic plague have been reported from remote villages near Ambilobe and Ambanja in typically non-endemic Antsiranana Province since January 2011. Pneumonic plague is transmitted through inhalation of infective respiratory droplets. Risk to travelers is minimal. Full details of any further possible spread beyond these patients is…