Travel Health

Bilharzia
Five species of the flatworm or blood flukes, also known as schistosomes, cause the main forms of human bilharzia or schistosomiasis.

Chikungunya
Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes.

Haemorrhagic diseases
Ebola is one of the haemorrhagic fevers, a group of viral diseases that can cause haemorrhaging (bleeding) in most cases, and can be fatal.

Malaria
Malaria has been recognised as a disease for thousands of years. Descriptions of the disease date from as far back as 1700 BC in China, and 1570 BC in Egypt.

Motion sickness
Motion sickness relates to the body's sense of balance and equilibrium or spatial orientation.

Stingers of the sea
Some are so poisonous they can kill you; others can cause severe pain. These are the marine creatures you don't want to bump into on your seaside holiday.

Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever is an acute severe illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. The infection may affect many organ systems in the body.

Cholera overview
Cholera is an acute illness that causes profuse watery diarrhoea.

Lyme disease
Lyme disease is an infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. B. burgdorferi is a bacterium that is carried by a group of closely related species of ticks known as Lxodes. An infected tick can transmit the bacteria to humans and animals through its bite. The bacteria enter the body at the spot where the tick has bitten.

Malaria: an African story
In 2007 Bill and Melinda Gates announced that malaria would be eradicated by 2015. Doctors battling the disease on the ground responded: “One day. But not in our lifetimes.”

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral disease of humans which occurs in Africa, eastern Europe and Asia.

Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea is an abnormal increase in the frequency and liquidity of the stools.

Hepatitis B
"Hepatitis" simply means that the liver is inflamed. Signs that indicate that the liver is inflamed include:

Meningitis
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It can be caused by either bacterial or viral infection.

Parasites
A parasite is an organism that lives in or on another organism and in the process harms this organism.

Tick bite fever
Tick bite fever (rickettsia) is caused by a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks. This condition occurs in many areas of the world and is known by a variety of names

Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute, mosquito-borne viral disease that occurs in tropical and subtropical areas. Its effects range from mild symptoms to severe illness and death.

SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)

Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness, also called mountain sickness, is an illness that occurs when the body is unable to adjust to high elevations. Symptoms of mountain sickness range from a mild headache and fatigue to a life-threatening build-up of fluid in the lungs or brain.

Malaria kills, even in South Africa
For a nation that enjoys spending time outdoors and trips to the bushveld, many South Africans are lax about protecting themselves from malaria, says Health24's Travel Expert.