WRITER Alexandra Hemsley went to Kenya but all she brought back was a lousy T-shirt. Okay, it wasn't lice that had taken up residence in her T-shirt, but a tumbu fly that had laid its eggs in the garment when it was drying on the edge of her sunlounger.
When Hemsley put it on, the eggs burrowed into the skin and by the time she was back in the UK, the larvae had turned into a maggot that was living and feeding on her arm. Lured out with a smearing of Vaseline – apparently in Africa, bacon does the t
rick too – she was left in agony as it worked its way to the surface, popping out a couple of days later.
"I was crying with pain and panicked by what was wriggling out of my arm. It was the larva of the tumbu fly, found the tropics from South America and India, through to Australasia and Thailand, and I had a condition known as myiasis, when larvae live and feed on a host," she says.
Heminsley later found out that in the tropics it's important not to wear damp clothes or swimming costumes that have been left to dry outside. They should be tumble-dried or ironed, because intense heat kills the eggs.
Thankfully myiasis is very rare but it is actually a relatively benign holiday souvenir compared to the more common and deadly malignant melanoma or skin cancer to which we increasingly expose ourselves. Thanks to cheap package holidays and the desire to sport a tan, cases of skin cancer have doubled over the last 20 years and it is now the most common cancer in women in their twenties. Incredibly, we are still not slapping on the suncream in sufficient quantities. Use sun-block with an SPF of 15 or above and a high UVA star rating and remember to reapply after swimming (see page 27 for green debate). Drink plenty to avoid dehydration, avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm and make children wear hats to prevent heatstroke. Cover up a little more this year to protect your skin from ageing and cancer.
Before you head off, sort out any vaccinations you may need. Most are free but need to be booked four to six weeks before travelling and some take longer – the hepatitis B vaccine, for instance, needs to be given six months before you go. Diseases you can protect yourself against include hepatitis A, typhoid fever, yellow fever, rabies, hepatitis B, diphtheria/tetanus/polio, meningococcal meningitis, tick-borne encephalitis and malaria (there is no vaccination but preventive medication helps).
If it's too late for vaccination, say you are lucky enough to have a partner who is whisking you off on a surprise beach holiday, your GP can still give you jabs shortly before travel that will be better than none at all.
Those opting for a staycation this year might be driven to distraction by midge bites, but at least we're not going to be contracting one of the 80 diseases they can give you in other parts of the world, including yellow fever or Japanese encephalitis and dengue fever. So cover up, use a Deet-based insect repellent, insecticide vaporizers, keep air conditioning on, sleep under a mosquito net impregnated with repellent and if you are bitten, antihistamines may help.
Swine flu is a concern for travellers at the moment, with Scotland particularly badly hit. If you're travelling to Mexico or an affected country watch for symptoms including fever, coughs, shortness of breath, headaches, sore throat, tiredness, aching muscles, chills, sneezing, runny nose or loss of appetite. Call the swine flu information line on 0800 1513 513 for the latest advice. The department of health (
www.dh.gov.uk) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (
www.fco.gov.uk) and travel websites are also a good source of travel health information.
Make sure your travel insurance covers illness and that you have an up-to-date European Health Insurance Card for Europe. When you arrive, don't hit the beach or the bar before asking your tour rep or hotel where where the nearest health clinic is and remember if you are ill and it means you have to stay longer, you can contact your embassy or consul for advice.
While the thought of hepatitis, diphtheria and balcony/motorbike/alcohol related illnesses can be alarming, we are much more likely to be laid low by stomach upsets from dodgy food and water. Always wash your hands, boil and sterilise water if you're unsure, ensure that food is freshly prepared and piping hot and avoid reheated, lukewarm or raw dishes. Don't drink unpasteurised milk and force yourself to say no to ice-cream from street vendors. Hard, but you can always eat your own bodyweight back at the hotel.
For those flying, deep vein thrombosis where blood clots develop in the veins of the legs is a concern but it can be avoided by doing your Michael Flatley impression and keeping you legs, feet and toes moving every half hour or so. Also, press the balls of the feed hard against the floor to increase blood flow, take short walks, drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol and sleeping pills. Those who suffer from travel sickness should load up on medicines such as Stugeron or Sea-Legs tablets from a pharmacists (don't rely on being able to buy them from a supermarket) or natural remedies including ginger supplements, Nelsons Travella (homeopathic tablets) and Sea Bands.
When you're on holiday the risks of drugs or drink are increased, due to dehydration and falling asleep in the sun with a hangover can lead to severe burns as well. Alcohol also leads people to do daft things such as dive from balconies into swimming pools, breaking their necks or jumping on motorbikes when they're drunk. If you do have an accident, do not accept a blood transfusion unless absolutely necessary and for information about the health risks of different drugs call Frank (0800 77 66 00) and Drinkline (0800 917 8282).
Finally, remember to always practise safe sex and buy condoms before you go. That way you can make sure you won't bring back gonorrhorea, chlamydia, genital warts, hepatitis B and HIV as a souvenir.
Now don't let all this talk of flesh-eating bugs, skin cancer and sexually transmitted disease frighten you into staying at home – that's way more dangerous, with 4,000 dying as a result of accidents in the home in the UK every year while in Scotland, around 1,000 people need medical attention after an accident at home every day. Better to take your chances on holiday, and with a little care you'll come back with nothing more than a raffia donkey to show for it.
The full article contains 1142 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
