TROPICAL DISEASES

Travel Health 2013-14

There are many types of tropical diseases and they can be classified in many different ways. 1. In class you have considered those that are water-borne and cause diarrhoea. Examples will include amoebiasis, giardia and cholera. As you have learnt, different pathogens will cause somewhat different symptoms and require different treatments. Although formal diagnosis will typically be through laboratory faecal analysis, as a pharmacist you should have an idea of the most likely cause based on the symptomatology and know what treatments are available to address the key diseases. 2. You have also considered those tropical diseases that cause fever (primary symptom) in the returning traveller. Examples include viruses, such as dengue, as well as malaria, although this list can be greatly expanded upon. Different pathogens will cause different symptoms and require different treatments. Formal diagnosis will typically be required through laboratory analysis, but you have a role as a pharmacist to know the most likely cause based on the symptoms and know what treatments are available. 3. There are tropical diseases that are soil-borne and may be acquired either through unwashed fruit and vegetables (which you have covered in class) or from direct contact with contaminated soil such as ascaris and hookworm. 4. There are those tropical diseases that are associated with skin rashes and lesions in returning travellers. Examples include cutaneous leishmaniasis, cutaneous larvae migrans and myiasis but this list can be expanded on.

Workshop instructions

For your workshop, you are asked to consider a classification of tropical diseases that are caused by nematodes, helminths and other types of worm. You should consider at least 4 examples such as schistosomiasis, hook worm, ascaris, cutaneous larvae migrans and onchocerciasis.

Please complete the following tasks. The information they contain will relate directly to the examination for this module and will give you a better chance of doing well. Allocate within your group one tropical disease each caused by nematodes, helminths and other types of worm.

TROPICAL DISEASES

Travel Health 2013-14

Go to StudyNet and select the Tropical Diseases discussion for your group Create a Wiki using headings for each of the tropical diseases. For each disease you need to briefly summarise what the disease is and identify: 1. The pre-travel advice you would provide to travellers in order to help them to prevent becoming infected, 2. The symptoms that a returning traveller might experience upon their return, 3. What treatments are available to address the key diseases. You can begin your research by using the WHO website http://www.who.int/en/ and searching for the disease. Also refer to WHO International Travel and Health publication http://www.who.int/ith/en/ . The health protection agency website is a useful source of finding the extent of the problem in this country search for each disease under the topics section http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/TopicsAZ/ The workshop must be completed by 14-October There will be tutor feedback for each group. You need to revise the researched information on each disease for your exam