A health risk facing young adult travellers
Yes, for young adults from 16 – 24 years of age travelling to remote destinations halfway around the world, it seems an ideal time to shrug off the day-to-day practicalities of life and indulge in pure fun.
With no parents on hand to tut tut and no real responsibilities, a gap year (or ‘mini gap’, as is more likely in the current economic climate) seems filled with limitless opportunities. Coupled with a certain sense of invincibility that prevails amongst this age group, this carefree attitude can lead to the type of behavior that puts young adults at high risk for travel related diseases.
And just what kind of diseases could possibly confront the unsuspecting young traveler in these sunny paradises? A very frightening one is Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a blood borne virus (HBV) which is 100 times more infectious than HIV. Two billion people worldwide have been infected with the virus so far, and each year another 10-30 million will join their ranks. The virus attacks liver cells and can lead to liver failure, cirrhosis (scarring) or cancer of the liver. It is transmitted through contact with blood and bodily fluids that contain blood.
Activities which could potentially bring young adults into contact with the disease would include tattooing, unprotected sex (this is the primary way the disease is spread), injecting drugs, extreme sports that might result in accidents (the problem here is the risk of winding up in a hospital that reuses needles) and volunteer work such as working in orphanages or schools, where working closely with young children could expose one to a playful bite or coming into contact with blood from a cut or scrape.
Even for responsible kids who start out with no intention of getting into certain situations, things do have a way of happening when experiencing the heady combination of sun, freedom, alcohol and adventure for the first time.
If you know a young adult preparing to travel while on holiday, especially in countries where HBV is very prevalent, the good news is that an episode of Hepatitis B can be prevented with a safe and effective vaccine.
Here at Nomad Travel, our nurses administer the vaccine to all manner of travellers, as well as workers who need it for occupational health reasons. An accelerated course of Hepatitis B vaccinations for travel purposes entails a course of three initial injections over a four week period. This course is frequently administered instead of the recommended six month course, as most travellers aren’t organized enough to start six months in advance. If the client then tops up with a booster shot after 1 year, the vaccination will provide immunity for a total of five years.
In this instance, safe is definitely better than sorry…your liver will thank you for it!
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