blood

Health Advice for the Returning Traveller; When to see the GP?

studenthealth Infectious diseases, travel , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s the time of year again when all our backpacking students return from the four corners of the world. Some will be arriving for the first time in Bristol, as international students of course, and many of you will have been traipsing through the jungles/ beaches and villages of the world’s most remote places, possibly even to Coca-cola free zones!

Unfortunately, even if you did everything right, had every last jab, and took all your malaria pills, you may still be at risk of post-travelling illness, so here is a quick summary of what to watch for and what to act on;

  • Tell the nurse/ doctor exactly where you have been, and dates
  • Tell them if you worked in ‘at risk’ environments, eg in a hospital/ clinic
  • Most illnesses will be common conditions like pneumonia/ fungal skin rashes
  • Be honest about malaria tablet history and compliance
  • Report any treatment tried or taken overseas
  • Fever is a common symptom requiring medical attention in returning travellers, especially if it is accompanied by; rash/ jaundice/ breathing difficulties/ bruising/ persistent vomiting/ altered conscious level or paralysis (the latter are extremely rare with only 0.3% of unwell travellers ever requiring hospital admission).
  • Malaria commonly presents with fever, chills, sweats, headaches, muscle pains, nausea and vomiting.
  • Jaundice (yellowing of the skin, and whites of the eyes) can indicate Hepatitis, most commonly type A, from infected food and water.
  • Arbovirus infections (Dengue, West Nile and Chikungunya fevers) are the main cause of viral fevers in returning travellers, and tend to have short incubation periods, typically less than two weeks .ie you will show symptoms within 2 weeks of being infected.
  • Diarrhoea is extremely common in travellers, and those who develop three or more loose stools in an eight-hour period, especially if associated with nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever, or blood in stools, may benefit from antibiotics.
  • Prolonged, severe diarrhoea with blood should be reviewed by a GP.
  • Skin rashes are very common, and should be reviewed by your GP if not settling, or if associated with fever.
  • The vast majority of travellers’ infections have a short incubation period, meaning that symptoms will start within 10 days or less from infection. The notable exceptions are schistosomiasis (bilharzia)/ malaria/ TB/yellow fever, and Q fever.

 

 

Therefore, if you continue to feel unwell despite being home, and eating and drinking normally for you, then please come and see one of the GPs. You may also find it useful to look at the following;

 

http://www.nathnac.org/travel/index.htm

 

 

 

Organ Donation; I’ve signed up, have you?

studenthealth Organ donation, Uncategorized , , , ,

Almost 20 million people are on the organ donor register in the UK. Are you one of them?

Most of us would take an organ if we needed a transplant, so perhaps more of us should join the register as potential donors. What do you think? It’s easy to sign up online, and carry the card somewhere easy to find if the situation arises. You can even sign up by texting SAVE to 62323.

NHS Blood and Transplant, the body that oversees transplant registers, blood donation, and houses the UK’s blood and transplant experts, is based in Bristol, so maybe as neighbours we should try especially hard to help out!

 Here at Bristol Uni there are a few students that we care for who have received organs, or blood, without which they might not have come to university. Similarly there will be those who are awaiting donors, or have not been able to come to study yet as they are too unwell.

 

Some interesting facts;

 

Last year, 4,212 organ transplants were carried out, thanks to the generosity of 2,313 donors; and 1,160 lives were saved in the UK through a heart, lung, liver or combined heart/lungs, liver/kidney or liver/pancreas transplant.

However, more than 10,000 people in the UK currently need a transplant, and sadly, of these, 1,000 will die each year (3 a day) because of a lack of organs.

All the major religions of the UK support the principles of organ donation and transplantation

People from South Asian, African and Afro-Caribbean communities living in the UK are more likely to need a kidney transplant than the rest of the population. Unfortunately donation rates are relatively low among black and South Asian communities, thus reducing the chance of a successful match being found.

There is no upper age limit for becoming a donor.

 

So if you think you would like to help save up to 9 lives, or make just one better, have a look at http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/

 

Sign up, let your family know, and pass it on!

 

If you are interested in giving blood look at www.blood.co.uk

Regular blood donor sessions are held in Bristol throughout the year.