About diseases

This is the most widespread parasitic disease in the world and, in the worst cases, the one that kills the most people.

Malaria is a parasitic infection of the blood transmitted by the bite of a female mosquito of the Anopheles genus. The parasite is endemically rife, infects the liver cells of the victim then circulates in the blood, colonising the red blood cells and destroying them.

Symptoms: fever, intermittent shivering, arthralgia (joint pains), nausea and vomiting.

If, on returning from a trip, you present any symptoms similar to those of malaria, see your doctor immediately.

Malaria is endemic in the inter-tropical areas on the American continent, in many parts of Asia and in most African countries.

See your GP or a specialist well in advance before going abroad. You may have to begin anti-malarial treatment 3 weeks before you leave.

But taking anti-malarial medicines is not enough to protect yourself fully from malaria. You must also try to avoid being bitten by the insect. To do this, take a few preventive measures : choose a good mosquito repellent, wear long clothing and sleep under a mosquito net.

Dengue fever (also called "tropical flu" or "little malaria") is a viral infection, which is potentially fatal when it triggers a haemorrhagic fever.

It is transmitted to people by bites from mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, which is often found in urban or semi-urban environments and seems to be more active in the daytime.

50 million cases of dengue fever are recorded every year.

Symptoms : severe and sudden flu-like syndrome (high fever, headache, aching, stiffness and asthenia (weakness), etc.). Often followed by potentially fatal complications known as haemorrhagic dengue fever.

If, on returning from a trip, you present symptoms similar to those of dengue fever, see your GP immediately.

Dengue fever is endemically rife in tropical and subtropical regions, with a predilection for urban and semi-urban areas. While it used to be present only in South-East Asia, it is now spreading rapidly in the rest of Asia, in Africa and, above all, in South America.

There is no specific treatment. The only way of preventing transmission of the dengue fever virus is to fight against the carrier mosquitoes. To do this, take a few preventive measures : choose a good mosquito repellent, wear long clothing and sleep under a mosquito net.

Chikungunya is an infectious tropical disease transmitted by the bite of a female mosquito Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus, also called the "tiger mosquito".

Chikungunya is also known as "breakbone disease" or "stooping man's disease" because it causes very bad joint pains together with stiffness.

Symptoms : severe flu-like condition similar to dengue fever or malaria. Very high fever, sometimes with a temperature of more than 40°C for around 3 days, following by an eruption of spots and very painful aches and stiffness, as well as severe joint pain confining the patient to bed.

If, when you return from a trip, you present symptoms similar to those of chikungunya, please see your doctor immediately.

The disease has been mainly described in Sub-Saharan, South-East Asia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and in the French overseas departments and territories.

At present, there is no vaccine against chikungunya nor any treatment to prevent the disease. The only way of preventing the disease is to protect yourself against carrier mosquitoes. To do this, take a few preventive measures : choose a good mosquito repellent, wear long clothing and sleep under a mosquito net.

Yellow fever is an acute viral disease. Mosquitoes of the Aedes genus are the main carrier.

Flu-like symptoms (feeling faint, violent headaches, feeling "suddenly drained" with back pain and sudden high temperature up to 39 °C). But it can also cause gastro-intestinal bleeding, dysfunction of the organs and death. The name of the disease comes from the yellow colouring of the skin and eyes (jaundice) which occurs when the virus attacks the liver.

If, on returning from a trip, you present symptoms similar to those of yellow fever, see your doctor immediately.

Yellow fever is endemic in many tropical regions of South America and South Africa. The death rate attributable to yellow fever can reach 30%!

See your GP or a specialist well in advance before leaving for a high-risk zone. A vaccine has been developed against yellow fever: it gives immunity for ten years and provides effective protection for people travelling in the affected sectors.

You should also take a few preventive measures : choose a good mosquito repellent, wear long clothing and sleep under a mosquito net.

The West Nile virus is transmitted to humans mainly by the bite of a mosquito infected by the blood of birds carrying the virus.

The symptoms are similar to those of flu but most people don’t show any symptoms. Sudden high fever after 3 to 6 days of incubation, accompanied by headaches and backache, muscle pains and nausea. In less than 15% of cases, there may be complications such as meningitis or encephalitis. Generally, the patient recovers spontaneously, sometimes with after-effects, but the disease can prove fatal in elderly people.

If, on returning from a trip, you present any of symptoms similar to those of the West Nile virus, see your doctor immediately.

The virus has already been responsible for epidemics in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania. It was detected for the first time in the United States in 1999. Since then, it has reached the whole of the North American continent (250 deaths in 2003).

See your GP or a specialist well in advance before leaving for a high-risk zone. There is no specific treatment or vaccine.
To avoid mosquitoes carrying the virus, take a few preventive measures: choose a good mosquito repellent, wear long clothing and sleep under a mosquito net.

This is a bacterial disease transmitted to people by ticks infected by the pathogenic bacterium (Borrelia). Ticks are found in forests with a thick ground layer, dense undergrowth as well as in grasslands and green spaces in urban areas.

Symptoms: flu-like state (fatigue, shivering, fever, headaches, pains in the joints and swollen lymph nodes). You may have a round, red mark on the skin where you were bitten by the tick (chronic migrant erythema).

Left untreated, Lyme disease can cause arthritis, disorders of the nervous system (drowsiness and numbness, paralysis of the facial muscles or limbs), meningitis and an irregular heartbeat.

Examine your body after any activity in woodland. If you find a tick, remove it immediately and "cleanly" before it has time to transmit the disease.

If you present symptoms similar to those of Lyme disease, see your doctor immediately.

Lyme disease is found in Europe, North America and Asia.

Prevent the disease by avoiding tick bites. Take a few preventive measures: choose a good tick repellent, wear enclosed shoes and long, light-coloured clothing to make it easier to locate the ticks.