Ottawa Issues Travel Health Warning

Health Canada has updated its travel warning for Greece, Italy, Spain and China due to an insect-borne virus called leishmaniasis. 

There are three kinds of the disease, the one that is the subject of the advisory is called visceral leishmaniasis, which is usually found mainly in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, South Sudan and Sudan, particularly in rural areas. The new advisory states that the risk to travellers is low, but people in the affected regions should be aware, and take precautions.

Visceral leishmaniasis is caused by a parasite and infects the internal organs. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada:

• Visceral leishmaniasis usually appears weeks or months after a bite from an infected sand fly, but might even occur years later, especially if a person's immune system is weakened.
• Symptoms of visceral leishmaniasis include fever, weight loss, enlarged liver and spleen, and blood abnormalities (e.g. anemia, low white blood cell count).
• Visceral leishmaniasis can be fatal if it is not treated.

The disease is transmitted by sandflies. The tiny insects are generally found near the ground and are most active between sunset and sunrise. The best way to prevent getting the disease is by avoiding sandfly bites. Sleep in an air-conditioned room or under a bed net that has been treated with pyrethroid insecticides (sandflies are small enough to pass through regular bed netting that hasn’t been treated), and sleep on a platform that is raised off the ground. If you are camping, avoid placing your tent near animal burrows, as some animals could carry leishmaniasis. 

There is no vaccine or preventative medicine for leishmaniasis, but if you develop symptoms  — which can develop weeks or up to two years after exposure — ensure you inform your health provider that you have travelled to an area where leishmaniasis is present. 

 

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