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International
Travel Medicine Specialists Raise New Recommendations on Hepatitis
Vaccination for Travellers to Central and
Eastern Europe
and Mediterranean Area
RIXENSART,
Belgium
, May 6/PRNewswire/ --
Recent consensus review of existing studies shows that there is a
risk of contracting hepatitis A and B infections not only on trips to
far-away
tropical lands but also to
'near-at-hand' destinations such as the
Mediterranean countries and
Eastern Europe
. On the occasion of the Congress
of International Society of Travel
Medicine, in
Lisbon
, Professor Dr. Hans
Dieter Nothdurft, a specialist in
travellers' diseases at the Tropical
Institute in
Munich
stated that many holidaymakers unfortunately completely
underestimated this danger.
Hepatitis A viruses spread via faecal and oral transmission. Persons
infected excrete the pathogens via
the stools. Hepatitis A is widespread
throughout the Mediterranean area
and
Eastern Europe
. For example, last
summer more than 350 holiday-makers
from 9 European countries were infected
by hepatitis A while staying at an
'all-inclusive' hotel in an Egyptian
seaside resort. Usually the
hepatitis A infection is relatively harmless and
m not fatal, but the course of the
disease may be complicated and lead to
protracted periods of
hospitalization.
Inflammation of the liver triggered by hepatitis B is very often much
more serious. The hepatitis B virus
is transmitted by direct human contact in
the form of infected body fluids
such as blood and sperm. It has been
recognised that hepatitis B is
transmitted through human behaviour such as
sexual intercourse or medical
intervention. Such activities however, cannot
be planned for or avoided during
travelling. In his criticism of insufficient
awareness among large sections of
Europe
's population with regard to the
risks involved, Prof. Nothdurft
explained that the tiniest wound could prove
a gateway for the incursion of this
pathogen. Hepatitis B is highly
infectious, he said, and the risk of
contraction about 100 times higher than
that of the HIV virus. The disease,
furthermore, is very often chronic and
can lead to cirrhosis of the liver
and even cancer. Thousands of people die
each year in
Europe
as an outcome of hepatitis B infection.
Vaccination is the best Protection.
There are vaccines available against hepatitis A and B as well as
combination of both vaccines
together. Prof. Nothdurft claims that precisely
the incident of an outbreak of
hepatitis in an Egyptian 4-star hotel shows
that one can never be absolutely
safe. Many people believe that only
back-packers catch travellers'
hepatitis. A monumental error. The best
protection, Professor Nothdurft
contends, to avoid infection by hepatitis A
or B is prophylactic vaccination.
Consensus statements on Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B Vaccination for
Travel Destinations in Central and
Eastern Europe
and the
Mediterranean
Region
With the significant numbers of holidays, visits to friends and
relatives
and business travel to increasingly
popular Central and
Eastern Europe
and
Mediterranean region, the
development and adoption of standardized Hepatitis
A and Hepatitis B vaccination
statements is an important public health issue.
A Consensus vaccination recommendation was presented by an international
panel of senior experts in Travel
medicine at the Congress of International
Society of Travel Medicine, in
Lisbon
.
Both HAV and HBV vaccination is recommended in the following Central and
Eastern European
destinations:
Bulgaria
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
,
Romania
,
Russia
and CIS (Commonwealth
of Independent States),
Serbia
and
Montenegro
(including Kosovo),
Slovakia
,
and
Ukraine
Both HAV and HBV vaccination is recommended in the following
Mediterranean
traveller destinations:
Albania
,
Egypt
,
Former
Yugoslav
Republic
of
Macedonia
(FYROM),
Israel
,
Jordan
,
Lebanon
,
Libya
,
Morocco
,
Syria
,
Tunisia
, and
Turkey
At a satellite symposium organised by GlaxoSmithKline, the
experts
highlighted:
- there is no
"zero-risk" destination for hepatitis A
- hepatitis B is linked to
behavioural factors, such as casual sex,
tattooing, piercing, risky sports
and healthcare exposure (i.e.
dentistry or cosmetic surgery), which
cannot always be avoided during travel.
- Duration of stay should not
be taken into account in deciding whether
to vaccinate due to the long-term
protection of the vaccines and the possibility
of recurrent travelling.
For
further information, contact : Anne Walsh, Rixensart
email
: anne.walsh@gskbio.com
Source: GlaxoSmithkline, Biologicals SA.
(10/5/05)
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