UPTOURIST

 

There have been several outbreaks of ebola, polio, cholera, and the chikungunya virus reported in different parts of the globe recently. Here’s a location by location breakdown of certain countries you need to exercise caution before entering.

Ebola

The ebola virus is a real duesy if you happen to be an unfortunate victim who contracts it. Fever, sore throat, headaches, extreme muscle and joint pain, decreased liver and kidney function, diarrhea, rash, vomiting. After suffering for weeks, you’ll eventually start to bleed to death internally then die. I’m being direct with this one, so you understand that getting the ebola vaccination before traveling, especially to at-risk countries, is essential. The CDC recommends you avoid those places that are affected entirely.

Countries Affected:

• Guinea
• Sierra Leone
• Liberia

Polio

If you’re lucky, after contracting the polio virus which is spread by contact with human feces, you’ll have nothing more than a mild feeling of weakness, perhaps a headache and some nausea/vomiting. If not, polio can spread through your body and weaken your entire body including your diaphragm which you need to breathe. It can also attack localized parts of the body, mainly the legs and leads to permanent under-development. Polio is preventable with a vaccination along with several booster shots, and kills up to 5% of children who get it and up to 30% of adults. There is no reliable cure after you’ve contracted it and symptoms can continue to come back over and over again after the initial exposure.

Places Affected:

• Somalia
• Cameroon
• Syria
• Equatorial Guinea
• Iraq
• Ethiopia

Cholera

Cholera attacks the small intestines and is spread by drinking water that’s come in contact with infected feces. It basically leads to severe dehydration and blueish-tinged skin. There are several vaccinations available to prevent this disease, but there are no guarantees you’ll absolutely survive if you get it.

Places Affected:

• Haiti
• Ghana
• Cuba

Chikungunya

This is a nasty little virus that surprise, surprise, is passed by mosquitoes. They pick up the virus from infected animal feces and when passed on to humans it results in high fever, rashes, muscle pain, headaches and others. It lasts for 7 days and generally goes away on its own without medical intervention. There are no vaccines available for this one, but avoiding mosquitoes at all costs is the best form of prevention.

Countries Affected:

• South America
• Mexico
• Samoa
• French Polynesia
• Saint Martin
• El Salvador (and all of Central America)

 

 

Main image by Global Panorama