June 1, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Travelers to the upcoming World Cup soccer matches in South Africa should take special precautions to avoid catching communicable and preventable diseases during the planet's largest single-sport mass gathering, says the head of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Travelers' Clinic.
In a new study published in the June issue of American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, UAB's David O. Freedman, M.D., a preeminent travel-medicine physician, and colleagues say visitors traveling to South Africa need to worry less about tropical diseases such as malaria and concentrate instead on protecting themselves from more common travel-related illnesses - such as acute diarrhea, sexually transmitted diseases, insect and tick bites, and vaccine-preventable infections, especially influenza and measles.
The precautions are based on data gathered through GeoSentinel, a global online network of 50 travel- and tropical-medicine clinics spread across several continents. The network is a partnership of UAB, the International Society of Travel Medicine, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other groups. The new study covers a 13-year period of GeoSentinel monitoring among travelers to South Africa.
"In contrast to the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa, only six cases of malaria were documented among ill travelers returning to GeoSentinel clinics from South Africa," says Freedman, co-director of GeoSentinel and appointee to the World Health Organization International Health Regulations (IHR) Roster of Experts.
"The risk for acquiring malaria in South Africa has been evaluated as low, and malaria transmission does not occur in the cities where the matches will be staged," he says.
Approximately 350,000 visitors worldwide are expected to attend the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup, which is held every four years to determine the world soccer champion. This year's matches are June 11 through July 11.
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene study, of which Freedman is a co-author, shows diseases characterized by fever, dermatologic conditions and acute diarrheal illness are the most common among travelers to the region. African Tick Bite Fever, an infection often acquired from tick bites during hiking, hunting and/or other outdoor pursuits, is the most common diagnosis in travelers to South Africa who experience a fever.
Travelers to the World Cup should take specific preventative measures and self-treatment options for traveler's diarrhea and the H1N1 influenza virus, Freedman says. South Africa is considered outside of the African yellow fever zone.
South Africa is in the midst of an ongoing measles epidemic. More than 9,500 measles cases have been confirmed since the beginning of 2009. World Cup visitors should confirm their measles vaccination status before departure.
"While we are pleased that the study findings indicate that South Africa is a relatively safe place to visit from a health perspective, the results of the study highlight the importance of individuals traveling to South Africa taking proper precautions," says Marc Mendelson, M.D., Ph.D., head of Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine at University of Cape Town and the first author on the study.
Although not specifically evaluated in the new report, HIV prevalence in South Africa is a concern, and residents and visitors are advised to practice safe sex at all times.
About the UAB Traveler's Clinic
The UAB Travelers' Clinic is a leader in travel and tropical medicine staffed by specialized physicians who themselves work extensively in the tropics. It offers comprehensive and highly individualized pre- and post-travel consultation, and serves as the only clinic in the state of Alabama to maintain a full in-house vaccine inventory.