Travel Health

While travelling is more convenient today than it has ever been, there are still risks to your health you need to consider, especially in certain parts of the world. Malaria and travellers’ diarrhoea are two of the most common conditions that are associated with travelling abroad. Travellers’ diarrhoea is the more prevalent and affects roughly 20 to 30% of people travelling abroad. Every year around 1,500 Britons return to the UK with malaria.

HealthExpress offers a range of malaria tablets such as Doxycycline, Malarone and Paludrine & Avloclor, as well as a convenient Travellers’ Diarrhoea Pack that can help you prepare as best you can for your holiday. Next-day delivery is available on all our treatments and is completely free. All we ask you to do is complete a confidential online consultation form so we can help you to find the right malaria treatment. We can also help by assessing your suitability to use the medications in the Travellers’ Diarrhoea Pack.

Malaria

Malaria is a disease caused by the plasmodium parasite. The parasite is carried by the female anopheles mosquito which may pass the parasite on to you when you are bitten. Once the parasite has been injected into your bloodstream, it starts move towards your liver, invading your red blood cells on its way. The parasite then causes them to burst and infect your system, causing a very high fever and in some cases death.

There are four different types of the malaria parasite that can affect humans, with the most common one, plasmodium falciparum, being the most dangerous. The other three, plasmodium ovale, plasmodium malariae and plasmodium vivax are much less severe, but can still cause a reasonable amount of discomfort.

Malaria symptoms in the beginning are very similar to that of flu, which means that many people sometimes aren’t aware at first that they have it. Although there is a cure for malaria, preventing it can help prevent significant discomfort and in extreme cases death.

Click here to find out more about malaria and malaria tablets.

Travellers’ Diarrhoea

Travellers’ diarrhoea is very common and tends to affect people mostly during the first two weeks of their stay in a new country. Its effects aren’t long-term and most people recover without treatment after three to five days. However it can cause you to become dehydrated and lose valuable minerals and salts, also known as electrolytes.

Diarrhoea is a higher risk in some part of the world than others, and mostly depends on how high sanitary and other hygiene standards are. It may also just be a case that your system isn’t used to the new bacteria in the environment, especially if you live in a colder country than the one you are visiting.

The most common cause of travellers’ diarrhoea is largely as a result of bacteria, which is the easiest to treat, with significantly less cases resulting from viruses and parasites. There is no vaccine for this condition, but making sure you drink clean water and eat only foods that have been hygienically handled can significantly reduce your chances of getting diarrhoea.

Click here to find out more about travellers’ diarrhoea and the treatments available.

Can I buy treatments for these conditions online?

HealthExpress can help you find the right travel medication, depending on your destination and your current health. Our consultation service is completely free of charge, and after completion your information will only be viewed by one of our registered doctors. Once we ensure that you are safe to use our travel medicines, you will be able to place an order with us. Our doctor will issue you with a prescription, which will be filled by our registered pharmacy and will be dispatched, free of charge, for delivery the very next day.