What is it about ?
You can have a fever during or after a trip to a far country. This does not necessarily mean that you have contracted a tropical disease (rare). All the illnesses accompanied by fever that we meet in our country also exist in other countries.
Traveller’s diarrhea is by far the most important fever infection one can catch while traveling, followed by respiratory tract infections.
Beside this, tropical and rare diseases can also cause fever, and it is important not to miss them. Malaria (malaria) is thus the main cause of fever due to tropical diseases. It is a potentially fatal condition. For this reason, any fever that appears within three months of returning from a trip to the tropics is considered malaria until proven otherwise and no other cause is found.
What is its frequency?
Only 3% of people who stayed in the tropics had a fever episode during or after the trip. About 39% of all cases of traveler’s fever are due to a tropical infection, and 34% to an infection that is found all over the world. In 24% of cases, the cause cannot be found.
How to recognize it?
Normal body temperature ranges between 35.8 ° C and 37.5 ° C. We talk about fever from 38 ° C. The temperature is preferably measured with an electronic thermometer. The temperature in children under 5 is best measured in the anus, about 2 cm deep. From 3 years old, you can also measure the temperature under the armpits, and, from 5 years old, under the tongue. Ear thermometers are very reliable, but sometimes it is more difficult to use them correctly.
How is the diagnosis made?
The hardest part is determining the cause of the fever. Often it is not that obvious. Additional examinations are then necessary. The doctor starts by asking you questions about your trip:
- how long was your trip?
- when did you come back?
- where exactly did you go?
- were you in order to be vaccinated?
- Are there other sick people among those who have traveled with you?
- …
If you have visited an area where malaria is present, your blood will be urgently screened for malaria. The doctor will also do tests to check for other possible infections. A good clinical examination (thorough skin inspection), blood, urine and stool examinations are also carried out systematically. If you have respiratory symptoms, your doctor may order an x-ray of the lungs. If no diagnosis can be made despite all these tests, you will be referred to a specialist for further examination.
What can you do ?
In any case, do not stay with a fever, the cause of which is unknown. Medicines for fever (antipyretics) will only mask the condition, but not resolve it. Try to remember as well as possible the onset and course of your illness, and write down as much as possible. This information can be very valuable to the doctor. Go far enough back in time. Some symptoms of the disease do not appear until several weeks after returning from a tropical country, which can be misleading.
Do not take antibiotics on your own. Sometimes they help a little, but they may mask the symptoms of the disease itself.
As with everything, prevention is extremely important. Always make sure your vaccines are in order before you go abroad. Also take your antimalarial drugs carefully in countries where the disease is present.
What can the doctor do?
Before starting treatment, the doctor will do everything to make the correct diagnosis. There are dozens of causes of fever, and the treatments usually differ greatly. Fairly quickly and if necessary, your doctor will also seek advice from a specialist or from the Institute of Tropical Medicine. It is only in exceptional cases, for example in the event of poor general condition or in the absence of a diagnosis, that a treatment combining different antibiotics is instituted. For this, hospitalization is usually necessary.
Want to know more?
- Traveling in good health – IMT – Institute of Tropical Medicine
- When and how to measure fever – Christian Mutuality
- Antibiotics – BAPCOC – Belgian Commission for the coordination of antibiotic policy
Are you looking for more specialized help?
Source