Disease warning to travellers

Increased foreign travel and immigration are bringing a host of dangerous tropical diseases to Britain, it was revealed today.

The Government's chief medical officer warns that dozens of potentially serious infections have emerged worldwide in the past 30 years.

A report by Professor Sir Liam Donaldson calls for an expert body to inform the public about risks posed by rare tropical infections and warns doctors of unusual outbreaks.

Its publication coincides with the launch of a new government strategy aimed at combating the spread of infectious diseases in England.

Sir Liam Donaldson says the trend for "adventure travel" to more remote parts of the world substantially increases the risk to the population at large.

His report details diseases from common ailments such as flu, to rarer conditions including Legionnaires' disease and malaria.

Sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and Aids, hospital-acquired infections and tuberculosis are also addressed.

He gives the example of at least one person who came into contact with Ebola patients in Uganda in 2000, and then fell ill after travelling to the UK.

Last year, 750,000 people went to north Africa and nearly two million to Latin America. Surveys show many tourists travelling to these areas neglect to be vaccinated for well known diseases such as malaria, hepatitis and typhoid.

Sir Liam warns that climate change is allowing many infectious agents, or creatures that carry them, to prosper in traditionally cooler areas. "Given the nature of micro-organisms that cause infection, the path of human behaviour and changes to the environment, further newly emergent diseases are inevitable.

"It is essential to expect the unexpected," he said.

The strategy is intended to provide guidance on surveillance and management techniques to health professionals.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, a centre of excellence for the study of infectious diseases in humans and animals is being launched.

Edinburgh University's Centre for Infectious Diseases (CID) is said to be the first of its kind in the UK.

The centre will bring together a diverse range of internationally recognised research groups to tackle diseases such as E.coli 0157 and foot-and-mouth.

It will look at diseases that are international in their scope, while also focusing on diseases that present particular problems in Scotland, such as HIV, Epstein-Barr virus and variant CJD.

The new government strategy, entitled Getting Ahead Of The Curve, is the first of its kind to be introduced in England.

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