Flesh-eating bug danger for tourists
The popularity of eco-tourism is to blame for a big rise in people contracting tropical diseases, a London professor warned today.
Peter Chiodini, of University College London Hospital, said Britons who spend thousands of pounds to stay in lodges on remote jungle trips are failing to protect themselves against deadly infections. Professor Chiodini, who works at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, revealed that such trips have led to a doubling in cases of the flesh-eating bug Leishmaniasis over the past 10 years. Gap-year travellers are among those most at risk.
About 12 million people worldwide are affected by the condition, which can be life-threatening, but until now cases have been rare among Britons.
The most common form is the Baghdad boil, where ulcers form on the skin, but another type known as black fever can attack the organs. Professor Chiodini, a consultant parasitologist, said travellers could protect themselves against Leishmaniasis by using insect repellent and ensuring they are properly covered. He added: "People are going on adventure trips because of eco-tourism. If you're going to shell out on these holidays, then get immunised or take necessary medication.
"It's now possible with a few clicks of the mouse to book a place which is quite remote yet without being aware of the risks involved." The hospital is seeing about 32 cases of Leishmaniasis a year, double the amount a decade ago.
TV presenter Ben Fogle, 35, was treated for the condition at UCLH. He needed two rounds of toxic drug therapy to kill the bug, which nearly destroyed half his face after he was infected by a sand-fly bite filming Extreme Dreams in Peru last year.
The bug was diagnosed after he noticed a small spot on his left forearm that turned into an open lesion that would not heal.
He said: "A little lightbulb went on in my head. I remembered reading about Leishmaniasis, which matched my symptoms. I'd always thought it was an old wives' tale - a sand-fly bite that eats your flesh."
Professor Chiodini will tonight feature in a programme showcasing the work of the hospital. Help I Caught It Abroad shows other increasingly common and near-fatal conditions such as malaria, skin-burrowing insects, parasitic worms and grapefruit-sized cysts caused by parasites.
It shows medics treating the first case in the Western world of a type of Leishmaniasis that attacks the eyes. The patient was infected after he was bitten by a sand fly on holiday in Greece.
Doctors at the hospital also warn about malaria. About 2,000 people every year return to Britain infected with the disease and last year there were five deaths. An increasing proportion of patients are infected by drug-resistant malaria.
Mick Hemming, from Ruislip, contracted malaria on holiday in Gambia. The prison officer, who features on the programme, did not take anti-malaria medication. His organs failed and doctors had to amputate his lower legs and fingers to save his life.
Help I Caught It Abroad is on ITV1 at 10.35pm.
