GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health: 55 percent of travellers needlessly put themselves at risk from a potentially f...( Travellers u...),Health

Date:5/18/2009

Travellers urged to seek hepatitis B vaccination before going abroad

London, UK (PRWeb UK) May 18, 2009 -- A new survey of travellers who visited hepatitis B endemic areas, reveals that over 55 per cent(1) of them were not vaccinated against the virus, which kills almost two people a minute(2).

More people are choosing destinations outside the Eurozone, such as Egypt and Turkey,(3) where hepatitis B may be common. The survey suggests that many travellers are still not seeking travel health advice and so putting themselves at risk of a preventable disease.

Despite its seriousness, the survey reveals that people admit they have travelled to destinations where hepatitis B is common without getting vaccinated and that they know little about the disease:(1)

70 per cent admit that they don't know the health implications of contracting hepatitis B(1) 75 per cent admit that they are unaware of the destinations where the risk of contracting the virus is increased.(1)

Hepatitis B is passed on via blood and body fluids and can cause flu-like symptoms, jaundice and more seriously, liver cancer. Vaccination is highly effective in preventing hepatitis B. Official sources estimate that as many as 180,000 people are infected with hepatitis B in the UK(4) however the Hepatitis B Foundation propose that this figure may be as high as 325,000.(5) Common in destinations such as Southern Europe, South-East Asia, Africa and the Middle and Far East,(2) hepatitis B is a global problem that has infected about 2 billion people, 350 million of whom have chr
'/>"/>

Source: PRWeb Copyright©2009 Vocus, Inc. All rights reserved

0 GOOD

Page: 1 2 3 4 5
Related medicine news :

1. Research Findings on Nine GlaxoSmithKline Cancer Compounds to be Presented at ASCO 2009
2. GlaxoSmithKline to Divest US Rights for Wellbutrin XL(R) to Biovail for $510 Million
3. GlaxoSmithKline Update: Influenza A (H1N1)
4. GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer Announce Innovative Agreement to Create a New World-Leading, Specialist HIV Company
5. GlaxoSmithKline and Shire Enter Agreement to Co-Promote Vyvanse(R) (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) CII for Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
6. IADR and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare announce winners of 2009 Innovation in Oral Care Awards
7. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare to Reach 85 Percent of the Worlds Smokers with Quit Aids
8. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Helps to Bridge Oral Care Gap in Appalachia
9. Activplant Corporation Announces Global Agreement with GlaxoSmithKline
10. GlaxoSmithKline and Genmab Submit Arzerra(TM) (Ofatumumab) Application to FDA for the Treatment of Advanced Stage Blood Cancer
11. GlaxoSmithKlines Drug Will Become New Clinical Gold Standard by 2012 for the Treatment of Relapsed/Refractory CLL