Dr Catriona Caddell
AUSTRALIANS love to visit Bali on holiday but Indonesia can be a hot-bed for infectious illnesses for travellers who are unprepared for them.
The risk of Bali belly can be reduced if care is taken to select fresh, peeled or well-cooked food and always drink bottled water.
Travellers can choose to take an oral cholera vaccine which can prevent 50-60 per cent of TD cases caused by the bacteria E.coli.
More severe forms of food or water-borne illness can also be contracted such as hepatitis A or typhoid.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection which inflames the liver and can cause jaundice, fever and abdominal pain and can even be fatal, particularly in young or older travellers.
It is recommended travellers get the hepatitis A vaccine which is highly effective and can be given from 12 months of age.
Typhoid fever can be a potentially life-threatening illness which is caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi.
Symptoms include high fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation and can be prevented by vaccination for anyone over the age of two.
Rabies is a serious yet preventable viral infection of the nervous system which can be caught through an animal bite or scratch with several human cases occurring annually on Bali.
Children are at higher risk of rabies than adults and three vaccine doses prior to travel could be life-saving.
To seek advice regarding all infections in Bali including malaria, zika, dengue and Japanese encephalitis can be discussed at DOT Travel Clinic before travelling.
