UK holidaymakers heading to hotspots warned about serious diseases as infections rise

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Health authorities have warned British holidaymakers about the risk of coming down with serious conditions after visiting various destinations.According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), people who have travelled to some of the most popular tourist locations spanning across the globe have been coming home with diseases and infections.

As such, officials are warning anyone heading abroad to take the right precautions to minimise health risks. It comes as UKHSA figures show significant rises in illnesses like malaria and dengue fever, both of which are contracted from mosquitos.

Confirmed cases have been reported in parts of the UK in residents who had recently been overseas, Gloucestershire Live reports.In 2023, 634 dengue cases were reported in returning travellers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, aligning closely with those in 2019 during the pre-pandemic period, when 790 cases were reported.

In last year, most reported cases of dengue were acquired in Southern Asia and South-Eastern Asia, particularly India.However, there has been an increase in cases acquired in Central America and the Caribbean, due to recent outbreaks in these parts of the world.