Eastern Africa, Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands

Travellers in East Africa are potentially exposed to malaria, arboviral infections, schistosomiasis, African sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis) and many other infectious diseases. Exposure determines the risk, from traveller’s diarrhoea and vector-borne diseases to extremely rare infections. Patients with a history of staying or visiting to Eastern Africa and presenting with an acute febrile illness may have acquired an infection specific to the region (e.g. malaria, African tick bite fever) or common worldwide (e.g. influenza, EBV). East Africa is the second most HIV- and AIDS-affected region in the world after Southern Africa, and a high burden of tuberculosis is prevalent throughout most of the region. Of concern are recent reports of emerging artemisinin resistance in P. falciparum malaria, as well as the observation of increasing frequency and high prevalence of circulating P. falciparum strains that are undetectable by standard HRP-2 rapid tests. The spectrum of infectious diseases prevalent on the Indian Ocean Islands often differs considerably from continental Africa, primarily due to the absence of certain diseases on the islands.

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Routledge Handbook of Infectious Diseases: A Geographical Guide, Third Edition

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9781003531425

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