Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of Travellers’ diarrhoea there have been in each of the last five years; and what steps his Department is taking to advise people travelling about potential medications for that condition.
Jane Ellison
Diarrhoea can be caused by a number of organisms, viruses, bacteria and protozoa and in up to 40% of cases, the causative organism is not identified.
It is therefore usual to report a basket of organisms of specific concern. Salmonella, shigella, campylobacter, giardia and cryptosporidium are the main causes of gastrointestinal (GI) illness in travellers. These infections can sometimes be caught during travel abroad and known as traveller’s diarrhoea (TD).
Public Health England does not hold data on TD caused by viruses as viral GI illness is usually short lived and commonly resolved at home therefore no testing is carried out.
Travellers seeking advice on the management of TD are directed to the National Travel Health Network and Centre website. This is available free of charge to all travellers and each country page has general information including a link to food and water hygiene advice for all travellers to that country.
