The Risks of Contracting Insect Borne Diseases while Traveling Abroad

by Crysta Hammond

Risk of Contracting Mosquito-Borne Diseases While Travelling Abroad & Mosquito Borne Disease commonly found in Canadians


Written by: Sulayman Mehboob, B.Sc., M.Sc. - Microbiologist

Tropical Beach Location
Mosquito-borne diseases are diseases that spread when an infected mosquito feeds. Diseases caused by mosquitoes that spread to people include Zika virus, West Nile virus (WNV), Chikungunya virus, Dengue Fever & Malaria.


After a bite from an infected mosquito, a person may not become sick, however, individuals which are infected may contract a mild, short-term illness or may have severe or long-term illnesses. It is important to note that severe cases of diseases caused by mosquito bites can cause death. (1)


Traveling is very common; approximately 4.75 million residents of Canada returned from traveling abroad each month from 2014 to 2018; of which 3.77 million (82%) returned from the United States and 985,000 (21%) from other locations. (2) The most common destinations for Canadians are outside of Western Europe, the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean including Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic. (2)


Residents often return with travel-acquired mosquito-borne diseases, the most common being Malaria and Dengue Fever. (3,4,5). Every year, approximately 500 new cases of travel-acquired Malaria are reported by returning travelers. (6). 

Women setting on a palm tree trunk on the beach
While Dengue is not a common disease in Canada, the National Microbiology Laboratory of Canada identified 250 cases of Dengue between 2012 and 2017, and the number of some additional cases was also documented by Public Health Laboratories during the same time period. Dengue is currently known as one of the most critical mosquito-borne diseases worldwide and is of concern for Canadian residents - given the global incidence has increased 30-fold over the past 5 decades. (7,8).


The recent penetration of the Chikungunya virus and Zika virus into the western hemisphere and the emergence of sudden epidemics in the Americas and the Caribbean show the potential for exotic vector-borne diseases to spread rapidly across large populations. (09,10).Due to the increased presence of MBDs worldwide, and the climates of other countries travelers frequently travel to, many residents return to Canada with the travel-acquired Chikungunya virus and the Zika Virus. (11,12,13,14).


Other common MBDs of concern for returning travelers include Japanese encephalitis, Yellow fever & Lymphatic filariasis. A recent Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil and some parts of Africa are known to be one of the main threats for residents of Canada who are traveling to those places. (15,16,17) Climate change is also expected to increase travel-acquired cases of mosquito-borne diseases.


Pathogens can be contracted by traveling both locally and globally. Local introduction can occur during the movement of mosquitoes in short distances or the reservoirs or humans from a neighboring endemic region into Canada.

Family on a tropical vacation
Locally acquired cases of MBDs are emerging with a high possibility of these pathogens becoming rampant over a period of time. as demonstrated by the West Nile virus. (27,28,29,30) Other MBDs that are emerging include Malaria and Chikungunya, because established, or recently-emerged, vector populations of these diseases are already present in Canada. (31,32) Two other viruses known as the La Crosse Encephalitis virus & the Saint Louis Encephalitis virus are already present in Canada and are currently found in the United States. (18,19,20)


Global infection risks occur from long-distance and international travel, migration, trade, or the transportation of goods from a distant endemic region into Canada. There are two global introduction ways in which the vectors are either present or absent inside Canada (Table 2).

TotalSTOP is a DEET-free insect repellent utilizing Icaridin as an active ingredient. Icaridin is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the CDC, and is EPA-Registered. It provides long-lasting, 12-hour protection from all kinds of ticks and mosquitos and 10-hour protection from black flies.

TotalSTOP Incaridin Insect Repellent Product Line

Icaridin is approved for use in 40+ countries, and TotalSTOP is perfect for the whole family including individuals with skin sensitivities, children that are 6+ months, pregnant, and nursing mothers!

TotalSTOP is available in spray & wipes. It is non-toxic, odourless & water-resistant with a non-greasy formula that lasts all day.

 


About The Author:


Sulayman Mehboob, B.Sc., M.Sc. - Microbiologist


Sulayman has done research on various science projects and has been published in well reputed journals. Currently, he is doing research on animals and insects on various topics and some of his research projects have been completed and under review in the top journals. He loves researching plants and animals, and his aim is to continue deep study in this field.










REFERENCES

  1. Mosquito-borne diseases emerge in Canada with climate change? Can Commun Dis Rep 2019;45(4):98–107.
  2. Statistics Canada. Table 24-10-0037-01 Travel by Canadians to foreign countries, top 15 countries visited. 2019. https:// www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=2410003701
  3. Boggild AK, Geduld J, Libman M, Yansouni CP, McCarthy AE, Hajek J, Ghesquiere W, Vincelette J, Kuhn S, Freedman DO, Kain KC. Malaria in travellers returning or migrating to Canada: surveillance report from CanTravNet surveillance data, 2004-2014. CMAJ Open 2016 Jul 6;4(3):E352–8. DOI PubMed
  4. Boggild AK, Geduld J, Libman M, Ward BJ, McCarthy A, Hajek J, Ghesquiere W, Vincelette J, Kuhn S, Freedman DO, Kain KC. Travel-acquired infections in Canada: CanTravNet 2011-2012. Can Commun Dis Rep 2014 Sep;40(16):313–25. DOI PubMed
  5. Boggild AK, Geduld J, Libman M, Ward BJ, McCarthy AE, Doyle PW, Ghesquiere W, Vincelette J, Kuhn S, Freedman DO, Kain KC. Travel-acquired infections and illnesses in Canadians: surveillance report from CanTravNet surveillance data, 2009-2011. Open Med 2014 Feb;8(1):e20–32. PubMed
  6. Government of Canada. Reported cases from 1924 to 2016 in Canada - Notifiable diseases on-line. 2019. http:// diseases.canada.ca/notifiable/charts?c=pl
  7. World Health Organization. Dengue Control. 2019. https:// www.who.int/denguecontrol/disease/en/
  8. Ebi KL, Nealon J. Dengue in a changing climate. Environ Res 2016 Nov;151:115–23. DOI PubMed
  9. Pan American Health Organization. Chikungunya: Data, Maps and Statistics. 2017. https://www.paho.org/hq/index. php?option=com_topics&view=rdmore&cid=5927&item=chi kungunya&type=statistics&Itemid=40931&lang=en
  10. Pan American Health Organization. Zika cases and congenital syndrome associated with Zika virus reported by countries and territories in the Americas, 2015-2018. Cumulative cases. 2018. https://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_ docman&view=download&category_slug=cumulative-casespdf-8865&alias=43296-zika-cumulative-cases-4-january2018-296&Itemid=270&lang=en
  11. Tataryn J, Vrbova L, Drebot M, Wood H, Payne E, Connors S, Geduld J, German M, Khan K, Buck PA. Travel-related Zika virus cases in Canada: October 2015-June 2017. Can Commun Dis Rep 2018 Jan;44(1):18–26. DOI PubMed
  12. Boggild AK, Geduld J, Libman M, Yansouni CP, McCarthy AE, Hajek J, Ghesquiere W, Mirzanejad Y, Vincelette J, Kuhn S, Plourde PJ, Chakrabarti S, Freedman DO, Kain KC. Surveillance report of Zika virus among Canadian travellers returning from the Americas. CMAJ 2017 Mar;189(9):E334–40.DOI PubMed
  13. Drebot MA, Holloway K, Zheng H, Ogden NH. Travel-related chikungunya cases in Canada, 2014. Can Commun Dis Rep 2015 Jan;41(1):2–5. DOI PubMed
  14. Ogden NH, Fazil A, Safronetz D, Drebot MA, Wallace J, Rees EE, Decock K, Ng V. Risk of travel-related cases of Zika virus infection is predicted by transmission intensity in outbreak-affected countries. Parasit Vectors 2017 Jan;10(1):41. DOI PubMed
  15. Faria NR, Kraemer MU, Hill SC, Goes de Jesus J, Aguiar RS, Iani FC, Xavier J, Quick J, du Plessis L, Dellicour S, Thézé J, Carvalho RD, Baele G, Wu CH, Silveira PP, Arruda MB, Pereira MA, Pereira GC, Lourenço J, Obolski U, Abade L, Vasylyeva TI, Giovanetti M, Yi D, Weiss DJ, Wint GR, Shearer FM, Funk S, Nikolay B, Fonseca V, Adelino TE, Oliveira MA, Silva MV, Sacchetto L, Figueiredo PO, Rezende IM, Mello EM, Said RF, Santos DA, Ferraz ML, Brito MG, Santana LF, Menezes MT, Brindeiro RM, Tanuri A, Dos Santos FC, Cunha MS, Nogueira JS, Rocco IM, da Costa AC, Komninakis SC, Azevedo V, Chieppe AO, Araujo ES, Mendonça MC, Dos Santos CC, Dos Santos CD, Mares-Guia AM, Nogueira RM, Sequeira PC, Abreu RG, Garcia MH, Abreu AL, Okumoto O, Kroon EG, de Albuquerque CF, Lewandowski K, Pullan ST, Carroll M, de Oliveira T, Sabino EC, Souza RP, Suchard MA, Lemey P, Trindade GS, Drumond BP, Filippis AM, Loman NJ, Cauchemez S, Alcantara LC, Pybus OG. Genomic and epidemiological monitoring of yellow fever virus transmission potential. Science 2018 Aug;361(6405):894–9. DOI PubMed
  16. Possas C, Lourenço-de-Oliveira R, Tauil PL, Pinheiro FP, Pissinatti A, Cunha RV, Freire M, Martins RM, Homma A. Yellow fever outbreak in Brazil: the puzzle of rapid viral spread and challenges for immunisation. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2018 Sep;113(10):e180278. DOI PubMed
  17. Kwagonza L, Masiira B, Kyobe-Bosa H, Kadobera D, Atuheire EB, Lubwama B, Kagirita A, Katushabe E, Kayiwa JT, Lutwama JJ, Ojwang JC, Makumbi I, Ario AR, Borchert J, Zhu BP. Outbreak of yellow fever in central and southwestern Uganda, February-may 2016. BMC Infect Dis 2018 Nov;18(1):548. DOI PubMed.
  18. Giordano BV, Gasparotto A, Hunter FF. A checklist of the 67 mosquito species of Ontario, Canada. J Am Mosq Control Assoc 2015 Mar;31(1):101–3. DOI PubMed
  19. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Saint Louis encephalitis: Epidemiology and Geographic Distribution. 2018 November 2, 2018]; https://www.cdc.gov/sle/technical/ epi.html
  20. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. La Crosse encephalitis: Epidemiology and Geographic Distribution. 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/lac/tech/epi.html
  21. Venturi G, Di Luca M, Fortuna C, Remoli ME, Riccardo F, Severini F, Toma L, Del Manso M, Benedetti E, Caporali MG, Amendola A, Fiorentini C, De Liberato C, Giammattei R, Romi R, Pezzotti P, Rezza G, Rizzo C. Detection of a chikungunya outbreak in Central Italy, August to September 2017. Euro Surveill 2017 Sep;22(39):17–00646. DOI PubMed
  22. Septfons A, Leparc-Goffart I, Couturier E, Franke F, Deniau J, Balestier A, Guinard A, Heuzé G, Liebert AH, Mailles A, Ndong JR, Poujol I, Raguet S, Rousseau C, Saidouni-Oulebsir A, Six C, Subiros M, Servas V, Terrien E, Tillaut H, Viriot D, Watrin M, Wyndels K, Noel H, Paty MC, De Valk H; Zika Surveillance Working Group in French departments and collectivities of the Americas. Travel-associated and autochthonous Zika virus infection in mainland France, 1 January to 15 July 2016. Euro Surveill 2016 Aug;21(32). DOI PubMed
  23. Likos A, Griffin I, Bingham AM, Stanek D, Fischer M, White S, Hamilton J, Eisenstein L, Atrubin D, Mulay P, Scott B, Jenkins P, Fernandez D, Rico E, Gillis L, Jean R, Cone M, Blackmore C, McAllister J, Vasquez C, Rivera L, Philip C. Local Mosquito-Borne Transmission of Zika Virus - Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, Florida, June-August 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016 Sep;65(38):1032–8. DOI PubMed
  24. Rezza G, Nicoletti L, Angelini R, Romi R, Finarelli AC, Panning M, Cordioli P, Fortuna C, Boros S, Magurano F, Silvi G, Angelini P, Dottori M, Ciufolini MG, Majori GC, Cassone A; CHIKV study group. Infection with chikungunya virus in Italy: an outbreak in a temperate region. Lancet 2007 Dec;370(9602):1840–6. DOI PubMed
  25. Delisle E, Rousseau C, Broche B, Leparc-Goffart I, L’Ambert G, Cochet A, Prat C, Foulongne V, Ferre JB, Catelinois O, Flusin O, Tchernonog E, Moussion IE, Wiegandt A, Septfons A, Mendy A, Moyano MB, Laporte L, Maurel J, Jourdain F, Reynes J, Paty MC, Golliot F. Chikungunya outbreak in Montpellier, France, September to October 2014. Euro Surveill 2015 Apr;20(17):21108. DOI PubMed
  26. Bouri N, Sell TK, Franco C, Adalja AA, Henderson DA, Hynes NA. Return of epidemic dengue in the United States: implications for the public health practitioner. Public Health Rep 2012 May-Jun;127(3):259–66. DOI PubMed
  27. Giordano BV, Kaur S, Hunter FF. West Nile virus in Ontario, Canada: A twelve-year analysis of human case prevalence, mosquito surveillance, and climate data. PLoS One 2017 Aug;12(8):e0183568. DOI PubMed
  28. Artsob H, Gubler DJ, Enria DA, Morales MA, Pupo M, Bunning ML, Dudley JP. West Nile Virus in the New World: trends in the spread and proliferation of West Nile Virus in the Western Hemisphere. Zoonoses Public Health 2009 Aug;56(6-7):357–69. DOI PubMed
  29. Gubler DJ. The continuing spread of West Nile virus in the western hemisphere. Clin Infect Dis 2007 Oct;45(8):1039–46. DOI PubMed
  30. Zheng H, Drebot MA, Coulthart MB. West Nile virus in Canada: ever-changing, but here to stay. Can Commun Dis Rep 2014 May;40(10):173–7.DOI PubMed.
  31. Berrang-Ford L, Maclean JD, Gyorkos TW, Ford JD, Ogden NH. Climate change and malaria in Canada: a systems approach. Interdiscip Perspect Infect Dis 2009;2009:385487. DOI PubMed
  32. Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. Windsor-Essex County Health Unit - Aedes albopictus mosquito: 2018 adult mosquito survillance - Ae. albopictus mosquitoes identified. 2018.

    Beat The Deet with TotalSTOP Deet-Free Icaridin Insect Repellent | from SurfaceScience

    Back to Beat The Deet Blog