Cr Sy spotlight on health ey ee SS ~ Travelers Beware: Hepatitis A and & May Await You (NAPS)—Are you planning a trip to Africa or Asia? Maybe you have selected a Caribbean destination or are taking a European holiday. In preparing for a trip, travelers frequently get lost in the excitement of making flight and hotel reservations, buying guidebooks and planning agendas. Oftentimes, travelers do not think about potential health risks, incliding hepatitis A and B, that can be avoided with preventive measures. Most people may not realize that hepatitis A and B are the two most common vaccine-preventable diseases for travelers. Hepatitis A is spread by the fecal-oral route through close person-to-person contact, or by ingesting contamiinated food or water. Hepatitis B is a serious disease that can cause permanent liver damage, liver cancer and even death. The good news is now there is a convenient way to protect against bothdiseases with one vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved GlaxoSmith Kline’s Twinrix [Hepatitis A Inactivated & Hepatitis B (Recombinant} Vaceinel, the world’s only combination hepatitis A and B vaccine indicated for use in adults 18 vears andolder, proven safe and effective in the prevention of hepatitis A and B. in unvaccinated travelers, hepatitis A occurs 160 times xmore often than typhoid fever and 1,000 times more often than cholera. People who have hepatitis A are typically infected for two weeks before symptoms appear, returning from a trip infected and unknowingly spreading the disease to others. Eleven to 22 percent of adult hepatitis A patients require hospialization and approximately L100 people in the U.S. die every year from this disease. Hepatitis B is a serious disease, and can be 100 times more contagious than RIV. Hepatitis B Pian AHeADp-—Proper immunization can heip prevent diseases such as hepatitis A and 8. equipment and blood or infected healthcare workers. “AMtravelers are at risk of con- tracting hepatitis A and B in the United States and abroad. Hepatitis does not discriminate; travelers are at risk of infection regardless of whether they stay at youth hostels or five-star hotels,” according to Phyllis Kozarsky, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Emory University School of Public Health. Approximately 50 percent of persons with hepatitis A and 25 percent of persons with hepatitis B have no known risk factor for their infection. Twinrix is a safe and effective vaccine that provides protection against both hepatitis A and B. In fact, Twinrix offers more convenience, as it requires three shots, instead of five, to protect against both hepatitis A and B. The most common adverse events in clinical trials included soreness at the injection site, headache and fatigue. When planning your next trip, make your health a priority——see can be spread throughinfected blood or body fluids, sexual con- your physician or a travel medicine tact sports (via cuts and scrapes), hody piercing and tattooing. nation include those who travel te tact, intravenous drug use, con- expert before departing. Individuals who would henefit from vacci- Travelers may engage in casual sexual activities, excessive drink- Japan), the Caribbean, South America, the Middle Hast and ing, water activities and adventure sports, ioding themselves at risk of acquiring the disease gince such activities increase their chances for accidents or trauma. Receiving medical atten- tion in endemic countries places the traveler at risk of contracting hepatitis B from contaminated areas such as Africa, Asia (except eastern and southern Europe. Plan ahead to get the proper immunizations to help prevent diseases such as hepatitis A and B from ruining your trip. For more information on hepatitis A and B prevention and Twinrix, access the World Wide Web at www.travelsafely.com or call 1-800-366-8900 ext. 5251. editors: For additional information and complete Tuinrix prescribing information, call the GlaxoSmithKline Medical information Department toll-free at 800366-8900, extension 6231. Twinrix is manufaciured by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Rixensart, Beigium and distributed by GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC 27769. Twinrix is a registered trademark of GlaxoSmithKline.
