Vaccine-preventable food- and water-borne diseases

Food- and water-borne diseases are caused by one of many organisms, including bacteria, viruses or parasites. Contaminated food and water can transmit a wide variety of infectious diseases, with all of these having a higher incidence in low-income counties. They are consistently spread via the faecal-oral route (TravelHealthPro, 2019a). Due to there being so many varying diseases spread in this manner, there are also an array of symptoms, ranging from very mild to severe. Some may need hospitalisation and can be fatal. Food- and water-borne diseases are still the most common health issue experienced by travellers, most commonly causing diarrhoea. Becoming unwell while travelling can cause severe disruption and ruin any holiday (Fit for travel, 2022a). This article will examine vaccine-preventable food- and water-borne diseases; therefore, traveller's diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases without a vaccine will not be covered. Health professionals need to understand when vaccines should be recommended and administered to give protection from these specific diseases. However, food and water hygiene advice should be given to all travellers to reduce the risk of contracting all pathogens caught in this manner. The vaccine-preventable diseases are poliomyelitis, hepatitis A, typhoid and cholera.