Almost a million travelers from around the world are expected to travel to Beijing next week for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.  Another couple of million Chinese citizens are expected to travel to the city for the event, too.

While safe travel to any foreign country involves some common sense, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a warning to travelers to China, citing poor air quality and a very high rate of human rabies cases as particular causes of concern when traveling to that country.

China’s air pollution is infamous and the many reports of people needing respiratory care during travel to that nation is no surprise to CDC analysts.  It’s the 400 dog bites, and a few from cats and monkeys, that surprises the analysts the most.  Dog bites and traveler’s diarrhea are the two main reasons people sought medical care after returning from a trip to China in the last ten years.

Only India has a higher number of human rabies cases than does China, where 3,300  people died from the disease in 2006.  That same year, 140,000 reports of animal bites were filed in the city of Beijing alone.

In addition to the respiratory problems that develop while traveling in China, the CDC says other common reasons for seeking medical care while traveling in that country are strains, sprains, and cuts as well as skin conditions caused by eczema and insect bites.  Travelers are urged to use caution when traveling anywhere, especially when boarding or departing from unfamiliar modes of public transportation.

More exotic diseases are very rare and very few travelers are exposed to them during normal travel.  In the past 10 years, only a few cases of exotic diseases have been reported to the CDC and no one has contracted dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, or malaria while traveling to China in the past decade.

The CDC urges travelers to check in with a travel clinic at least a month before departure so there is plenty of time to get all required vaccinations up to date.  Other measures for safety mentioned by the CDC include:

• Thorough planning and preventive measure
• Use common sense at all times
• Wash hands often
• Never pet stray animals

Full details of the CDC travelers’ safety report have been published in the July issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Source: Emory University