September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and we have learnt a lot about this debilitating disease in the last few years. Here’s what we know exactly writes expathealth.org

Alzheimer’s disease is still somewhat of a mystery, but researchers are working hard to find answers and a cure for this highly damaging condition. Around the world, an estimated 36 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, a number predicted to triple by 2050 as the population ages and people live longer. The risk of getting it increase with age, especially after 65.

Alzheimer’s is the number one form of dementia. According to WHO, dementia is a “syndrome characterized by disturbance of multiple brain functions, including memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgement.”

What can I do about it?

Alzheimer’s Disease International recently published a new report – Dementia and Risk Reduction: An analysis of protective and modifiable factors – examining the proven risk factors of this disease and stating the best behaviour to adopt in order to lower your risk.

Contrary to popular belief, dementia doesn’t usually run in the family. True, there are some cases in which Alzheimer’s disease has appeared in several generations, which shows that it can sometimes be inherited – this is mostly the case for people who develop it quite young (before 50).

Here are the typical symptoms of dementia. Please note that you should always consult a medical professional, and not diagnose yourself.

• Regularly forgetting recent events, appointments, names and faces
• Regularly misplacing items
• Problems finding the right words
• Confusion about time of day
• Mood or behaviour problems, lack of confidence
• Disorientation, especially away for familiar places and getting lost
• Reduced judgement, such as sense of danger

In the last few years, we have discovered ways to help avoid dementia by exercising and leading a healthy life. In many cases, regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of dementia by 50%.

Also, it seems that being active and having lots of interests or hobbies is very beneficial. The Alzheimer’s Society has a few tips to help reduce the risks.

There are also treatments to slow down Alzheimer’s, but nothing yet on how to interrupt or reverse the process.

Training your brain

If if are mentally very active, you have a better chance of maintaining your cognitive and thinking skills. Training your brain can support the growth of nerve cells and increase communication between brain cells, which in turn will reduce mental decline.

You’re never too old to learn, and if you want to help reduce your risk of developing dementia, you should start new routines when you hit 40. Don’t think of it as something else to add to your schedule, but try to find things you enjoy doing. The possibilities are endless:

• Find a hobby: start painting, carpentry, pottery or knitting for instance.
• Play board games and do crosswords.
• Start keeping a journal or writing a book, and read different things.
• Do new things: try a new cooking recipe every week, meet new people, join a club or do volunteer work.
• Always wanted to play an instrument or learn a new language? Now is the time!

And let’s face it, half of these don’t even require spare time, which means you don’t have to wait to be retired.

Here’s a list of possible brain games to do online. Diversity is the key. And remember: brain exercise is the most painless type of exercise there is!

A spice commonly found in curries may boost the brain’s ability to heal itself, according to a report in the journal Stem Cell Research and Therapy.

The German study suggests a compound found in turmeric could encourage the growth of nerve cells thought to be part of the brain’s repair kit.

Scientists say this work, based in rats, may pave the way for future drugs for strokes and Alzheimer’s disease.

But they say more trials are needed to see whether this applies to humans.

Source BBC News

The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has passed 3,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

The latest figures indicate that more than 6,500 people are believed to have been infected in the region.

Liberia is the worst affected country, having recorded around 1,830 deaths linked to the latest outbreak.

Source: BBC World News

Copenhagen makes it into CNN’s top 10 healthiest cities table.
Perhaps it is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of a healthy environment, but a healthy life is certainly possible when living in a metropolis. According to CNN, large cities such as New York, Singapore and even the capital of Cuba, Havana, belong in the top 10 world’s healthiest cities.

Even though basic needs such as air and water are often of lower quality in urban areas, there are other factors such as the quality of life amongst citizens, healthy habits and the city’s facilities that make them beat other (smaller) cities in the rankings.

Some of the cities on the list, which was published by CNN recently, are not much of a surprise: Vancouver has been voted the best city to live before, and a Scandinavian city such as Copenhagen is likely to have a good healthcare system.

More unexpected is the ranking of New York, a city with such a high population density and endless avenues full of noisy traffic. One of the things that made New York deserve a place on the list is the smoke (or more the fact that there is so little), as the number of smokers in the city has reduced massively the past few years due to strict anti-smoking laws.

Another interesting city on the list is Havana. With a life expectancy that is just as high as in the United States, and an infant mortality rate that is even better, it is remarkable that the Cuban government spends just 4.4% of the amount spent by the US government on health care per citizen.

Apparently the Havanian secret is prevention: an intensive vaccination program and regular free health screenings in local clinics. In addition, where people in most large cities tend to have a more individual mindset, the citizens of the Cuban capital are taught to look after each other.

The key to these results is to look further than just the health care system. Culture seems to be important: the way people behave, the way they make decisions and their habits all affect health. In Copenhagen only 2% of people work 40 hours per week. The average there is 37 hours for full time jobs, which is significantly lower than, for instance, an average of 42 hours per week in the United States. Instead, people in Copenhagen spend time with their families or join sport activities.

The world’s 10 healthiest cities according to CNN:

Copenhagen, Denmark
Okinawa, Japan
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Vancouver, Canada
Melbourne, Australia
New York, USA
Jonkoping, Sweden
Havana, Cuba
Singapore
Napa, USA

We’d like to say a very big thank you to everyone who has been kind enough to vote for us in this year’s COVER Excellence Awards, where we have managed to be shortlisted in no less than five separate categories.

Thank you again and as you can imagine we’re keeping everything crossed !

The staff and directors
ALC Health

New figures suggest 70% of those infected with Ebola in West Africa have died, higher than previously reported, says the World Health Organization.

Ebola infections will treble to 20,000 by November if efforts to tackle the outbreak are not stepped up, the UN agency has warned.

In the worst case scenario, cases in two nations could reach 1.4 million in January, according to a US estimate.

Experts said the US numbers were “somewhat pessimistic”.

The world’s largest outbreak of Ebola has caused 2,800 deaths so far, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Outbreaks in Senegal and Nigeria were “pretty much contained”, said the WHO.

SOURCE BBC world news

Travellers risking medical claims running into tens of thousands of pounds as a poll shows that nearly a quarter (24%) of adults who take out travel insurance would not do so if they were going on a round-the-world trip of up to six months.

ALC Health’s Prima Travel plan has been created exclusively for residents of all European Union (EU) countries regardless of nationality and where our choice of world class cover options offer not just peace of mind, but great value for money.  To find out more, visit our dedicated travel web site at www.alctravel.eu today

As an increasing number of destinations worldwide open their arms to international travellers, which infectious diseases could you be exposed to?

Dengue Fever

Locations: Caribbean, Central and South America, Western Pacific Islands, North Australia, South and South-East Asia, West and Sub-Saharan Africa.

This mosquito-spread virus can be found in many parts of the world and with no treatment or vaccine available yet, your only protection is to cover up and use insect repellent to keep the mosquitoes at bay. This species of mosquito, Aedes aegypti, bites throughout the day. Symptoms can take up to two weeks to develop and are flu-like, including fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and pain in the eyes, muscles and joints, and generally last for one week.

There are four different serotypes of the dengue virus, all of which are now found globally and whilst infection with one can give you immunity to that type in the future, infection with a second, third of fourth serotype can lead to more severe illness than the first exposure — such as Dengue hemorrhagic fever.

Schistosomiasis

Locations: Africa, the Middle-East, and some parts of South America, the Caribbean and South-East Asia.

Freshwater snails carry the schistosoma parasitic worm that causes this disease — also known as bilharzia. The snails release the worms’ larvae into contaminated freshwater rivers, lakes, ponds or wetlands, which then penetrate through skin, such as the soles of your feet.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the worm is endemic in 52 counties where water is contaminated with the feces of people infected with the worm, which contains parasitic eggs. Symptoms can take up to two months to develop and whilst some people never develop symptoms, others experience fever, chills, cough, and muscle aches within two months of infection. The extent of symptoms depends on the amount of parasite you have inside your body.

You can evade infection by avoiding swimming in freshwater and by heating water if needed for bathing. There is no vaccine available, but there is an effective and fast-acting treatment: The drug praziquantil will kill parasites within one to two days of treatment.

Malaria

Locations: Africa, Central and South America, parts of the Caribbean, Asia, and the South Pacific.

Malaria is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. Symptoms include high fevers, shaking chills and flu-like illness, and if untreated malaria can progress to severe illness and even death. The WHO estimates there were 207 million cases of malaria in 2012.

No licensed malaria vaccine exists but preventative anti-malaria drugs are available and recommended for people traveling to endemic regions. A range of options is available, from weekly to daily pills. Wearing long clothing, regular use of repellants and sleeping in air-conditioned rooms or under insecticide-treated bed nets can help avoid bites. But if despite all this you still get infected, an effective treatment is available.

Yellow Fever

Locations: Tropical regions of Africa and South America.

The Aedes aegypti mosquitoes continue to wreak their havoc with the yellow fever virus, which can cause fever, chills, headache, backache and muscle aches. About 15% of people infected develop serious illness that can lead to bleeding, shock, organ failure and sometimes death. Some people become jaundiced, which is where the “yellow” comes from. The WHO estimates there are 200,000 cases of yellow fever each year, with 90% of them occurring in Africa.

As there is no treatment, the main method of protection is from a vaccine, which travelers need to receive at least 30 days before travel to get lifelong protection against the virus. If you are a seasoned traveler you will be familiar with the need to prove your vaccination with the yellow card provided after your injection, as countries with the disease, as well as those harboring this mosquito species, aim to prevent the disease spreading or entering their population. If traveling to remote locations, it might be wise to keep that card firmly inside your passport.

Tuberculosis

Locations: Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe

A third of the world’s population is thought to be infected with tuberculosis (TB), which is the second greatest infectious cause of death globally (after HIV/AIDS). TB can occur in a “latent” state where people carry the bacteria without developing the disease itself. TB occurs in nearly every country but infections are more concentrated in developing countries, particularly in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe.

This airborne disease is spread from person to person and infects mainly your lungs but can spread to other parts of the body.

There is a vaccination available but its protection in adults is limited. Its greatest protection is in young children yet to be exposed to the TB bacteria. Symptoms include a prolonged cough, weakness, tiredness, weight loss and night sweats. If diagnosed, TB is treatable and curable with an extensive course of antibiotics. However, drug-resistant forms of the disease have emerged globally.

Travelers’ Diarrhea
Locations: Highest risk in Indian subcontinent, North Africa and the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and South America.

This is a collective term for diarrhea caused by a range of bacteria, viruses or protozoa.

Transmission is generally through consuming contaminated food or water and though symptoms are usually mild, infections can ruin a vacation or business trip, causing dehydration, weakness and general inconvenience from numerous trips to the bathroom. It can be avoided by sticking to bottled water, making wise food choices and regularly washing your hands, as your immune system simply isn’t ready for those new, exotic micro-organisms.

Ebola

Ebola has now reached 5 countries in West Africa in the largest outbreak to date.

Ebola has now reached 5 countries in West Africa in the largest outbreak to date.

Location: Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, DR Congo, (Senegal has had an isolated case).

As of March 2014 this once remote and easily contained disease has gained international recognition. To date the current outbreak of Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) has reached five countries and those traveling to affected regions are advised to be aware of the symptoms, which include fever, rash, diarrhea, vomiting and red eyes. Alongside these symptoms, internal and external bleeding are also signs of the disease, which spreads from person to person by contact with infected body fluids, such as saliva, semen or blood. Small outbreaks continue to occur in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ebola has no licensed vaccine or treatment and has fatality rates of up to 90% in infected people — but the virus requires very close contact with body fluids to be transmitted and is easily avoided with regular hand-washing and protective clothing — and avoiding contact with bodily fluids.

Typhoid Fever

Locations: Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Highest risk in South Asia.

This bacterial disease is spread by contaminated food and water and the resulting fever can be life threatening. Symptoms begin as high fevers, weakness, stomach pains, headache, and loss of appetite. Travelers should get vaccinated before travel but as the vaccine only protects 50%-80% of recipients it’s wise to be careful about your choice of food and drink.

As with travelers’ diarrhea, stick to bottled water and avoid unpeeled fruit and vegetables, street food (as delicious as it may look) and ice in drinks. Typhoid fever can be treated with antibiotics but drug-resistant bacteria have begun to emerge so perhaps avoid that cucumber in your salad or that icy cocktail in the sunshine.

Lyme Disease

Locations: North America, Europe, Asia.

Lyme disease is mainly found in the northeastern, north central, and Pacific coastal regions of North America. It is caused by bacteria which spread through the bites of infected black leg ticks.

Symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If untreated the infection will spread to the joints, heart and nervous system. So when wandering through the wilderness be sure to protect yourself with insect repellant. But as infected ticks need to be attached for 36-48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted, effective spotting and removal of ticks from your body will also prevent you from getting infected.

If caught early the disease is treatable with antibiotics.

Hepatitis A

Location: Most of the developing world.

The Hepatitis virus has many forms (A, B, C and D) but Hepatitis A is the one most travelers should be aware of as it spreads through contaminated water and uncooked food. The disease is closely linked to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor personal hygiene and is one of the most frequent causes of foodborne infection.

There is a safe and effective vaccine available against the virus, which most travelers are advised to have, but again, wise food and drink choices are recommended to avoid the resulting liver disease and potentially severe illness. Symptoms include fever, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark-colored urine and jaundice. WHO estimates show 1.4 million cases of Hepatitis A each year. There is no treatment for the disease other than rehydration and supportive treatment for the weeks or months of recovery time required.