There is a huge chance that people who go to other countries to visit their friends and relatives develop serious diseases and that they are at a higher risk in developing these diseases compared to some of the locals and other regular tourists. This is because they stay longer than the normal tourist and may not take preventive measures as normal tourists do. VRF travelers usually don’t go to see their doctor and have themselves vaccinated due to the fact that they have limited time left to travel and they are thinking that it is expensive, they are also considering the difference of culture and language. If you are planning to visit relatives and friends that are residing in another country, it would be a good idea to plan your travel and consider the increased risk of developing illnesses.
Malaria
There has been a reported increase of VFR travelers that caught malaria and it is 8 to 10 times more than the regular tourist. The number of VFR travelers who also died because of malaria is relatively higher compared to the normal tourists. Most VFR expect that they are immune to the disease that is malaria because they are not staying in the country which is infested with malaria but the truth is that the immunity disappears fast. If you are visiting friends who are living in a malaria-infested country, you need to take extra precautionary measures like medications that is anti-malaria and you should also take it as prescribed by the doctor.
If you are VFR you should make sure that you should take anti-malaria medication even before you leave the country. You should also keep in mind that medicines in other country is cheaper but most of them maybe counterfeited and it is almost next to impossible to tell the original from the counterfeited medicines. Counterfeited ones may contain harmful substances that could damage the body or it does not have the proper ingredients that are needed to fight off malaria.
Food-borne Illness
There are also instances wherein illnesses can be obtained by eating contaminated food that is served by your relatives and/or friends. You can’t help but eat what they are serving since you are pressured to do so. You have to keep in mind that you are not as immune as they are when it comes to bacteria in local food. These illnesses can be prevented by vaccine which is why it is important to make sure that you have to go to your doctor to be sure that you are safe from illnesses and bacteria that can be transmitted to you through food.