Let’s take a look at some of the disease risks in China and what you can do to prevent them. For some of these diseases, we’ll recommend vaccines. For all of them, we’ll give you tips on things you can do to stay healthy.
Hepatitis A
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Hepatitis A is a liver disease you get from contaminated food and water. It can cause fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, upset stomach, stomach pain, dark urine, and yellowing of the skin and eyes.
CDC Recommends
- Get hepatitis A vaccine (2 shots).
- Eat foods that are fully cooked and served hot.
- Drink beverages that have been bottled and sealed (water, carbonated drinks, or sports drinks).
Note: If you have time to get only the first hepatitis A shot before you go to China, that’s OK. The first dose will help protect you during this trip, and you can get the second shot after you come home for lasting protection.
Hepatitis B
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Hepatitis B is a liver disease you get from coming in contact with blood and other body fluids of infected persons. Signs of hepatitis B include fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, upset stomach, stomach pain, and yellowing of the skin and eyes.
CDC Recommends
- Get hepatitis B vaccine (3 shots).
- Use condoms if you have sex.
- Avoid sharing needles or getting tattoos.
Typhoid fever
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Typhoid fever is a disease that you get from contaminated food and water. Typhoid fever can cause a very high fever (103° - 104°). Other common signs include headache, tiredness, loss of appetite, and rash.
CDC Recommends
- Get typhoid vaccine. You can either get a shot (1 dose) or take pills (4 doses).
- Eat foods that are fully cooked and served hot.
- Drink beverages that have been bottled and sealed (water, carbonated drinks, or sports drinks).
Japanese encephalitis
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Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a disease spread by mosquitoes. The risk of getting JE is very low in cities but greater in rural, farming areas. Most people who are bitten by infected mosquitoes do not get sick. For people who do get sick, the most common symptoms are fever, headache, weakness, and behavioral changes.
CDC Recommends
- Get JE vaccine (3 shots) if you are going to be in China more than 30 days or are planning to spend time outside in rural areas.
- Prevent mosquito bites: Use an insect repellent containing DEET and wear longsleeved shirts and long pants. If you are sleeping outdoors or in a room with no window screens, use an insecticide-treated bednet.
Malaria
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Malaria is another disease spread by mosquitoes. Signs of malaria include fever, chills, headache, body aches, and tiredness. It is a risk in some rural parts of China but not in cities. The Olympic venues are NOT in malaria risk areas. If you are traveling to other parts of China, you may need to take medicine to prevent malaria. It is always a good idea to prevent mosquito bites, even if you are not going to a malaria risk area.
CDC Recommends
- Use CDC’s online malaria map to find out if you are going to a malaria risk area. Remember to search for all your vacation sites, including day trips.
- If you are going to a malaria risk area, take medicine to prevent malaria. There are several medicines available; talk to your doctor about which one is right for you. You will start the medicine before you go to a malaria risk area, take it while you are there, and continue taking it after you leave the risk area.
- Prevent mosquito bites: Use an insect repellent containing DEET and wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. If you are sleeping outdoors or in a room with no window screens, use an insecticide-treated bednet.
Influenza (Flu)
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Bird flu (or avian influenza) is a type of influenza that usually affects birds but rarely affects people. People catch bird flu from touching sick or dead birds or from eating undercooked poultry or poultry blood. Bird flu causes a range of symptoms in people, including eye infections, fever, aches, chills, coughing, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Seasonal flu is much more common and usually causes fever, cough, body aches and other respiratory symptoms. There is no vaccine for bird flu, but there is a vaccine to prevent seasonal flu.
CDC Recommends
- Do not touch birds (alive or dead).
- Do not go to poultry farms or live bird markets.
- Only eat poultry that has been fully cooked.
- Wash your hands and utensils after handling raw poultry.
- Get a flu vaccine to avoid seasonal flu.
Rabies
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Rabies is a serious, deadly disease spread by the bite of infected animals. No treatment for rabies is effective once the symptoms have developed.
CDC Recommends
- Do not touch animals, even pets. Pets may not be vaccinated as they are in the United States.
- If you get an animal bite or scratch, go to a hospital or doctor’s office immediately.
- If you are going to spend a lot of time outside or in rural areas, consider getting rabies vaccine (3 shots). Important: Even if you get the vaccine, you will still need to see a doctor right away if you are bitten or scratched.
Note: Rabies vaccine is temporarily in short supply. For updates on the rabies vaccine supply, please check the Rabies News and Highlights page regularly. (Updated June 18, 2008)
Schistosomiasis
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Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by a parasite that you get by swimming or wading in contaminated fresh water, like lakes, ponds, and rivers. Most people who get schistosomiasis do not get sick, but some people have fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach pain, weakness, headaches, and joint and muscle pain. Even if you do not get sick right away, schistosomiasis can cause health problems later in life. These health problems can affect the liver, intestines, bladder, kidneys, or lungs.
CDC Recommends
- Swim only in chlorinated pools.
- Avoid swimming, wading, or participating in activities in fresh water.
- Get tested if you do go in fresh water — even if you do not feel sick. Once you come home, see an infectious disease doctor or tropical medicine doctor to find out if you were infected.
- If you were infected, take medicine to stop the infection.
Traveler's diarrhea
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Traveler’s diarrhea (TD) is one of the most common ailments of travelers, and China is a high risk area for TD. TD can be caused by many different germs. People who get TD have loose stools and stomach cramps. Some people also have gas, nausea, vomiting, bloating, and fever.
CDC Recommends
- To prevent TD:
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- Eat only fully cooked food that is served hot or fruits and vegetables you can wash and peel yourself.
- Drink beverages that have been bottled and sealed (water, carbonated drinks, or sports drinks).
- Wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand gel before you eat or prepare a meal.
- To Treat TD:
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- Talk to your doctor about taking antibiotics for TD.
- Take 1 ounce of liquid bismuth or 2 tablets every 30 minutes for 8 doses.
- Take an anti-diarrhea medicine like loperamide.
- Use oral rehydration packets to replace fluids lost when you have TD.
Breathing problems
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Breathing problems can also happen in China. If you have asthma or another lung problem, you might have more trouble breathing in polluted air than other people. Air pollution can cause symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and trouble breathing. China has reported that it is taking steps to reduce the amount of pollution in the air during the Olympic Games by closing factories and limiting the number of cars on the roads.
CDC Recommends
- If you have asthma or another lung problem, see your doctor before you go to China. You may need to take extra medicine to control your symptoms.
- If you have coughing, wheezing, or trouble breathing while you are in China, see a health-care provider right away.
- If possible, plan outdoor activities early in the day in areas with no traffic.
