Bemused Backpacker is proud to partner with Bug Off! A national campaign aimed at highlighting the risk of mosquito and insect borne diseases and the importance of using insect repellents and other preventative methods during your travels.
So many travellers set off on their gap year or round the world adventure without even thinking of their travel health or taking any precautions to protect themselves against mosquito or other insect borne diseases.
Bug Off is a national campaign by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Arctec that aims to highlight the importance of protecting yourself against insect borne diseases when you travel, particularly mosquito borne diseases like malaria, dengue and zika, and raise awareness of how easy it is to do so with insect repellents and other insect bite avoidance measures to ensure that everyone travels safely.
As a qualified nurse as well as a backpacker, one of my aims on this site is to ensure that every traveller has all the qualified information they can get when it comes to travel health, so that they can make a fully informed decision about the potential risk factors out there and protect themselves in the best way they can.
This is why I am proud to partner with the Bug Off camaign, so we can raise awareness of just how important it is to take travel health precautions against insect borne diseases.
Are You Fully Protected When You Travel?
The best defence you can have against insect borne diseases is knowledge. The last thing you want to do is waste your time on ineffective ‘traditional’ cures only to develop malaria later on, or not know how to spot the signs for bedbugs in the hostel you are staying at and wake up with one side of your body and face looking like the nesting ground for a million miniature vampires.
Luckily there are a variety of professional and reputable resources online where you can get all the information you need, such as the Travel Health Pro (formerly NaTHNaC) website, the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or the NHS’ own Fit For Travel website.
The Bemused Backpacker Travel Health Section is also an indispensable resource for travellers, with advice from a qualified nurse as well as an experienced backpacker on everything from travel vaccinations to malaria and everything in between.
Speak To The Professionals.
Head over to the Bug Off website and take advantage of the knowledge and information there.
And if you know when you are planning to travel, make sure you go and see a qualified health professional at least 6 weeks before you step on that plane.
My own online Travel Clinic can provide you with a full consultation with not only a qualified nurse but also an experienced traveller. I can not only give you all the qualified and professional information and advice you need to keep yourself safe and healthy on the road, but I can do so from the perspective of someone who has been where you want to go and has first hand knowledge of the practicalities of world travel.
Spread The Word.
I urge each and every one of you to head over to the Bug Off website and the travel health articles on this site, take advantage of the knowledge there for your own travels, and then spread the word as much as you can. Share the Bug Off campaign message on all of your social media, raise awareness of this important topic and help spread the word about the campaign so that more people can protect themselves against insect borne diseases when they travel.
Did you enjoy this article? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below or on my Facebook or Twitter pages and please feel free to share it with any or all of the social media buttons. If you want to get more great backpacking tips, advice and inspiration, please subscribe to updates via email in the box to your right.
Related Articles.
15 Common Malaria Myths Debunked.
Do You Really Need Anti Malarial Medication On Your Gap Year?
My Battle With Dengue Fever In India.
Should You Be Worried About Dengue Fever On Your Gap Year?
What is Zika Virus And Why Should Travellers Be Aware Of It?
Michael Huxley is a published author, professional adventurer and founder of the travel website, Bemused Backpacker. He has spent the last twenty years travelling to over 100 countries on almost every continent, slowly building Bemused Backpacker into a successful business after leaving a former career in emergency nursing and travel medicine, and continues to travel the world on numerous adventures every year.
Bemused Backpacker 
Such an important issue, love it! Well done on raising awareness
Thanks Joanne, we can’t do it without you all spreading the word too! ;D
Congratulations on the partnership! I think the health advice is one of the best parts of this site and it helped me so much, this is a great campaign for you to get involved in.
Thanks Amelia! I’m genuinely happy you found the site useful.
Brilliant idea for a campaign.
It really is, it is an important topic and needs to be talked about.
I think its so easy to forget about this until you are actually abroad and are being bit by tons of mozzies (yes that was me!) Good on you for raising awareness.
It really is Lucy, that’s why we want to get the message out there that people should think about travel health and mosquito and insect bite prevention before they even step foot on a plane. Better to be prepared than sorry!
I had never heard of this campaign, this is such good work. Malaria is a killer and not enough is done to prevent the disease and educate the people.
I couldn’t agree more Femi.
Good luck raising awareness on this, such an important issue
Thank you Laura 🙂
I’ll definitely share and spread the word. Well done!
Thanks Dawn!
What a great campaign. Well done.
It really is Amanda. Thanks for the comment.
Good job!
Thank you. 🙂
Well done! This is such a perfect campaign for you.
Thank you!