Infectious Diseases and Health Tourism

Definition of Infectious diseases: Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi; the diseases can be spread, directly or indirectly, from one person to another. Definition of tourism: Tourism is a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes. The growth in the number of international tourist flows reflects the rapid movement of large population groups, which may pose an increased risk of travel-related illnesses, particularly communicable diseases. Poor socioeconomic conditions, inadequate sanitation and cultural differences between the travelers’ countries of origin and their travel destinations all contribute to this increase.