Australians are being warned about travelling overseas after a sharp increase in infectious diseases in tourists coming back from Bali and other Asian countries.
A study presented to the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID) in Canberra reveals that increased travel to Bali, especially by West Australians, has resulted in a dramatic increase in overseas-acquired cases of a range of infectious diseases.
The study indicates that many diseases acquired overseas are resistant to normal treatment with antibiotics.
Between 2006 and 2012, the number of Indonesian-acquired infections increased six-fold (from 178 cases to 1078 cases).
Dengue fever was the disease most commonly acquired by Australians, followed by gastroenteritis and chlamydia.
In addition, 157 Western Australians required rabies treatment after animal exposures in Bali.
