A
Rabies is almost always
fatal by the time you
get symptoms, so you
should either avoid high-risk
countries or make sure
you’re up to date with the
vaccine/boosters – side
effects are rare and mild.
Rabies can be caught from
an infected animal’s bite or
scratch or a lick on broken
skin/the eyes. Clean and
disinfect the wound and seek
medical advice and treatment
immediately. You’d still need
at least an extra two booster
doses of vaccine, and possibly
an injection of human rabies
immunoglobulin, which ismanufactured from non-UK
human blood products.
Generally, check you’re up
to date with UK immunisations
when travelling abroad. Find out
the risks and what you’ll need at
fitfortravel.nhs.uk. Do this at least
eight weeks before you go, in
case you need several jabs. Go to
a travel clinic for detailed advice.Your health questions answered by
Dr Melanie Wynne-Jones
h
Ask the expe
Dr Melanie Wynne-Jones
has over 30 years’^
experience as a GPQ
Why do I keep
getting little red
scaly patches of eczema?
I’ve not had it before.
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A
‘Clean eating’ has
become very popular,
especially on social
media, although people
disagree about what it is.
Some say it means eating
whole foods in their natural,
unrefined state; others avoid
anything with additives,
including chemicals such
as preservatives, genetically
modified foods, or salt,
sugars, and fats.
Some cut out dairy
products or gluten (wheat
protein), but true gluten
sensitivity can have serious
health implications and
should be properly diagnosed
with appropriate tests before
modifying your diet.The National Osteoporosis
Society (NOS) has warned
that three million young
people may be putting their
future bone health at risk by
excluding dairy foods. Almost
three-quarters of those
surveyed were dieting (or had
done so), and clean eating
was the most popular diet in
under-25s. It says a fifth had
substantially reduced their
dairy intake, at an age when
building up calcium stores for
stronger bones is crucial. We
all need calcium, lifelong, as
well as many other mineral,
vitamins and nutrients. So
if you want to eat ‘clean’, do
your research carefully. For
info, visit nhs.uk/livewell.A
It’s unusual to develop
true eczema later in
life, so I’d suspect
another cause. This may be
a form of allergic contact
dermatitis which often looks
like eczema, and can be itchy,
dry, or weep, but is triggered
by sensitivity to an external
substance (and can appear
out of the blue). Nickel, in
items such as jewellery,bra straps and jean studs is
a common cause, and it’s
easy to check whether the
patches ‘match’ what you’ve
been wearing.
Other substances can
cause it, too, including
cosmetics, perfume, hair dye,
detergents, nail products,
latex, chemicals, and plants.
Allergic dermatitis can be
treated with steroid creamsQ
Is the craze for ‘clean
eating’ safe?
Q
I’m travelling but don’t
want the rabies vaccine.
What should I do if I’m bitten?
manufacturedfromnon-UK