Fans headed to Japan urged to take precautions against virus
WELSH rugby fans travelling to the World Cup in Japan have been urged to take precautions against a deadly virus that kills one in three of all who contract it.
Japanese encephalitis is an incurable brain infection that is carried by mosquitoes and kills almost 20,000 people each year.
While the chances of infection are rare, the Encephalitis Society is urging rugby supporters to consider getting vaccinated in order to avoid contracting the bug.
Former England star John Bentley, a Test series winner with the 1997 Lions in South Africa, is among the campaigners raising awareness about the disease.
Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain, an often devastating condition that can lead to death and
“acquired brain injury”.
The virus is most common in rural areas in south-east Asia, the Pacific islands and the Far East.
More than 600,000 of the 1.8 million available tickets for the World Cup are expected to be held by overseas visitors to Japan.
Such mass gatherings can put a huge strain on host countries. The World Health Organisation and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention have advised all those planning to travel to seek specialist health advice first.
“Supporters, not just rugby players, won’t just take in the rugby, they’ll take in all different aspects of the country and embrace the culture, and perhaps travel into areas where they could be vulnerable,” warned Bentley.
Dr Robert Annewandter, a fulltime carer of a Japanese encephalitis survivor, is also working with the society to raise awareness of the condition.
His partner Sophie Williams, 35, contracted Japanese encephalitis four years ago, while researching the illegal trade in orchids in Bangkok.
She is now a resident in a care home in Wrexham, is unable to move and is on a ventilator needing 24-hour care.
Dr Annewandter, 41, said Dr Williams, who was a lecturer at Bangor University, is not showing any signs of improvement.
He added: “Sophie is not motivated any more and cries when I come in and see her. She wants the television on all the time and is not engaging in many conversations. She has just given up and it is heartbreaking because this can be prevented. It’s devastating, really – she is just a different person.”
Dr Ava Easton, chief executive of the Encephalitis Society, said: “The message for the Rugby World Cup is that travel health is important.
“This campaign we are running is encouraging fans travelling to Japan to seek specialist travel health advice which is appropriate to their plans and destinations.
“If they’re just flying in, just to watch the matches in the cities, then really, they probably don’t need any kind of vaccines. But people don’t just do that, they often extend their stays and see much of what’s a very beautiful country.
“And if they’re going to be spending extended periods in the countryside, then vaccination is maybe something that they want to talk to a specialist travel health adviser about before they go.”