All Policies Include Coronavirus Cover
Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30
13 September 2011 11:51
Experts have developed a safer therapy to treat sleeping sickness
Scottish experts have claimed a major breakthrough in the battle against sleeping sickness.
Scientists based at the University of Glasgow believe they have made a significant step forward in developing a safer cure for the condition, which is also known as Human African Trypanosomiasis.
The infection, transmitted by the bite of the tsetse fly, affects thousands of people in African countries every year. It can be fatal if left untreated.
It is highly unsafe for global tourists to travel in the affected countries without a comprehensive medical travel insurance policy.
Doctors often prescribe an intravenous course of the arsenic-based drug melarsoprol if the disease crosses the blood-brain barrier and enters the central nervous system.
But the drug involved is highly toxic, which makes the therapy painful. It even kills 5% of patients receiving it and leaves many others permanently brain-damaged.
However, Glasgow scientists combined melarsoprol with another substance - cyclodextrins - which surrounds the drug allowing it to be administered orally. This means the melarsoprol is released in to the intestines where it can be dissolved and absorbed more slowly in the gut.
17 March 2020
Escape it all with a visit to one of the world's hidden island gems.
[more...]
02 July 2021
It's time for some Mediterranean sun and unforgettable sights. Here are five of our favourite must-sees in Malta.
Take your pick of the best beaches in Portugal, spanning more than 500 miles of the Portuguese coastline.
Holidays are back but not quite as we know them. Here's a quick guide to what to expect when travelling to and from green list countries.
28 February 2020
From tulip-filled trips to rose-tinged rests, these destinations are the perfect way to see in the new season.
04 January 2021
Join us on a journey to Ancient Greece to discover more about history's most revered statue.
Head north for a light show like no other. Discover how you can see the Northern Lights for yourself.
Discover more about the magnificent waterfall perched on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
10 December 2020
Don't sleep on the world's most impressive dormant volcano.
A destination that stands head and shoulders above the rest.
19 November 2020
Take a tour of one of South America's most captivating natural landscapes.
Discover the hidden depths of the world's most recognisable desert gorge.