Over the years I’ve seen more and more people who are looking for medications and vaccines before they travel. Nowadays it’s not unusual for routine business travel to take a person to India or China and many people continue to go on pleasure trips that can include activities as varied as surfing in Costa Rica to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. With these destinations can come certain health risks that are inherent in traveling, as well as those specific to a given destination.
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The first place to which I refer my patients is the Centers for Disease Control website, www.cdc.gov/travel.
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
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Travelers tend to take more risks than they would at home. For instance, some may be more inclined to try food from a street vendor or ride in a car without putting on a seatbelt. My first bit of advice to my patients is to use common sense. Look both ways before you cross the street, wear a seatbelt when in a car, don’t eat food from a street vendor. In places where the water may not be safe you should only drink bottled water, even to brush your teeth. Don’t eat any fruit that you can’t peel. Avoid salads, which may have been washed in tap water, and don’t have any drinks with ice. Some travelers may also engage in more risky sexual behavior as well and so should also take the proper precautions using safe sex practices and getting vaccinated against Hepatitis B. Other common sense items would be general infection control like washing your hands and not touching your face to avoid getting a viral infection that can be so common by just flying on a plane.
Vaccines that are recommended generally include Hepatitis A (a food borne illness), Hepatitis B (blood and body fluid borne), the oral typhoid vaccine and a tetanus shot that includes diptheria and pertussis (Tdap). Other preventive medications might include an antibiotic for infections or diarrhea such as Ciprofloxacin or Azithromycin, antimalarial medications for travel to certain parts of the world, medications for altitude sickness (Diamox) for those going to higher elevations, sleep medication for jet lag or a small number of pain pills for those going to remote areas where immediate medical attention may not be available.
It should be noted that many insurances do not cover a routine pre-travel screening or vaccines unless they are given as part of usual healthcare. However, many travel clinics charge reasonable rates for the visit. It’s usually the vaccines that can be more costly.
So when traveling use common sense, check the cdc website, and visit your doctor or travel clinic at least three months before you leave. • About Dr. Savant
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While checking the CDC website is a good beginning, travelers should consult with a trained travel physician prior to departure. There may be vaccines that are suggested by CDC, but may not be necessary depending upon the traveler’s particular itinerary. lodgings and length of stay. Physicians have the training and expertise to make travel medicine recommendations, just as they do for all other medical issues. You wouldn’t rely upon a book or a website as your primary source for managing your disease? Similarly, travelers going abroad should seek medical and vaccine advice from trained medical professionals.