Each year millions of Americans travel abroad for vacation, business, or to visit friends and family. Unfortunately, about half of these international travelers get sick or injured during their trip.
The good news is that most travel-related sickness and injury can be prevented. The pharmacists at Anderson Pharmacy recommend the following information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for an enjoyable trip free from illness or injuries:
• Be informed: Learn about travel health risks and what to do to avoid them before your trip.
• Be ready: Get any vaccinations (shots) or medicines that you will need before your trip.
Be informed
Find out what you need to know about staying healthy and safe in the area where you are traveling by visiting the CDC’s Travelers’ Health Web site at www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm. Choose the destination (by country or region) you are traveling to and you will get information about:
• disease and safety risks and how to avoid them
• special notices about outbreaks or other disease activity
• what shots or preventive medications (prophylaxis) you should or will be required to get.
Important: some countries require you to present a certificate that says you have had a yellow fever vaccination before you can enter. Only authorized health care providers can give the yellow fever vaccine. The vaccine should be given at least 10 days before travel and a stamped vaccine certificate will be issued to you by the immunization center.
If you are pregnant or traveling with children, traveling with pets, or if you are a traveler with special needs, do not forget to read the specific advice from the CDC.
To learn how to handle altitude sickness, extreme heat and cold, and other special situations, see “Non-Infectious Risks During Travel”, chapter 6 of Health Information for International Travel, a CDC publication also known as the Yellow Book.
To be on the safe side, before you go, visit the Illness and Injury Abroad page for information about what to do if you get sick or injured during your trip. The section also provides information about planning for healthy travel and what to include in a travel health kit.
If you are going on a cruise, refer to the CDC’s cruise ship travel recommendations, and cruise ship inspection scores from the Vessel Sanitation Program.
Be ready
If you will need any vaccinations (shots) or medicines, go to your health care provider or a travel medicine clinic at least four to six weeks before your trip. This will give your shots time to work so that you will be protected during your trip.
If it is less than four weeks before you leave, you should still see your doctor. It might not be too late to get your shots, medications and other useful information.
Prepare a traveler’s health kit so you have all the medications and supplies you may need before you go.
Top Travel Tips
• Wash hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based hand gel (with at least 60 percent alcohol) to clean hands.
• Drink only boiled or bottled water or carbonated drinks from sources you trust. Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice cubes.
• Eat only fully cooked food or fruits and vegetables you have peeled. Remember: boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it!
• Avoid poultry farms, bird markets, and other places where live poultry is raised or kept.
• If visiting an area where there is risk for malaria, take malaria prevention medication before, during, and after your trip, as directed.
• Do not handle animals, especially monkeys, dogs, and cats, to avoid bites and serious diseases (including rabies and plague).
• If you might be bitten by insects (like mosquitoes or ticks) use insect repellent (bug spray) with 30-50 percent DEET.
• Know what to do to prevent injuries during your trip.
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