Press Releases
June 13, 2011
Traveling Abroad This Summer? Don’t Leave Home Without Taking Proper Health Precautions
If you’re planning on traveling out of the country during the summer months, getting your plane tickets and packing your bathing suit is not enough.
Travel medicine experts strongly recommend that you don’t leave home without also taking the proper health precautions.
“People traveling abroad to certain countries really need to plan ahead,” said Dr. Judith Berger, Chief - Division of Infectious Diseases, at St. Barnabas Hospital. Dr. Berger, along with her associates Dr. Carol Epstein and Dr. Michelle Dahdouh, practice travel medicine at Bronx Park Medical Pavilion and Arthur Avenue Comprehensive Health. “If you’re planning on traveling to certain locations, you should see a travel doctor a month or so before because if any immunizations are recommended it takes time for the body to form antibodies to the vaccines.”
While the Yellow Fever vaccine needs to be given a minimum of 10 days prior to entering a country that requires it, the Japanese encephalitis vaccine series and rabies pre-exposure series require 2-3 vaccines given over three to four weeks. Doctors are limited in what they can do to protect travelers who wait until the last minute to see them.
“We saw a young man recently who was going on a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia and was planning to camp out,” said Dr. Epstein. “He was leaving in less than two weeks, and I told him he needed rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis and vaccines for Japanese encephalitis. We didn’t have time to give him the entire series for either vaccine, but according to the manufacturer the abbreviated series likely would give him some protection.”
Taking precautions is not only important when traveling to countries in the developing world – e.g. in South and Central America, Africa, the Middle East and eastern Europe. Certain health issues can also present dangers in countries that are generally not viewed as part of the developing world – such as Israel, where Hepatitis A can be a problem, or the Dominican Republic, which not too many years ago had a polio scare.
The doctors will discuss with patients the Centers for Disease Control’s (www.cdc.gov) latest recommendations on vaccines and other health precautions for travelers to take on a country by country basis, which can be a dynamic and ever-changing one.
“Some people believe that if they are native to a certain country they have certain immunities and won’t need to take the same precautions as someone traveling there for the first time,” said Dr. Epstein. “That’s not always the case.”
At this time of year, the doctors regularly see patients planning trips to such outposts as India, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Bolivia, and Brazil.
Here are some additional reminders that Drs. Berger and Epstein give patients in their travel medicine consultations:
• Certain countries, primarily in Africa and South America, require a vaccine for Yellow Fever in order to enter the country, which is only available at travel medicine clinics (as are many other vaccines). The live virus vaccine for Yellow Fever, a disease which is potentially fatal, is not recommended for pregnant women, children under nine months of age, or those with weakened immune systems. While the doctors recommend that these patients do not travel to high-risk areas, travelers can receive a medical waiver from the travel doctor saying the vaccine is medically contraindicated.
• In addition to avoiding sink or tap water (or even brushing their teeth with the water) in developing countries, the doctors recommend that travelers stay away from eating any food sold by street venders or found on communal tables. Other reminders: only eat fruits with a peel that you can peel yourself, avoid dairy products that are made from unpasteurized milk, stay away from raw food and undercooked meats, and only eat vegetables that are piping hot.
• Even travelers on cruises can be prey to such illnesses as noroviruses which cause diarrhea. As a result, it is suggested that travelers take alcohol sanitizers with them and wash hands frequently.
• When traveling to warmer countries for the holidays stay away from swimming in fresh water lakes and streams that may contain parasites. Well chlorinated pools and saltwater are safe.
• Travelers are encouraged to pack a kit that includes basic medications for pain and headache relief and diarrhea, bug spray that includes DEET to repel mosquito-born illnesses, and antibiotics for such common problems as gastroenteritis, ear infections, sinusitis, and urinary infections. “Medications sold in different parts of the world may not be what they appear to be,” said Dr. Berger. “If you want to know for certain what you’re getting, take it with you.”
• Yellow Fever vaccination and other vaccines that are administered can be recorded on the International Certificate put out by the CDC and the World Health Organization. This provides a good way for individuals and families traveling abroad to keep records of their vaccines. “This is a good idea for frequent travelers,” said Dr. Berger. “For example, the Yellow Fever vaccine is good for 10 years, and the typhoid vaccine for two years. We recommend that patients keep the card with their passport, both as a record and as proof of vaccination.”
The cost for getting vaccinated is not inexpensive – and not covered by insurance.
“Yes, cost can be a factor, particularly for those on limited budgets,” said Dr. Epstein. “But if you’re spending $10,000 to travel to Africa, choosing not to spend a few hundred dollars to keep yourself healthy seems penny wise and dollar foolish. It can be far more expensive to get ill and end up in a local hospital.”
Howard Matzner/Steven Clark
Andover Communications
(201) 947-4133
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