I read an interesting piece of news from ‘across the pond’ this week.  It was a small news item released in London, but it caught our attention at Travelogue.  The results of this survey should be of interest to every American who will be traveling abroad and wants to remain safe. Before relating the British survey findings to you, take a look at our own safety survey question.

Which of the following activities are safe and sensible activities?

(1)   Driving while text messaging

(2)   Wearing dark sunglasses as you drive into a tunnel

(3)   Wandering alone in unfamiliar neighborhoods in foreign countries at night

(4)   Riding a motorcycle without a helmet

(5)   Approaching a family of cute raccoons in your backyard

(6)   Letting your 2 year old play with marbles

If your answer is ‘none of the above’, then consider yourself to be genius material.  All of these activities demonstrate poor judgment.  Is is it really an ‘accident’ if  a bad outcome should be anticipated and could have been prevented?

Here’s the latest from Britain.  They just published research findings that showed that a majority of British travelers never investigate if they need travel vaccinations before going abroad.   For example, over 90% of them did not know that travel vaccines are necessary for travel to eastern Europe and to Russia.   Why would folks from an educated society make such a poor judgment that places them at unnecessary risk?  Surely, these travelers wouldn’t let small kids play with matches or leave them unattended in a swimming pool.  Yet, they completely ignore their own travel safety. 

While we do not have firm statistics in America, vaccine manufacturers estimate that over 10 million of us will go overseas without necessary travel vaccinations.   When we do so, we risk hepatitis, yellow fever, typhoid, rabies and meningitis.  Every one of these diseases can be prevented by a safe and effective vaccine.  Make sure that you get the travel shots and safety advice you need before departure.  Consult with a travel physician in your area at Find Travel Clinic. 

Let’s recap.  Which of the following represent sound and safe judgments?

(1)   Offering your airplane pilot a beer

(2)   Cigarette smoking to reduce personal stress

(3)   Traveling to foreign countries without consulting a travel doctor

If you’re stumped on this question, then read this post again.

Crime is a reality of life even on your trip abroad.  Many travelers who are caught up in the moment of an overseas adventure or vacation, let down their guard.  Savvy travelers know that, from the moment the plane touches down, they need to be more vigilant about their personal safety and belongings.  You may be far away from your familiar safety zone.  You need to have both eyes open.

It’s easy for natives to spot tourists as they wander through foreign cities with shopping bags and cameras dangling from their wrists.  Tourists are a high value targets for those who ‘earn a living’ off them.   Pickpockets and travel scammers spend their time trying to separate travelers from their cash & merchandise.  Travelers must be alert and cautious.  Don’t give up any personal  ‘souvenirs’ to local pickpockets. 

Here are some travel safety tips.  Some seem obvious, but travelers often forget to pack common sense.

• Avoid wandering through unfamililar territory alone.
• Never accept an invitation from a person you don’t know who offers you hospitality, a personal tour of the area, a drink, etc.  Be cautious about communicating personal information to friendly strangers.
• Don’t dress flashy.  This is a neon sign that you are a potential victim.
• Travel in legitimate taxis and agree on the fare in advance.  If you demonstrate that you are totally clueless about local currency, then look for dollar signs in the cabbie’s eyes.
• Be wary of pre-paying for local events from hawkers on the street, or even standing at the event location.  The ‘discount’ may end up being a donation into the scammer’s pocket.
• Are your pocket contents vulnerable?  Quick hands in crowded places can find out.  Keep your wallet and camera secure.  It’s wise not to keep large sums of $$$ in one pocket or in one place.
• Consider travel insurance that covers loss of money and personal property.  If you have trip cancellation insurance, does the policy cover wallet and credit card loss?
• Keep a photocopy of important travel documents, credit card numbers and airline ticket information in a safe place.
• Make sure that someone knows your daily itinerary.
• Have a cell phone with you at all times.
• Have phone numbers and contact information for law enforcement and the local U.S. diplomatic offices.
• Stay alert and follow your instincts.  If something doesn’t feel right, then don’t do it or don’t go there.  

Speak with your travel doctor about crime avoidance.  Research your destinations to determine if there are any specific safety concerns there.  Be cautious. Be alert. Be safe.

This is huge news for travelers, although it’s not a done deal yet. As of now, there is no vaccine for traveler’s diarrhea, an illness that afflicts millions of  travelers every year.  It is the most common illness abroad affecting 20-50% of travelers.  It strikes suddenly and can ruin many business and leisure vacations.  Those who have experience it, will never forget it.

Travel doctors have many effective strategies to minimize the risk of traveler’s diarrhea, and to treat it if it occurs.  Currently, the best protection is to exercise consistent caution with food and beverages. 

Now, GlaxoSmithKline has set their sights to develop a vaccine to prevent traveler’s diarrhea.  They are investing serious money into the project as the market for the vaccine is enormous.  This breakthrough would finally give traveler’s a potent weapon against a disease that has frustated travelers and physicians.  Intitial reports are encouraging and larger groups of patients traveling from Europe to Mexico and Guatemala are planned.

Don’t like needles?  No problem.  The traveler’s diarrhea vaccine will be administered by applying a patch directly onto your skin.  If successful, this could lead other vaccine makers to develop new methods to administer vaccines without syringes. 

Travel vaccinations are an important strategy to prevent disease abroad. Currently, there are safe and effective travel vaccines against yellow fever, hepatitis, typhoid, rabies and many other diseases.  Hopefully, a vaccine against traveler’s diarrhea will be on this list soon.  Travelers should consult with a travel doctor weeks before departure.  Visit one in your area at Find Travel Clinic.  

If the travel vaccine against traveler’s diarrhea really works, does it mean that it is now safe to ‘drink the water’?  Probably not, but the odds for staying well would be much more in your favor.   Stay tuned.

China is a magnet for tourists, students and businessmen.  The Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 showed the world that China is prominently on the world stage.  Millions from all over the world visit China every year.  It offers an unparallelled adventure in the eastern hemisphere. In China, ancient treasures are juxtaposed against modern skylines and architecture.  There are world class hotels and cuisine in the same country where ancient Chinese medicine is practiced.  It is a very safe destination with a low crime rate. 

China is no longer an enigma.  Americans are traveling there in increasing numbers.  Business ties between the countries are strengthening.  Many American high school students are studying the Chinese language.  Study abroad programs in China are flourishing.

Travelers to China face health risks.  Many of these illnesses can be prevented or effectively treated, if the traveler is prepared and has received essential travel vaccinations. Tourists, businessmen and travelers returning to China to visit friends and relatives (VFRs) should consult with a travel doctor several weeks before departure for travel vaccinations and travel safety tips. VFRs returning to their birth countries often wrongly believe that they are still immune to local diseases, but this is not the case. If they travel without travel vaccinations and other preventive health measures, they face unneccessary risks of preventable illnesses.  Expert travel medicine advice is available at Find Travel Clinic.

Travelers to China Need:

Routine Vaccinations

• Seasonal Influenza (routine ‘flu shot’)
• Chicken pox MMR (measles/mumps/rubella)
• DPT (Diphtheria/Pertussis/Tetanus)
• Rotovirus (for children)
• Poliomyelitis (if unvaccinated)

Required Vaccinations

• Yellow fever (if you are traveling from certain countries)

Recommended Vaccinations

• Typhoid
• Hepatitis
• Rabies (depending upon your itinerary)
• Japanese encephalitis (for rural travelers)
• Poliomyelitis (adults may need a booster)

Some diseases present in China have no available travel vaccines,  such as malaria, dengue and schistosomiasis.  Your travel doctor can give you important tips on minimizing your risk of contracting these diseases.   

Your adventure in China is waiting.  Travel safe.

Yes, depending upon your itinerary. Yellow fever is ready and waiting to infect tourists in several South American countries including Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. The risk of infection is highest during the rainy season between January and March. Travelers can protect themselves with yellow fever vaccinations and mosquito avoidance strategies.  Travelers bound for South America may need many other travel vaccinations as well.

Travel doctors follow yellow fever disease trends worldwide and can advise you whether a yellow fever vaccination is necessary. Remember, yellow fever vaccine can only be given by a medical professional who has been certified to administer this injection. You will receive an official stamped paper documenting proof of vaccination. Immunity after yellow fever vaccination lasts 10 years. Since the vaccine contains live virus, there are some individuals who should not receive it. Your travel medicine physician will discuss this with you. Ideally, yellow fever vaccine should be administered at least 10 days before arrival to a yellow fever region. However, travelers leaving on short notice should still consult with a travel physician about yellow fever protection and other travel vaccinations and trip precautions.

Is Yellow Fever Vaccination Really Necessary? See below.

There is no treatment for yellow fever and you can die from it.

In the past year, yellow fever cases, including fatalities, have been reported in Brazil, Paraguay, Liberia, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone.  See a travel doctor in your area at Find Travel Clinic and get protected.

Traveling abroad can be a colorful experience. Make sure it isn’t about your bright yellow eyes from yellow fever.  Look for flaming sunsets and spectacular rainbows instead.

Scammers have always been among us.  In the old days, we had snake oil salesmen that promised us that their placebos were really cures.  Today, in the cyberage, the practice has gone viral.  By the time that an internet scam has been exposed, it may already have reached millions of us.  How many will be duped? 

The old expression, caveat emptor, or  let the buyer beware, is still good advice.

Here’s the latest.  Emails have been circulated that look like an official communication from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) asking folks to ‘register’ their H1N1 Personal Vaccination Profile, even if they have already received the H1N1 ‘swine flu’ vaccine.  As you might expect, clicking on the link doesn’t take you where you want to go.  Those who do so will be at risk of having their own computer ‘infected’ with malicious computer code.

H1N1 is a serious disease and there are still vaccine shortages in many parts of the country.  Get the H1N1 facts from a legitimate source, one that is focused on your health.

Doctors can help you stay clear of the H1N1 virus.  They can’t protect your computer from getting infected.  All of us need to be on our guard for the next wolf in sheep’s clothing that tries to lure us into a trap.

India is an extremely popular destination for foreign travelers. This populous country of more than a billion people offers western tourists a fascinating visit into a foreign world. There are outdoor adventures, pristine landscapes, historical sites, modern night life and a spiritual dimension to the country. India  is incredibly diverse in all aspects. Amazingly, over 1500 languages are spoken there.

The country is working hard to modernize and is competing with the developed world. For example, medical tourism is a growing industry in India, when westerners travel there for complex surgeries and medical treatments that can be performed at great cost savings.

Many travelers to India and other developing countries will develop health issues abroad, Many of these illnesses can be prevented or effectively treated, if the traveler is prepared. Tourists, businessmen and folks returning to India to visit friends and relatives (VFRs) should consult with a travel doctor several weeks before departure for travel vaccinations and travel safety tips. VFRs returning to their birth countries often wrongly believe that they are still immune to local diseases, but this is not the case. If they travel without travel vaccinations and other preventive health measures, they face unnecessary risks of illness.  Expert travel medicine advice is available at Find Travel Clinic.

Travelers to India Need:

Routine Vaccinations

• Seasonal Influenza (routine ‘flu shot’)
• Chicken pox MMR (measles/mumps/rubella)
• DPT (Diphtheria/Pertussis/Tetanus)
• Rotovirus (for children)
• Poliomyelitis (if unvaccinated)

Required Vaccinations

• Yellow fever (if you are traveling from certain countries)

Recommended Vaccinations

• Typhoid
• Hepatitis
• Rabies (depending upon your itinerary)
• Japanese encephalitis (for rural travelers)
• Poliomyelitis (adults may need a booster)

Travelers to India need to be mindful that there are many diseases, including malaria and traveler’s diarrhea, that have no available protective travel vaccines. Therefore, careful attention to food and beverages, recreational activities, contact with animals and mosquito avoidance can reduce the risk of contracting many illnesses.  Your travel doctor can make sure you are prepared in advance of your departure.

Special Tips!

• Health authorities do not recommend a cholera vaccine.
• Chloroquine is not an effective anti-malaria agent in India.

A Few Yellow Fever Facts

Yellow fever is a virus which, like malaria, is transmitted by infected mosquitoes. The infection can cause jaundice, which describes yellow skin and eyes, explaining the name of the disease. Yellow fever predominantly occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. The disease risk is much higher in Africa, particularly between July and October.

Why Get Vaccinated?

Yellow fever vaccine is administered for two reasons. The first, and most obvious, is to protect travelers from the infection. Secondly, many countries require travelers to be vaccinated, not for the travelers’ health, but to protect their citizens in case you are infected. This requirement is generally enforced if you are traveling from a yellow fever region and are entering a new country. Those who are unvaccinated or have no proof of vaccination can expect to be turned away at the border. While being denied entry on arrival may generate some excitement, this is not our idea of adventure travel!

Can Any Doctor Give Yellow Fever Vaccine?

No. Yellow fever vaccine can only be given by a medical professional who has been certified to administer this injection. You will receive an official stamped paper documenting proof of injection. Many countries require proof of yellow fever vaccination. I suggest placing this document in a folder entitled, “Stuff I Can’t Lose”. It won’t be enough for you to swear on Girl Scout’s Honor that you have been vaccinated. No document, no entry.

How Can I Find a Certified Yellow Fever Vaccinator?

Simple, just click Find Travel Clinic and you’re there!

Most of us know about the West Bank, occupied territory in the Middle East, because of the intractable political dispute between Israelis and Palestinians.  Travelers to this region need to exercise much more caution than they would to other destinations.  While the territory is generally calm, there is underlying tension which can suddenly ignite.  The U.S government advises Americans to avoid participating in political demonstrations.  This is not an ideal vacation retreat.  Civilian travelers visit the region primarily to visit friends and relatives.

Israeli security policy can make entering and exiting the territory cumbersome.  If political calm can be established, the tourist trade will flourish as this region is brimming with ancient history, archeology and religion. 

While security is a traveler’s paramount priority during a West Bank visit, preserving health is an important concern also.  Travelers to the Middle East may need the following travel vaccinations:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Routine vaccinations

 West Bank travelers are not at risk for yellow fever or malaria.

See your travel doctor several weeks before departure.  Disease patterns can change and your travel physician will be current on evolving health issues in the Middle East.  Remember, there is no travel vaccination against poor judgment.  West Bank visitors should take a double dose of common sense every morning.

If you have a sore throat, you go to your primary care physician.  If you need a yellow fever vaccine before your business trip or your semester abroad, where do you go?  Most physicians aren’t trained in travel medicine.  Hardly any of them has ever seen a case of yellow fever, rabies, typhoid, bacterial meningitis or Japanese encephalitis.  Travelers don’t want to see a case of these diseases on their trips either. Fortunately, there are safe and effective vaccines that can prevent every one of these serious diseases.  Who should administer them?   Travel medicine physicians are your answer.  These doctors have special training and expertise in travel vaccinations and travel safety. They immunize travelers going to destinations throughout the world.  Make sure you see one of them several weeks before departure.   

Sure, the CDC website is a great general resource for travel vaccination recommendations, but it doesn’t customize the advice to the traveler’s specific itinerary.  In other words, international travelers may not need all of the vaccinations that the CDC advises. Travel physicians can cut through all of this so you get the vaccinations that make sense for you.

• Choose a physician trained in travel medicine. 
• Verify that the physician is a certified yellow fever vaccine provider.
• Visit us for links to trained travel doctors in your community and for a wealth of travel safety advice.

Travel vaccines prevent serious diseases abroad.  Travel medicine physicians can ‘call the shots’ for you.   Make sure an appointment with one of them is on your itinerary.