The best-planned vacations, business trips or expeditions can be ruined by illnesses, many of which are preventable. It makes sense to put as much effort into protecting your health while abroad as it does in planning your itinerary and obtaining the necessary equipment and travel documents.
Unfortunately, it is not in the best business interest of travel companies to emphasize the potential health hazards of destinations being sold to potential customers: most vacation brochures limit health warnings to the minimum legal requirements, and some travel agents are sadly unaware of the dangers of traveling to more exotic climes. Our doctor recently treated a travel agent for life-threatening malaria stranded off the Kenyan coast. She had not taken malaria prophylaxis, despite widespread recognition of the dangers of malaria in this area.
Fortunately, travelers’ health concerns are often more mundane. Fatigue from overwork before a much-needed business trip or vacation, the stress of the trip itself, exposure to new climates, and excess rich food, alcohol, and tobacco all contribute to increased vulnerability to diseases. Brief bouts of diarrhea affect up to 50 per cent of travellers, and up to a fifth of tourists on some Mediterranean holiday packages will have mild respiratory problems such as colds, flu-like illnesses or, rarely, more severe pneumonias such as Legionnaires’ disease.
Sunburn or heat exhaustion are common, and accidents associated with unfamiliar sports like skiing are an obvious danger. But the most common cause of death among expatriates is traffic accidents, not exotic infections.
It’s sensible to get well organized before you travel, and the following pre-trip health checklist may be helpful. From three months before traveling, consult your family doctor and specialized agencies, as necessary, for information on specific health problems in your destinations. You should consider your current health, medical and dental status and that of your fellow travelers for travel and current medications. You must obtain adequate health insurance. Plan and obtain necessary vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis. Plan and obtain other medications, first aid supplies, and any necessary documentation. Consider whether you should attend a first aid training course if you are going on an expedition.
When traveling outside of Europe, it is advisable to obtain information on mandatory immunization requirements from the appropriate Embassy, ​​Consulate or High Commission of each country you plan to visit. However, don’t expect their staff to be able to give you general medical advice, and their information is not always as up-to-date as it should be. British travelers to exotic locales should also check with their district Public Health Department or one of the centers of specific expertise for the latest information on vaccination requirements and malaria prophylaxis.
