Health Guide for Travelers

Travelers prepare their itineraries and travel plans carefully. Recent health scares, such as the SARS and avian flu pandemics, have shown travelers how important it can be to prepare for health and medical emergencies before and during travel. The avian influenza, H1N1 influenza, and SARs scares have changed the way we travel. Travelers can be required to submit to health inspections before boarding planes or to be detained in quarantine zones after arrival and travel to certain locations can be suspended. Travelers are now more aware of potential health threats. Respiratory masks, personal air filters, hand sanitizers, and sanitizing wipes have become popular additions to travelers’ luggage. Most travelers will not come into contact with the diseases that cause high profile health scares, but preparations to avoid more common travel-related diseases are important. Proper preparation is the most important step travelers can take to avoid disease. Travelers should thoroughly research communicable diseases prevalent in their destination and seek the appropriate vaccines or preventative treatments before travel. Those with allergies or other health conditions can bring special cards detailing their conditions, translated into the local language if necessary. All travelers can bring their vaccination, hospitalization, medication, and emergency contact information to be prepared in case of emergency.

Healthiest and Most Unhealthy Places To Go

Healthy destinations include Japan, Australia, Sweden, and Switzerland. The populations of these countries have some of the highest life expectancies in the world and can expect to live the highest proportion of their life in good health. These healthy countries are also healthy travel destinations. Healthy food, good access to health facilities, and active travel options such as skiing, hiking, and water sports make these countries healthy destinations. Find these countries on the map on with hostels around the world

Travelers are discouraged from visiting some countries because of the high risk of disease transmission from animals, food, water, insects, and from infected people. Additionally, poor access to health facilities and treatment can pose additional problems for travelers. Some unhealthy destinations include Angola, Cameroon, Ghana, and Myanmar. Angola has a high prevalence of malaria, bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, and African sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis). Cameroon and Ghana presents a high risk of rabies, bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, hepatitis E, malaria, yellow fever, and schistosomiasis. Burma presents a high risk of rabies, bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, dengue fever, malaria, and leptospirosis.

• Country-Specific Health Information: Click on a region or country for travel information, including information on medical facilities, medical conditions, and health insurance.
• Infectious Disease Risk: Countries ranked by risk level of infectious disease transmission.
• Japan: Information on health under “people”.
• Angola: Country health profile.
• Sweden: Health information on Sweden from the Swedish Ministry of Health.
• Switzerland: Health information on Switzerland.
• Australia: Health information on Australia from the Australian Institute of Health.
• Cameroon: Health and other information on Cameroon.
• Ghana: Information on health and disease in Ghana, including information on malaria.
• Myanmar: Country health profile, including information on disease outbreaks.

Get Yourself Vaccinated

Vaccines commonly recommended for travelers include Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Japanese Encephalitis, Meningococcal meningitis, Tetanus/Diphtheria, Typhoid, and Yellow Fever. International Health Regulations require yellow fever vaccine for travel in some countries of sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. Travelers should consult country-specific information and health professional to determine which vaccines are necessary for their travel. These vaccines are considered safe, with side effects that may include soreness at the injection site, low-grade fever, fatigue, headache, or generalized allergic reactions. Uncommon side effects include vomiting, seizures, and permanent brain damage. The benefit of these vaccines includes the prevention of severe, often fatal, diseases.

• Travel Vaccines: Information on the Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Meningitis, Flu, Rabies, Yellow Fever, and Japanese Encephalitis vaccines.
• Hepatitis B Vaccine: Travel-related information on the vaccine and who should receive it.
• Meningococcus: Information on the disease and the vaccine.
• Tetanus: Information on the vaccine and who should get it.

Travel Related Diseases

Travel related diseases vary by country and travelers should consult destination-specific health information for specific prevention tips. Common diseases that travelers may contract include malaria, yellow fever, H1N1 flu, SARs, and bird flu. Travelers to the tropics and subtropics should take steps to prevent malaria and yellow fever, which are spread by mosquitoes. Travelers should take anti-malarial medications before, during, and after travel and use protective clothing and bed nets to avoid mosquito bites. Travelers should be vaccinated against yellow fever; there is no cure for the disease. The H1N1 and bird influenzas are transmitted from person to person, although travelers may contract avian influenza through contact with infected fowl. Travelers should avoid persons who appear ill and take general precautions against flu, such as rigorous hand washing. SARS, a form of pneumonia, is spread from person to person and may spread through contact with objects an infected person has handled. Travelers should avoid persons who appear ill and avoid contact with items the person has handled. Travelers can check with the World Health Organization for travel advisories.

• Malaria: Information on malaria for travelers. Site includes links to country-specific information on malaria.
• Travel Diseases: Information on H1N1, bird flu, and malaria for travelers.
• H1N1: Information for travelers on H1N1.
• SARS: General information on SARS and travel-specific information.
• Yellow Fever: Information on yellow fever, its transmission, and treatment.
• Travel Diseases: Information on diseases for travelers, including mad cow disease, Chagas disease, Dengue fever, polio, hemorrhagic fevers, West Nile virus, and others.

How To Be Prepared

Prepare before travel for possible health emergencies. Travelers should be current on their regular immunizations, receive any immunizations specific to their destination, and bring vaccine records on their trip. Travelers with chronic health conditions should bring enough medicine for the duration of travel and either extra medication or a prescription refill. Travelers should seek treatment to correct any current health issues before traveling and bring documentation of any medical conditions, treatments, allergies, and medications. To be prepared for a health emergency, travelers should keep copies of their insurance cards, doctors’ telephone numbers, and emergency contact information in their wallets or other easily accessible place. Pack to prevent illness by including over the counter remedies for colds, stomach upset, diarrhea, and constipation in your baggage. Also include insect repellent, sunscreen, bed nets, and protective clothing for travel to tropical or subtropical locations.

• Travel Assessment: Questions to ask before leaving home regarding travel health.
• Travel Checklist: Preparation for international travel.
• Travel Health: Resources for healthy travel.
• Healthy Travel: Tips for travel preparation.