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Travel Health & Related Info
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The
intimacy of life aboard a cruise ship may foster romance, but
it can also aid the spread of bacteria like Shigella
and Giardia,
which cause intestinal upsets, and Ligonella, which
sometimes causes pneumonia (and which killed a cruise passenger in
1994).
While U.S., Canadian, British
and Australian authorities develop an international inspection
program, passengers anxious about the health of their vessel can look
up its last U.S. inspection date and sanitation score (86 is a pass) on
the Centers for Disease Control Website at www.cdc.gov
The CDC performs twice - yearly checks on all ships docking in the U.S.
CDC
Travelers' and Immunizations Info - Provides
current health information for international travel. Pick a country and
learn what you
need before you go. Site is run by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) - contains up-to-date info on health risks facing
the travelers. You can search data by disease to find which nations
pose a risk and related immunization info. In addition to a list of
comprehensive vaccination requirements the site also offers advice on
prevention, information for travelers with special needs (such as
disabilities, pregnancy, breast feeding and HIV), how to avoid illness
from food or water and more.
World Health
Organisation (WHO)
- Info
from the directing and coordinating authority for health within
the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership
on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting
norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options,
providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing
health trends.
From
World Health Organization - Tropical Diseases - Neglected tropical
diseases are a symptom of poverty and
disadvantage. Those most affected are the poorest populations often
living in remote, rural areas, urban slums or in conflict zones. With
little political voice, neglected tropical diseases have a low profile
and status in public health priorities.
Health
Information for Canadian Travellers - Info from Canadien
Society For international Health. The Canadian Society for
International Health (CSIH) is a national non-governmental organization
that works domestically and internationally to reduce global health
inequities and strengthen health systems.
ITC
Travel
Health Info - Health care info and links from Medical College
of Winsconsin. The Medical College of Wisconsin Office of Clinical
Informatics has
been involved with a number of initiatives designed to bring
timely,
relevant health information to consumers.
Travel Health: DVT or Deep Vein Trombosis
-
No
matter where
you like to vacation or what activities you enjoy, the fact remains you
have to get there and back. For many, this could mean long hours in a
cramped plane, car or train. With this comes the risk of blood clots.
DVT,
or deep vein thrombosis, is a blood clot that can develop when sitting
for an extended period of time. The condition is serious, potentially
fatal and very difficult to diagnose by external examination.
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 HEALTH INSURANCE |
Purchase
of international health insurance is highly
recommended.
Many health insurance policies are not valid outside the USA or Canada.
Proper insurance can be a life and death
matter. We recommend,
check your policy to see if you’re covered overseas by your
regular health
insurance policy. Whether you choose to get insurance or not, all
travellers
should join International Association for
Medical
Assitance to
Travellers (IAMAT), a non-profit organization
dedicated to
the
gathering
and dissemination of health information worldwide for the benefit of
travellers
and to assist them to find qualified medical care overseas.
IAMAT
offers
its members a membership card, a directory of English speaking
physicians
who have agreed to treat members for a set fee schedule, and frequently
updated publications on immunizations, malaria and other tropical
diseases,
and more. Membership is free to any traveller, but donations are
appreciated.
Check the phone book for a local IAMAT office. |
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| RELATED INFO |
AIRLINES
- NO-PEANUT ZONE - A single person can stop a whole flight
from getting peanuts as their mid-trip snack. A recent order by the
federal
Department of Transportation requires airlines to provide a
peanut-free
zone for passengers who give advance notice that they are allergic to
peanuts. Allergic reactions - suffered by one-tenth of one percent of
the population - inspired this policy to
protect passengers for whom even a whiff of peanuts causes distress
(itchy eyes) or protect passengers for whom even a whiff of peanuts
causes
distress (itchy eyes) or danger (trouble breathing). The bad news for
those with
allergies is that peanut "residue" can exist in stale airplane air for
up to 5,000 flying hours. Snacks aren't the only thing being kept off
planes. Cigarettes, of course, haven't been allowed on U.S. domestic
flights
for years, but you won't find alcohol on Kuwait Air or Royal Jordanian,
because Arabs generally don't drink.
 Medical
/ Health Sciences Libraries on the Web
International
Society of Travel Medicine
Pan
American Health Organization
National
Institutes Of Health U.S.
International
Federation of Red Cross
Chronic
Disease Prevention
The
Travel Clinic
Prevent Bites from
mosquitoes, ticks, fleas and other insects and arthropods |
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| RECOMMENDED
LITERATURE |
Health-Information-International-Travel-2008
- "For decades doctors have relied on the Centers for Disease Control
and
Prevention's 'Yellow Book' to tell travelers things like which malaria
pill to take for that trip to Mozambique. Now the CDC is letting
everyone in on the fun. For the first time, the book, properly known as
Health Information for International Travel, is available to the
public. This more user-friendly edition may prove helpful both to
primary-care doctors and to travelers themselves. Included are
up-to-date recommendations on vaccines and advice on avoiding travel
hazards from earthquakes to dog bites." - U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
Jet Smarter - This book can save
your health, and maybe even your life. There are
dangers in air travel -- some obvious, many hidden. Jet Smarter is a
comprehensive book on the hazards (poor air, radiation, pesticides,
terrorism, deep vein thrombosis) and hassles (sardine seating, dirty
blankets, cheap food, blocked ears, lost luggage, lost sleep) of air
travel today. Drawing on her 10 million miles of flying,
air safety
pioneer Diana Fairechild gives readers a rare, no-holds - barred look
at
the multiple dangers of air travel (deep
vein thrombosis, recycled
air, air
rage, fear
of flying, toxins,
etc.) and offers dozens of practical strategies for safe, efficient
and
healthy flying.
Shitting Pretty: How to Stay Clean and Healthy While
Traveling (Travelers'
Tales) - Dr.
Jane Wilson Howarth takes a
humorous,sympathetic approach to one of the most basic human
activities, interweaving anecdotes from fellow travelers with sensible
tips and
techniques for how to avoid diarrhea, parasites, and scary diseases
such as
malaria, typhoid, and hepatitis
Staying Healthy in Asia, Africa, and Latin America by
Dirk G. Schroeder - The
best "carry with you" travel health book. Dehydration is bad. Typhoid
is bad. And fungal infections are no fun either. But the solution
doesn't have to be staying at home behind triple locks.
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