Travel Medicine is one of the fields in medicine that concerns about many aspects of diseases related to travel. It involves interdisciplinary health specialties such as epidemiology, preventive medicine, emergency medicine, infectious diseases, tropical diseases, gastroenterology, dermatology and others in its application. As we know, different parts of the world have different disease distribution. There are many risks that should be evaluated before we can go to other countries such as destination itself.
Basically, there are many preparation need to be done before we travel to the other countries. One of the preparations is pre travel medical recommendations:
1. Consult your physician, local Public Health Department, or travel clinics before you are travelling ideally 4-6 weeks before you travel. This allows us to be immunized or taken chemoprophylaxis for malaria as needed.
2. Prepare a traveller’s health history and traveller medical kit. Traveller’s health history consists of several information such as recent medical condition, recent drugs use (generic and brand name as well as the dose), history of drugs allergy, ABO blood type and rhesus factor type, up to date immunizations, name and telephone numbers of your physician as well as the closest relatives.
3. Make sure you bring your hand phone that in which you can make international call in emergency case.
4. Make sure you have your physician numbers –office, mobile phone as well as fax.
5. Check your insurance coverage for accidents and illness occurring outside your home country.
6. Specifically inquire if your regular insurance policy or health policy will cover medical evacuation by air ambulance.
7. Arrange additional medical plan if you do not have it in case of emergency situation.
Immunization and chemoprophylaxis plan should be consulted with your physician and we can also check the other websites that provide up to date information regarding disease outbreak, endemic, epidemic and pandemic such as World Health Organization (WHO), Centre of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as other public and private organizations. In malaria endemic area such as Africa, chemoprophylaxis should be taken against P.falciparum that is resistance chloroquine should be prescribed with doxycycline and atovaquone/ proguanil. Other areas in which hepatitis A is common vaccine should be given. This vaccine should be given and can confer immunity for a year. Second vaccination with hepatitis A after 6-12 months will confer immunity for about 20 years. Typhoid vaccination will confer immunity up to 3 years. Hepatitis B vaccination should be given to people who are planning to work as healthcare workers overseas in which hepatitis B is common there. Other groups include tourist who would like to stay for long periods (more than 3 months). Cholera vaccination should be given to those backpackers travelling to remote area with limited access to medical care as well as people who are working as volunteer in refugees camps and in disaster relief.
In conclusion, prevention should be taken early because this can prevent transmission of the disease from the other countries as well as bringing infection to our own countries. Travel medical triad that consists of the traveller, the trip and the proposed health intervention.
Basically, there are many preparation need to be done before we travel to the other countries. One of the preparations is pre travel medical recommendations:
1. Consult your physician, local Public Health Department, or travel clinics before you are travelling ideally 4-6 weeks before you travel. This allows us to be immunized or taken chemoprophylaxis for malaria as needed.
2. Prepare a traveller’s health history and traveller medical kit. Traveller’s health history consists of several information such as recent medical condition, recent drugs use (generic and brand name as well as the dose), history of drugs allergy, ABO blood type and rhesus factor type, up to date immunizations, name and telephone numbers of your physician as well as the closest relatives.
3. Make sure you bring your hand phone that in which you can make international call in emergency case.
4. Make sure you have your physician numbers –office, mobile phone as well as fax.
5. Check your insurance coverage for accidents and illness occurring outside your home country.
6. Specifically inquire if your regular insurance policy or health policy will cover medical evacuation by air ambulance.
7. Arrange additional medical plan if you do not have it in case of emergency situation.
Immunization and chemoprophylaxis plan should be consulted with your physician and we can also check the other websites that provide up to date information regarding disease outbreak, endemic, epidemic and pandemic such as World Health Organization (WHO), Centre of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as other public and private organizations. In malaria endemic area such as Africa, chemoprophylaxis should be taken against P.falciparum that is resistance chloroquine should be prescribed with doxycycline and atovaquone/ proguanil. Other areas in which hepatitis A is common vaccine should be given. This vaccine should be given and can confer immunity for a year. Second vaccination with hepatitis A after 6-12 months will confer immunity for about 20 years. Typhoid vaccination will confer immunity up to 3 years. Hepatitis B vaccination should be given to people who are planning to work as healthcare workers overseas in which hepatitis B is common there. Other groups include tourist who would like to stay for long periods (more than 3 months). Cholera vaccination should be given to those backpackers travelling to remote area with limited access to medical care as well as people who are working as volunteer in refugees camps and in disaster relief.
In conclusion, prevention should be taken early because this can prevent transmission of the disease from the other countries as well as bringing infection to our own countries. Travel medical triad that consists of the traveller, the trip and the proposed health intervention.
References:
1. Jong, E.C.Approach to Travel Medicine and a Personal Travel Medicine Kit. (online accessed on December 2nd 2010)
URL: http://www.thelancetglobalhealthnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/jong_ch01-x2613.pdf
2. NHS, 2009. Travel Medicine Guidelines. (online accessed on December 2nd 2010)
URL:http://www.brightonandhovepct.nhs.uk/healthprofessionals/clinical-areas/prescribing/guidelines/documents/TravelmedicineguidelinesNovember2009Updated.pdf
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