Travel and Your Health

by Health Canada

As global travel has increased in recent years, so has the possibility of importing into Canada existing and new diseases. All Canadians have a responsibility to protect their own health while abroad and to contact their doctor, reporting where they have been, should they become ill on their return to Canada.

Canadians make more than 100 million trips abroad each year, for business and pleasure. While the vast majority of them come home safe and healthy, a number do become ill. Often the illnesses and injuries are caused by:

• Not being protected against diseases for which there are vaccines
• Consuming contaminated water or food
• Not taking preventative medications, such as malaria pills
• Taking risks, such as being tattooed, having unsafe sex or drinking excessively.

Recent outbreaks of new diseases, such as SARS in Canada in 2003, show that deadly diseases against which people have little or no immunity can spread quickly.

It is up to individuals and governments to be on guard against diseases that can affect the health of everyone, both here and abroad. It is recommended that Canadians travelling internationally contact their doctor or a travel clinic six to eight weeks before travelling, regardless of where they are going, to have their risk assessed. Based on your current health, your travel itinerary and your previous immunization history, your doctor can determine what immunizations and/or preventive medication you may need, as well as advise you on how you can avoid disease risks.

A variety of conditions in other countries can be significantly different from those in Canada. Anyone travelling abroad should be aware that such conditions might affect your health, your access to medical help, and your personal safety.

The Health Risks of Travel

By far the most common complaint while travelling is diarrhea, or 'turista'. This is usually caused by the differences in water purity. Canada's municipal water supplies are treated to remove most waterborne organisms, but some less developed countries may not do this. Travellers may have diarrhea while travelling abroad if they drink the local water or food prepared with local water in these countries.

You can also be at risk for a number of childhood illnesses when you travel, especially if you have not been immunized against them or kept your immunizations up to date. Routine immunizations include:

• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Polio
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella

In countries where sanitary conditions are poor, immunizations against typhoid and hepatitis A may be recommended. Depending on your travel activities and the local disease situation, you may need to be immunized against these diseases.

• Meningitis
• Japanese encephalitis
• European tick-borne encephalitis
• Hepatitis B
• Rabies

Depending on where you are travelling, you may also be at risk of these diseases, among others.

• Malaria, caused by infected mosquito bites in many tropical countries
• Yellow fever, caused by infected mosquito bites in Central Africa and South America
• Dengue fever, caused by infected mosquito bites in many tropical countries
• Schistosomiasis, caused by a parasite in fresh water in the Carribean, South America, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

As well, some sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, are more common in some countries than they are in Canada.

You should also be safety conscious when travelling. Economic conditions in developing countries can cause increased crime rates and tourists are often targetted.

About the Author

www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Health Canada is the Federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, while respecting individual choices and circumstances.