Travel and Your Health : Minimizing Your Risk

by Health Canada

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Here are some tips to help you enjoy safe travel.

Make sure all your regular vaccinations are up to date. Before you travel, contact a travel clinic or your doctor six to eight weeks before you go, to allow time for any vaccinations you may need. This is especially true if you are going to tropical areas or developing countries.

Arrange for private health insurance while you are away, as your provincial/territorial health insurance may not cover you. Your travel agent can advise you on this.

If you are going to an area where malaria is present, it is important that you take anti-malarial medication as prescribed by your doctor.

Since anti-malarial medication does not guarantee absolute protection against the disease, preventing mosquito bites is very important. Use mosquito repellents when outside, especially between dusk and dawn. Sleep in well-screened or air conditioned accommodation or use a bed net. Wear trousers and long sleeves at dusk.

If you become ill in the first two months to a year after you return, see your doctor immediately and tell her/him that you have visited an area where malaria occurs.

To prevent 'turista', the key principles to remember are: boil it, cook it, peel it or leave it! Always drink purified water or commercially bottled beverages, and pasteurized milk. Avoid ice, salads, re-heated foods, uncooked shellfish, fruit that is not peeled and food from street vendors.

Wash your hands often with soap or a sanitizing agent when travelling, especially before eating or drinking.

Should you experience diarrhea, be sure to drink plenty of liquids to prevent becoming dehydrated, especially in warm climates.

In warmer climates, always use a sunblock with a minimum SPF of 15.

To help prevent sexually transmitted diseases, always use a condom if you have sex with someone you meet while travelling.

Never share needles to inject intravenous drugs with anyone.

Swim in fresh water only if you know it is free of biharzia, the parasites that cause schistosomiasis.

Do not walk alone in remote areas, back streets or beaches, where you may be at risk of a personal attack or bag snatching. Valuables should be left at home or deposited in hotel safes. Travellers cheques, cash, passports and tickets should not be carried in bags that can be snatched. It is recommended that you use a body belt.

Do not ride in over-crowded vehicles or on motorcycles, especially at night outside of urban areas.

If you need medication for an existing medical condition, take enough with you to last during your travel. Make sure the containers are clearly marked and carry a copy of the doctor's prescription with you. Essential medication should be carried in two different pieces of luggage, in case one should get lost or stolen.

If your medication requires sterile syringes or needles, carry a doctor's explanation or medical certificate with you. In many countries where drug trafficking is a problem, a traveller found with syringes and without adequate explanation, could be in serious trouble with the police.

The Public Health Agency of Canada's Role

The Public Health Agency of Canada's Travel Medicine Program is a front-line service provider for the travelling Canadian public and health care providers. To encourage safe and healthy travel, the Public Health Agency of Canada provides travellers and health care professionals with information on current international disease outbreaks of concern, as well as recommendations to prevent specific diseases and treatment guidelines.

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.