Travel Medicine

By Ann Lima, MD

When taking a trip somewhere, there are many logistics. You must think about how to get there, where to stay, what to eat, but you also need to think about staying healthy, preventing disease and possibly monitoring chronic disease. Travel medicine can offer advice for a camping trip into the wilderness, going to another region of our country, or international travel. A very important precaution is what to eat and drink – understanding if the water is safe to drink or if it needs to be boiled or sterilized, and how food is prepared to avoid getting sick. What medications you should pack will depend on the region of the country or world you will be visiting. Preventing or treating traveler’s diarrhea with bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto Bismol) or loperamide (Imodium) may be something to consider. If there are mosquito-borne diseases like zika, malaria, or dengue, or even tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease, you should plan to protect yourself from insects. This can be done by pretreating clothing, wearing clothing that covers your skin effectively, and using insect repellant. In some cases, you may want to consider malaria prophylaxis that would need to be prescribed by your doctor. There may also be vaccines you should consider depending on where you travel, and that may even be domestically. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have chronic disease, there may be other considerations for travel. Ensuring that you have all your medications with you for the duration of your trip, including any possible delays that could occur, is essential. If you have high blood pressure or heart conditions, you may need to monitor your fluid and salt intake, especially when eating at restaurants regularly, or changing climates and activity level. Special considerations for traveling with children include items to bring to keep them safe, and what activities you may want to avoid depending on their age and ability. If you are going to be in the car or an airplane for long periods, you should wear compression stockings and get up and move as much as possible to avoid blood clots.

Traveling can be an amazing experience, and if you have questions on how to stay healthy while away from your home, make an appointment with your primary provider or seek a travel medicine specialist to help you make the best of any upcoming trip.