Traveling Well
Travel Resources
San Francisco’s Adult Immunization and Travel Clinic offers many services, resources and links.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides information on recommended vaccines.
The State Department provides information on travel warnings and health concerns.
Savvy advice for staying healthy on the road
A few simple precautions can prevent a cold, infection or illness from spoiling your next trip. We asked Pamela Axelson, nurse manager at the Adult Immunization and Travel Clinic, a service of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, for her top wellness tips.
What are general guidelines for travelers to minimize health risks?
I suggest you begin by researching current conditions in the place you are planning to visit, whether it is weather, political turmoil or infectious disease outbreak. If you are traveling to developing countries, I recommend that you also see a travel health specialist. Web sites offer broad guidelines, but you should also factor in the degree of risk you will be exposed to. A specialist will sit down and ask what you will be doing, and talk about the likelihood of exposure to infectious diseases.
What precautions can people take prior to departure?
Be up to date with your routine vaccinations, and make sure you have the immunizations you need for your specific travel plans. When you pack, put your medications in your carry-on bag; you don’t want to risk them getting lost. If you need prescription medications, keep them in their containers with the labels visible; unidentified pills may be taken away at customs. You may also want to bring a doctor’s letter explaining your health condition and the medications you take.
What should be in everybody’s basic first aid kits?
It’s a good idea to have wound care gear like gauze, tape and antibiotic ointment. Other essential items, depending on where you are going, are sunscreen, insect repellent and oral antibiotics.
How can you stay healthy in transit?
If you fly, it’s important to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and avoiding alcohol. Try to keep your hands away from your mouth and nose to avoid spreading germs; this is not only important in transit but throughout your travels.
What are tips for safely drinking water in a foreign country?
The rule of thumb when you go to developing countries is to only have water that is bottled, boiled or treated — and this applies to ice, too. You can bring things to treat water yourself, such as the SteriPEN, which treats water with a UV light, or Micropur or Potable Aqua tablets, which use chlorine systems to treat water and are better than iodine.
What about safe food consumption?
Eat freshly prepared foods. Only eat raw fruits and vegetables that you have safely washed and peeled yourself. One problem with buying food from street vendors is that people don’t usually have a place to wash their hands. Avoid things that have been reheated or have been sitting on tables for a while. Food should be steaming, piping hot and served on clean plates with clean utensils. And, needless to say, the presence of flies is a bad sign.
What if you consume unsafe water or food?
If you get a bad case of diarrhea, be careful you don’t get dehydrated; this is especially true for kids. Make sure you take in more liquid than you are losing, and if your diarrhea lasts more than one day, treat it with antibiotics. We recommend ciprofloxacin or azithromycin.
How can you protect against insect-borne illnesses?
To protect against mosquitoes, which can carry diseases like malaria and dengue fever, use a repellent with 30 to 50 percent DEET. Use mosquito netting at night and wear clothing that is tightly woven, as opposed to knit fabrics like T-shirts, because mosquitoes can bite through them. Avoid brightly colored clothes and fragrances. If you need sunscreen, apply it first. You want repellent on the outside.
Any other advice you like to give travelers?
Yes. Having cultural sensitivity and an understanding of local traditions is very important. You need to know if your behavior will offend anyone. Also, a lot of travel morbidity and mortality is related to motor vehicle accidents, so if you plan to drive, be aware of the local rules of the road. The better prepared you are, the safer and more enjoyable your trip will be
