UM Health Center Tips

• Regardless of the reason you are traveling, it is usually one of the more fun and interesting activities in life with exception of traveling in coach airline seats! Of course travel is also more fun if it is free of illness and accident.
• Although much is written about illness in travel, the fact is the most common health problems in travel are related to accidents - cars, sports, motorcycles, etc. So please do wear your seatbelts, etc.
• In recent years much has been written regarding emerging diseases in the world such as SARS and more recently avian flu. Although these have not had a great impact on travelers, it is wise to use common sense precautions like hand washing and in case of bird flu, avoiding poultry farms and markets.
• Food and water precautions are a must if you are traveling to most of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Do not drink tap water. In most places, bottled water is readily available and should be used not only for drinking but also for brushing your teeth. Do avoid ice cubes. As far as food is concerned, as long as it is cooked and hot or dry like bread, it is safe to eat. Raw foods, be it fruit (unless you can peel it yourself like a banana), vegetables, raw seafood or meat, should be avoided.
• Mosquito borne illnesses are also common in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The most common ones are malaria, dengue fever, and Japanese encephalitis. It is therefore important to use insect repellant in these areas. The main ingredient in the repellant is DEET and you need to use products that have about 30% concentration of DEET. In malaria areas, it is advisable to take a medication to prevent malaria such as lariam, malarone, or doxycyline. You should consult a travel medicine doctor before you go to decide which one is best for you and your particular trip.
• Exotic places also bring up the issue of vaccinations to prevent illness and indeed there are different vaccines recommended for various parts of the world. The most common are typhoid and hepatitis A vaccines because these are both related to food and water borne illness. You may need other vaccines to protect against yellow fever, meningitis, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, polio depending on where you are going and what you will be doing. It is best to consult a travel medicine doctor to assess this.
• Just a word of caution for those of you who are animal lovers. Please do not pet or play with stray dogs, cats, or monkeys since there is a considerable risk of rabies in these situations.
• For travelers staying in remote areas or will be in country for a long period of time, I would definitely recommend travel health insurance in case you need care or need to be evacuated. Most US health insurances will not cover the cost of evacuation and be very limited in any care given abroad. International SOS and Medex are two such companies but are certainly not the only ones.

The University of Maryland has an International Travel Clinic at University Health Center. The appointment number is 310-314-8184.

Have a wonderful trip!