Health Matters
Travel health depends upon your pre-departure preparations, your day-to-day heath care while traveling, and your ability to handle any medical emergency. While the list of potential dangers can seem quite overwhelming, with basic precautions and adequate information very few travelers experience little more than an upset stomach.
Travel Clinics
Scheduling an appointment with a local traveler’s clinic here in the US is the best option for pre-trip health care management. These clinics are usually small sub-sets of larger clinics or hospitals, where staff can provide all the necessary information and vaccinations in one convenient location. Your primary care physician and most travel agents can provide you with the location of your nearest travel clinic. Locate a clinic.
Currently, Yellow Fever is the only vaccination subject to international health regulations. Your travel care provider will also issue you a ‘yellow card’ or International Health Certificate. This certificate should be kept along with your passport at all times. Be sure to include your emergency contact numbers in the certificate. You should schedule your visit to a doctor or travel clinic at least six weeks in advance before your departure as some treatments, such as vaccinations, may need to be followed by a second booster before becoming fully effective.
Basic Rules:
Common sense and care in what you eat and in drink is the most important health rule; Stomach upsets are the most common travel health problem- between 30% and 50% of travelers experience some discomfort in a two-week experience. Don’t become overly concerned! In most cases, upset stomachs are usually the result in changes in diet and new bacteria in our unaccustomed ‘sterile’ digestive tracts.
Water: The number one rule is: do not drink any water/fluids that come in an unsealed bottle. Peace Corps doctors have determined that over 80% of health problems for volunteers involved drinking untreated water or other un-bottled fluids. If you don’t know for certain that the water is safe, ask for something that is sealed and bottled. Reputable brands of bottled water or soft drinks are generally fine, although in some places bottles have been refilled with tap water so always check for a serrated seal. Take care with fruit juice – particularly if water has been included. Milk should also be treated with care, as it is often un-pasteurized. Boiled milk is fine along with water and tea. In general, we will have very little trouble in regards to health and fluid intake as the establishments we will visit have years of experience in catering to foreign travelers. We will also carry cases of bottled water in the vehicles with us on safari trips.
Malaria is endemic to tropical Africa and has a viable inoculation period of several days to several weeks. There are two commonly prescribed anti-malarial pills: 1) Lariam (mefloquine which has a poor record for side effects), and 2) Malarone (which is more expensive, but appears to have few, if any, side effects). Note: As malaria conditions – and preventative medications – can change from year to year, Jonathan is in touch each with an English doctor living and working in a malaria clinic in Kenya – Doctor Charles Newton (a respected world expert on the subject of malaria) who provides us with pre-trip updates on the malaria situation in the region in which we will be traveling.
Yellow fever is a tropical disease that is spread to humans by infected mosquitoes. Many yellow fever infections are mild, but the disease can cause severe, life-threatening illness. Yellow fever is preventable by immunization. It is spread by mosquitoes that have been infected by other people. Symptoms start 3 to 6 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Most people get better after a long recovery period. Yellow fever is a very rare cause of illness in U.S. travelers. Travelers should be vaccinated for yellow fever before visiting areas where has been found. In the United States, the vaccine is given only at designated yellow fever vaccination centers, hospitals and/or travel clinics. As is the case with malaria, travelers should take all the same precautions. Namely, wear long-sleeved clothing and long pants and treat clothing and exposed skin with DEET repellant.
Hepatitis A - is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatovirus hepatitis A virus. Most commonly transmitted by the fecal-oral route, such as contaminated food, hepatitis A does not typically have a chronic stage and does not cause permanent liver damage. A vaccine is available that will prevent infection from hepatitis A for at least ten years. Hepatitis A can be prevented by good hygiene and sanitation. Vaccination is also available, and is recommended in areas where the prevalence of hepatitis A is high or moderate, such as East Africa. To prevent it, use your own or hotel issued towels and toothbrushes, eating utensils, and other personal products. Always wash your hands after and before eating and more importantly after using the toilet. Avoid eating local fruits and vegetables from street vendors as they may be rinsed with dirty contaminated water.
Health Points to Remember
- Never treat yourself!
- Don’t forget to take medicines for the recommended time.
- Recognize that illness may occur after returning home.
- Always carry your health policy statement and yellow health cards with you
- Enter your accident information on the inside of your passport (vaccine cards)
- Leave all medications in original packaging
Useful Internet resource guides
Mental Health: Dealing with Travel Fatigue and Culture Change
Jet Lag: Remember that the regional time difference is 11 hours ahead of Pacific Time, and 8 hours ahead of Eastern Time. Expect some symptoms such as fatigue. Eat lightly and drink plenty of fluids for several days after your arrival. Jet lag is a common symptom and happens to most travelers. Our trip accounts for this transition and preparations have been made to minimize this fatigue effect. Our first two night accommodations in Kenya are at the Whitesands Resort located on the tropically beautiful beaches of Mombasa. The pace here will be relatively slow compared to the rest of the trip to give you a chance to relax and overcome related travel fatigue.
Cultural Awareness: Understanding a country’s people, laws, religion(s), customs and etiquette – can help people adjust much easier to a new situation abroad. Although daily life can still be unsettling at first, cultural awareness helps the foreign become less alien and most importantly less unexpected. Therefore, any preparation in the form of cultural awareness helps travelers adjust more quickly.
The easiest place to start is to get a good book that explains the local customs, religion, society, etiquette and culture. A list of pre-departure recommended readings is provided below. Good resources include:
- Cross-Cultural Connections: Stepping Out and Fitting in Around the World - by Duane Elmer
- Cross-Cultural Consumption: Global Markets, Local Realities - by David Howes
- Guide to Cross-Cultural Communication - by Sana Reynolds, Deborah Valentine
- Beyond Language: Cross Cultural Communication - by Deena R. Levine M.A., Mara B. Adelman Ph.D.
- Cultures Consequences - by Geert Hofstede
- Doing Culture: Cross-Cultural Communication in Action - by Linell Davis