June 11, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Planning for good health on an international trip is as important as carrying your passport, especially if the destination is tropical and the departure date is imminent, says the head of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Travelers' Clinic.

UAB's David O. Freedman, M.D., a preeminent travel-medicine physician and appointee to the World Health Organization International Health Regulations Roster of Experts, says international travelers should ask a physician about required immunizations and the availability of approved drugs at their destination, and be sure to pack a travel-health kit.

"There are a number of recommended vaccines; most take time to become effective in your body, and some must be administered during a period of several weeks," Freedman says. "The best time to make your appointment with a travel physician or a travel clinic is at least one month before your trip." For more information and to schedule an appointment call the UAB Travelers' Clinic at 205-731-9366.

If it is less than a month before departure, travelers still should schedule an appointment to see a travel physician, Freedman says. Most shots, medications and health precautions still will protect travelers and safeguard public health.

Travelers to the tropics should ask a travel physician if visitors are at risk of contracting malaria, which can be prevented with medication. Some tropical destinations require yellow fever vaccinations. Hepatitis A and typhoid fever are two food and water-borne diseases for which vaccines are available.

Travelers to Europe, Japan, Australia and other developed nations should focus on more routine vaccines: influenza, measles, mumps, diphtheria, tetanus and others. One key resource for recommended vaccine information is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's travel-health website at http://www.cdc.gov/travel.

"We do find that many infrequent travelers are surprisingly behind on their routine vaccines, and many haven't had a tetanus shot in the past 10 years. Well, there always is the risk of accidentally cutting yourself and ending up with an open wound," Freedman says. "Travelers should also check their measles-vaccine status because of outbreaks in European nations such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland."

The travel clinic head also says it would be wise to pack a travel-health kit that includes:

• An ample supply of your prescribed medications in their original, labeled containers (list the generic names for the medications, and add a note from the prescribing physician on letterhead for controlled-substance medications)
•  An anti-diarrheal medication
• Alcohol-based hand gel
• An antibiotic for self-treatment of most causes of acute bacterial illness
• A copy of your vaccination record and your family doctor's telephone number

Another note of caution: Be careful about blood clots in the legs. "The longer you're on the plane, the more chance you have of sitting still and letting your blood pool in the legs," Freedman says. "We always advise people to stay mobile, get up every couple of hours and walk around the cabin and stretch near your seat.

"Certainly if you've ever had any problems in the past with blood clots and varicose veins or phlebitis in the legs, you should consult with a physician or travel clinic about specific travel precautions," Freedman says. "If you arrive at a destination after a long flight and you have swelling in your legs and pain in your calf, then you should immediately go to an emergency room for evaluation of a possible blood clot."

About the UAB Traveler's Clinic

The UAB Travelers' Clinic is a leader in travel and tropical medicine staffed by specialized physicians who themselves work extensively in the tropics. It offers comprehensive and highly individualized pre- and post-travel consultation, and it is the only clinic in the state to maintain a full in-house vaccine inventory.