The Singapore Ministry of Health recently announced the second death from dengue fever this year in the country. Singapore, which has been known to have outbreaks of the mosquito-borne virus, noted this important fact in this report: both deaths were individuals visiting the country from abroad. Although the ministry is still trying to determine where the second patient contracted the disease, the first patient was living in a known dengue-infected area.
Unfortunately, dengue fever is fairly difficult to prevent in comparison to rabies, yellow fever or even influenza. The disease is spread by mosquitoes, but there is no vaccination against it, with the best protection coming in the form of mosquito repellents. However, regardless of the existence (or not) of a vaccine, both of these cases serve to show the importance of travel medicine for all individuals. Travel medicine is about more than just vaccines; be sure to visit a travel health specialist before any trip, whether vaccines are required or not, to make sure you are armed with the best strategies for staying healthy and safe.
Why Should I Visit A Travel Clinic?
Visiting a travel clinic isn’t just something we believe you should do. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highly recommends visiting a travel clinic before you leave the country, especially if traveling to an area where infectious diseases are present. There are a few key reason for this guidance:
- Getting sick on your trip can be expensive for you and potentially others if you need to be airlifted or otherwise removed from the country.
- If you get sick, you could pose a threat to yourself, other travelers and locals.
- Bringing back an infection with you could endanger the health of your friends, family, coworkers and community members.
- Falling ill while abroad isn’t fun, and the CDC as well as other medical professionals would like you to enjoy your trip while keeping yourself and others safe.
In addition to these points, many countries require certain vaccinations, such as the yellow fever vaccine, in order to enter the country. Just as a passport and visa may be required to enter certain countries, some nations require proof of your immunizations in order to protect the health of their people. If you don’t have proof of vaccination, you may be required to return home at your own expense, just as you would without a visa.
Visiting a travel clinic before you leave can help alleviate all of these issues and help you stay safe and happy while traveling.
Why Do I Need Travel Vaccines?
Travel vaccines, and vaccination in general, are typically the best form of protection against diseases. Smallpox, polio, rubella and other infections have either been eradicated or nearly eradicated with the help of safe and effective vaccines in the U.S. As a result, some diseases may not exist where you live, and you may have never been vaccinated against them. Consider this:
- Japanese encephalitis is an Asian tropical disease spread by mosquitoes, but it does not exist in North America. Because it is mosquito-borne, a person can become infected without even realizing they’ve been exposed.
- The majority of measles outbreaks in the U.S. over the last decade have started when an unvaccinated traveler visited a region where the disease was present and carried it back to their community.
- Falling ill during your trip can cost as much as $1,000 per day, and many of the most common travel illnesses are preventable through vaccination or other medical means.
Your travel vaccination needs will vary depending on where you are going, making it important to consult with a travel health specialist, like at your nearest Passport Health, about what is best for you during your trip.
How Can I Stay Health Before, During and After My Trip?
Visiting a travel medicine clinic is the first step in assuring good health while traveling. Follow this list of important tips to learn some of the key things you can do:
- Visit a travel health clinic to learn about what risks you may face overseas.
- Receive any travel vaccinations you may require.
- Be sure to have any other travel medicine supplies you may need such as antimalarials, a traveler’s diarrhea kit and mosquito repellents.
- Take proper precautions while traveling such as washing your hands regularly and avoiding street foods.
- Follow the instructions you have received for your travel supplies including applying mosquito repellents or sunscreen regularly, taking antimalarial pills or following water sanitation protocols.
- Remember to receive any booster shots you may need after your trip.
If you have any further questions or require assistance with your travel medicine needs, please see our travel vaccinations page or contact a Passport Health Travel Specialist today by calling or booking your appointment online today.
What are your best travel health tips? Let us know in the comments below, on Twitter or through our Facebook page.
Almost every time I’ve traveled to other countries, I’ve had to get special vaccines. Though I’m not the biggest fan of shots, I figured it would be worth it because I hate getting sick, and it would be even worse to get something serious. I can believe that diseases are spread a lot easier when people travel in and out of countries unvaccinated. Great info!
Clinics are good in my mind when you have a minor sickness because then you can get the help you need really quickly. I think it is important to get the vacation you deserve and not worry about being sick like you said. It would be smart to visit a clinic if you are travelling.
My husband and I have planned a trip to Asia and are looking to find more information of the importance of travel vaccines. Thank you for the advice about visiting a travel clinic before departing. I think this sounds like a wise thing to do because one can receive professional help and information according to the expected travel destination.
That is a good point that vaccinations in general help to protect against diseases. That is something I would want to get to help me when I travel somewhere. Maybe I should visit a medical clinic sometime and get some vaccinations done before I leave.
It’s good to know that a health clinic can help you to know what health risks you might face overseas. My daughter wants to go on a humanitarian trip to Africa, and I want to make sure that she’s protected from diseases when she goes. I’ll pass this information along to her so that she can look into her options for health clinics that can help her.
What does a visit to Travel Clinic entail? It is advisable to schedule the visit at least four weeks before your trip. This is to allow some of the vaccines that will be administered on the visit to have provided adequate protection before you travel.
Thank you so much for the advice to go to clinic before you travel somewhere. Right now it is getting dangerous to travel almost anywhere because of COVID-19. I want to go visit my brother in New York next week but I know there are a lot of COVID-19 cases over there so I’ll go to a clinic first and see what they think I should do.