Travel Medicine – What To Know
Traveling on different countries can be very enjoyable; you get to meet new people, learn about the country’s cultures, visit interesting tourist spots, try out new food, and many other things you can’t do on your own country. However, while it may be worthwhile, traveling in other countries presents a risk to your health, and you might not even know about it.
Dr. Michael Zimring, a travel medicine expert and the Director of the Center for Wilderness in Travel Medicine in Mercy Medical Hospital, advises on what people should do when they want to travel to other countries. He advises travelers to prepare thoroughly before going on to countries that presents a high risk of infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, etc. By doing so, he believes that travelers will be able to enjoy and appreciate their trip more and avoid moments such as them being confined on a local hospital.
According to Dr. Zimring, these diseases can be prevented by doing the following:
- Visiting a physician, or a travel medicine expert, weeks before your flight.
- Getting a shot for various common diseases weeks before your flight.
- Preparing a suitable amount of medicines.
- Getting travel insurance from a reputable insurance company.
- Keeping yourself healthy and hydrated through regular exercise and drinking 8 glasses of water.
Dr. Zimring believes that all these are vital in keeping you safe from diseases when you are visiting undeveloped countries. He also puts emphasis on traveler’s getting travel insurance, as, according to him, it can save you a lot of money – and your life as well. After all, the last thing you would want to happen to you is to be confined on a hospital that offers poor services and is only after your money. With a travel insurance, you can assure yourself that you will be able to get the proper medical care you need should you come into contact with a disease.
Dr. Zimring advises people who travel often to visit the website of the International Society of Travel Medicine (istm.org), as well as Center for Disease Control’s website (cdc.gov) for more information with regards to traveling to other countries. There are plenty of information listed on both websites, helping the traveler to reduce the risk of them contracting serious illnesses and diseases. Dr. Zimring also has his own website, travelmedicinemd.com, which talks about what you should do to keep yourself at bay from diseases that are rampant on other countries.
“…a little knowledge will help you, especially if you get in a bind”, says Dr. Zimring.
