We all travel, but we all do not fall sick. Sickness during or soon after returning from a travel should be avoided by taking appropriate precautions, preferably by seeking professional advice as some illnesses that are life-threatening can be prevented.
The article briefly discusses the implications of travel on health, and not about the safety risks involved.
Travel takes us to new destinations and most of the time we have no idea about the risks to health it poses. We google and like the place, the hotel room, and entertaining locations nearby but have no idea about risks peculiar to health at the place of travel.
All plans can come to a zero if sickness strikes in the new destination, be it a business travel, a personal or a family travel.
Advice during travel is best provided by an Occupational Health (OH) physician, especially if it is a business travel, and it is usually available inhouse in the company. But if the company does not employ an OH physician, then an advice from your local doctor should help.
The advice is not necessarily always a generic one – that is one size fits all. The advice is customized as it accounts for any preexisting illness, age, ongoing treatment etc. so that necessary precautions can be taken to avoid the illness from getting serious or acquiring a new one.
Advice during travel is best provided by an Occupational Health (OH) physician, especially if it is a business travel, and it is usually available inhouse in the company.
Travel health advice will vary depending on destination of travel as well as mode of travel. The advice to a traveler to Kashmir would be different from the advice to Kanyakumari. Mode of travel is important, especially during a pandemic (covid) or an epidemic (measles, cholera, polio etc.) in the place of intended travel.
To give you an idea about diseases one can get during travel or soon after returning home – bird flu, chikungunya, dengue, malaria, measles, mumps, cholera, covid, rabies, hepatitis (A, B, C, E), scabies, tetanus, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, HIV, Yellow fever, MERS, Zika, scabies, sexually transmitted diseases etc.
The precautions to be taken before and during the travel are:
- vaccinations (hepatitis, rabies, tetanus, MMR, polio as appropriate)
- chemoprophylaxis (as for malaria)
- barriers (use of condoms as appropriate)
- deterrence (DEET, Odomos)
- deferring a travel to a favorable time
- changing the place of travel based on assessed risks
- any other as appropriate
An important advice given by medical professionals is to carry certain medicines if going to remote locations where finding a medical store is going to be a challenge. The choice of medicines is important. For example, Diamox is a must for someone going to high altitude areas.
Do not self-medicate as every medicine has a contraindication (medical conditions where a medicine must not be taken).
Also, eating hot foods and drinking water from reputed source is an advice that is reiterated by the doctor that the traveler must always bear in mind. Similarly, avoiding cold foods/salads unless the eatery is reputed and rated 5-star. These can cause diarrhea and hepatitis to say the least.
A prior knowledge of health infrastructure at the place of travel is helpful as it helps to be prepared in case of an emergency. While checking into hotels one of the things to ask at the Hotel Reception is if the hotel has arrangements with a local doctor; if not, ask details of local doctor, hospital and an ambulance service close by. A medical emergency can be managed better if you are prepared for it.
It is important to note that the advice will change from person to person and from place to place. It is best to get in touch with your doctor before you travel so that your health remains protected during and even after once you have returned home.
Malaria, Hepatitis, HIV, for example do not happen instantaneously – they begin to show after a few days of return to home from a travel; hence seek prior advice.
It is good to remember that an advice from a doctor even for a short travel to a new place will be immensely helpful.
For more guidance before a travel, contact
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Dr Ajay Sati is an Occupational Health physician who prefers to describe himself as an Occupationist, to denote, ‘an expert in diseases and other concerns of occupations’. Dr Sati has managed health and wellness programs in industries he worked, like the atomic energy, and energy (oil & gas) in India and overseas. He was involved in many greenfield and brownfield projects providing inputs from health point of view. Known for SOPs and protocols, he is currently involved with an energy MNC in designing protocols to support employees during the covid pandemic, and protocols to safely reopen offices and plants.
