Travel Outside The United States: Preparations To Make

Try to visit your doctor at least eight weeks before departure so that any negative reactions to inoculations or treatments for any problems found can managed before you leave.

Get a large enough supply of your medications to last the entire trip, plus a few extra days in case you get delayed returnig. (Take the medications in the prescription bottle. Also carry a copy of the prescription).

Ask your doctor for the generic name and for the names in the countries to which you will be traveling. Drug names are uniform throughout the United States but many drugs have different names outside the US. The information will be useful if you develop allergic reactions, or need an emergency supply. Even with the generic name, the FDA cautions against filling prescriptions abroad. An FDA investigation has found that many foreign medications, although marketed under the same or similar-sounding brand names as those in the, contain different active ingredients than in the United States.

Consider diseases that are prevalent in your proposed areas of travel and the inoculations required for your trip. This must be discussed in detail with your doctor taking your own physical condition into consideration. Some diseases to consider are:

• Cholera: No country requires inoculation against cholera since it does not prevent its introduction into an area. Two new oral cholera vaccines provide much better protection than the previously used parenteral cholera vaccine.
• Yellow Fever: This vaccination certificate is the only one ever required of international travelers, and even then only in limited cases.
• Malaria: This serious and common tropical disease is a problem in many areas. It's prevalence varies from country to country, from urban to rural areas, from season to season. The World Health Organization keeps track of malaria-infested areas. Your doctor should be able to advise you on your risk of exposure. Preventive prophylactic anti-malarial regimens should be started a week prior to departure, continued religiously for the duration of your stay in the malaria risk area and for four more weeks after leaving the area.

To determine the health risks at your proposed destination:  Check with your doctor, a local hospital with a travel clinic or one of the following:

• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention's International Traveler's Hotline wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx or tel. 877.394.8747. (The CDC publishes a book on travel related infections and diseases in each region of the world, including immunization recommendation. The publication is free on line at www.cdc.gov (click on Traveler's Health) 
• The Public Health Service, tel. 404..639.3311. The Public Health Service provides a person-to-person consultation with a travel advisor.
• The Department of State's Consular Information Sheets, available by phone (202-647-5225) or Internet (www.travel.state.gov ).

For information on vaccinations required for a particular country, contact The World Health Organization at www.who.int/ith

Some local Public Health offices offer vaccines for a traveler at a fraction of what you would pay at a doctor's office. To find your local county office of health, look in your telephone book or contact your state Department of Health listed in the blue pages of your phone book.

When you return from your trip, discuss with your doctor any symptoms your experience while abroad. They could be early warning signs of trouble and guide the doctor to prescribe appropriate medication and treatment.Discuss any symptoms with your traveling companion as well.

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