Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Things You Should Remember about Travel Shots

Whether you need travel shots or not depend on which part of the world you are travelling. Not all countries will demand the must have travel shots before visiting that country but your concern is more important when it comes to travel shots.

But if you are decided that you need the travel shots make sure you schedule a visit to your doctor at least 4 to 6 weeks before you visit to any country. Because most vaccines need some time to be effective in your body and some vaccines need to take in a series for protecting you against any disease.

If you travel frequently to different parts of the world it is better for you to know about the different kinds of travel shots. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC divide the travel shots into three categories and they are routine, recommended, and required vaccinations. Your doctor will tell which one is needed for you but you should be aware of these from before.


Routine Vaccinations


Routine vaccinations are the vaccinations that offer protection against many common diseases that are prevalent in many parts of the world even though they rarely occur in the United States. Be sure you and your family are up to date with these routine vaccinations. You can check with your doctor or with the CDC website to see which vaccinations come under this group.


Recommended Vaccinations


Some vaccinations are recommended depending upon the parts of the world you are planning to travel. These depend much on your destinations, whether you will be spending much time in rural areas, your age, health status and previous immunizations. You can take a look at the CDC charts to see the countries you are planning to visit and the travel shots that are required to visit those places safely.


Required Vaccinations


Yellow fever shot is the only travel shot that is required by the International Health Regulations when you are planning to visit certain countries in tropical South America or sub-Saharan Africa. For annual travel to Saudi Arabia during the Hajj the Meningococcal vaccination is required by the Government of Saudi Arabia.

Most of the travels shots are not required but many of them are recommended. For ensuring a happy and safe time in abroad you must consider having the necessary travel shots in time. For more information about their services please visit their website www.travelclinicnyc.com

Friday, August 26, 2011

Vaccinations for Travel: How to Avoid Typhoid

I learned how important vaccinations for travel are the hard way. I went backpacking trip with a few friends in 2008 where I got the infection with typhoid fever. It is a serious infection caused by the Salmonella typhi bacteria. I don’t care what they look like but they cause intestinal inflammation and ulceration which is very painful and leaves you very weak.

Salmonella typhi bacteria enter our body through contaminated food and make way to our blood stream by invading small intestine. It then moves to organs like liver where they reproduce and travel through bloodstream to gallbladder, biliary system, and the lymphatic tissue of the bowel. According to an estimate, typhoid fever affects over 13 million people every year and over 500,000 patients die of it worldwide.

If you are travelling to any exotic destination in Asia, Latin America or Africa then don’t miss typhoid vaccination for travel. Its bacteria can be lurking at the most unsuspecting places and catch you unaware. Once you catch the infection, treatment is long and there are chances of relapse which weakens you considerably.

Common Causes of Typhoid Fever

  1. Taking contaminated food or water.

  2. Close contact with patient with acute case of typhoid fever.

  3. Close contact with a person who has no symptoms but is a chronic carrier of the infection.

  4. If the person who is handling your food and water is carrying bacteria.

  5. Direct infection of gallbladder by Salmonella, through the hepatic duct. It may spread to other parts of the body through blood stream.

Some Common Symptoms
  1. Severe constipation followed by diarrhoea.

  2. Stomach pain and bloody stools.

  3. High fever especially in the evening.

  4. Weakness and chills.

  5. Constant fatigue.

  6. Slow heart rate.

Typhoid fever is not easily diagnosed especially in the initial stages. The patient is prescribed a special diet which will be difficult to follow if you are travelling and away from home.

Travel clinic of New York City is amongst the leading travel clinics that administer travel medicine and vaccinations for travel. For more information about their services please visit their website www.travelclinicnyc.com

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

What Makes Vaccination vital for Frequent Travellers

More and more people today are ready to pack their bags and hop on planes to discover places that were unheard of at the turn of century. Experts hold globalisation responsible for blurring the borders. World is no longer a frightening place as young and old alike spend their time travelling to little known unfamiliar turfs. But this has given rise to another danger as numerous travellers inadvertently become victims and carriers of infections and diseases when they travel to exotic places. Bird flu, yellow fever, SARS and H1N1 are only some of the dangerous diseases that get transferred from one continent to the other through unsuspecting travellers.

To combat this risk of spreading infection, doctors and scientists suggest measures such as immunization while travelling to affected places. It has been made mandatory for traveller to get Travel Vaccination before flying out of country to avoid falling ill and bringing home any infection.

In order to develop immunity against a particular illness, it’s important to get Travel vaccination well in time before your departure to the affected country or geographical region. Normally given in syringe shots, necessary vaccination can be found out by visiting a reliable travel clinic. Hepatitis A & B, Japanese encephalitis, cholera, typhoid and yellow fever shots are compulsory for those countries which have a high level of infection. Proper immunization before travelling will keep you safe and make your trip hassle free. It will also keep your friends and family back home safe who otherwise can become victims of infection you would bring home, unwittingly.

Fix an appointment with your nearest Travel Clinic as soon as you finalise your plans and present your itinerary to the doctor. He will suggest what travel vaccination you need and also suggest the medication you need to carry along. He will also tell you what safety measures you should take to make your trip safe and sound. Don’t forget to take the necessary certification which you will be asked to produce before you clear the customs at the airport.

Travel clinic of New York City is one such foremost travel clinic offering travel vaccination and other travel related consultancy through seasoned travel physicians. To have more information about their services you can logon to: www.travelclinicnyc.com

Monday, July 11, 2011

Tips for Safe and Healthy Travelling

While travelling abroad is full of fun, the preparation part can be pretty frustrating. You must fulfil a long list of requirements according to the airport and country’s regulations. Depending on where you are going, you have to pack your bags, get your passport and visa and above all, schedule an appointment with a travel clinic for necessary travel immunisation and medicine.



However, getting immunisation is not enough, you need to get immunization cards and carry them along when travelling abroad. What all travel vaccines you need depend on the country you visit and the duration of your stay. Many times if you’re own and your children’s routine vaccinations are up to date then you'll be fine, but for certain countries, especially those in tropical regions, you need immunization against diseases such as yellow fever, typhoid and Meningitis. Best thing is to speak to an experienced travel doctor about travel immunization you require. This one decision can make or break your trip.



Another thing you need to know is what you are allowed to carry when you are on board the airplane. All countries have a list of things that they refuse to be carried into their country. On the other hand, there are certain things that these countries don’t allow to leave their borders. It's better to check the rules and regulations of the country you are visiting beforehand than getting into trouble unwittingly and losing things on the airport. The airports and airlines have fixed regulations about the correct size and weight of luggage. You can be charged exorbitant fee for going over the permitted weight so it's best to find out the rules and regulations to avoid any unnecessary hassle and charges.



International travel is usually considered to be somewhat expensive but with proper planning and budgeting, you can bring down the costs considerably. All you need to do is to do some research and homework. Find out the regulations and requirements so you don't have to pay any penalties.



Travel Clinic New York is one of the leading travel clinics of New York that offer advice on travel medicine and travel immunization. For more information about their services please visit their website www.travelclinicnyc.com.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Visit your Nearest Travel Clinic for Travel Tips

For a fulfilled and healthy overseas travel you need a lot of prior preparation. Though it looks difficult but it is actually not. You can be in serious trouble if you travel to countries where pandemics like H1N1, bird flu and malaria are rampant. The best way to enjoy your overseas travel and stay abroad is to be ready for the worst which generally means that it won't happen at all. Travel clinics can play a vital role in making your trip a hassle free. Visit a trustworthy clinic with board certified and seasoned doctors who will advice you regarding the immunization required after assessing your itinerary. They can suggest the vaccinations you must take and medication you need to carry along. Below are a few helpful tips to help you make your trip a pleasant one.

Travel Kit

Carrying a travel kit can be a good idea. It’s highly recommended that you carry two medicine kits with you while travelling. You can keep on in your suitcase and one in your hand carried luggage. Always carry mild laxative, preferred decongestant, anti-histamine, antipyretic and anti-diarrheal medications in the suitcase and throat lozenges, band aids, moleskin for blisters and antibiotic cream in your hand luggage.

Invest in travel insurance

If Murphy’s Law is to be believed then invest in the airbag of travel insurance. Medical service in foreign destinations can be very expensive hence having a health insurance can come handy and make a great difference in case of a mishap.

Avoid Water borne diseases

Always drink packaged mineral water. You can also brush your teeth with bottled mineral water instead of regular tap water. Strictly avoid swimming in local still water bodies like lakes and ponds as there is a good chance of catching parasitic and bacterial infections from here as easily as from unsafe drinking water.

You can take help of several sources in case of an injury or illness. Two such sources are the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and The International Society of Travel Medicine that offer different areas of help.

Travel clinic New York is amongst the leading and top travel clinics that offers travel advice on travel medicine and travel immunization. For more information about their services please visit their website www.travelclinicnyc.com.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

How Travel Immunization Can Prove to be Life Saver

Air travel has become affordable in recent years which have opened doors to travelling to those exotic locations that were once considered out of reach. Now we have more and more people travelling for pleasure and business to every nook and corner of this world. Though we can now travel easily to other countries and continents but the side effect of this ease is those deadly viruses which may infect us while travelling. This can pose some serious health issues for us. Viruses of these diseases spread from one person to another and reach to other continents and countries through travelers. But there is a very simple and efficient way to counter this threat and that is travel immunization. You need to get yourself protected against some particular diseases that prevail in certain counties only through immunization and medication.

To get the latest information on various travel vaccinations required for travelling to different countries you need to visit a good and reputable travel clinic. Make sure that the travel clinic you are visiting has sufficient experience on advising travelers on the travel immunization. The travel physicians at these travel clinics should have in-depth knowledge about administering different travel vaccines that are mandatory for travelling to different countries. Some basic vaccines like tetanus, polio, measles, diphtheria BCG, etc. should be administered before travelling to countries that doesn’t have good medical facilities. Other mandatory vaccinations include yellow fever, cholera, plague, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A and B, rabies, typhoid etc. which you must take before travelling to some specific countries.

Malaria is one of the most widespread diseases in African countries and those who intend to travel to Africa should take malaria vaccine shot and carry medicines for malaria. It’s highly recommended for pregnant woman who is travelling to another continent to consult a seasoned travel physician. Don’t forget to carry an internationally accredited certification of travel immunization. This certification will be issued by your travel clinic or travel physician.

Travel clinic of New York City is one leading travel clinic offering travel immunization and other travel related consultancy through seasoned travel physicians. To have more information about their services you can logon to: www.travelclinicnyc.com.