Navy Hospital's Travel Clinic Packed with Safety Tips for Overseas Travel
Story Number: NNS030815-08
Release Date: 8/15/2003 11:24:00 AM
By Journalist 1st Class AnTuan Guerry, National Naval Medical Center Public Affairs
BETHESDA, Md. (NNS) -- The National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) is getting into the travel business with their International Travel Clinic (ITC), designed to educate military families on the necessary immunizations and medications needed when vacationing abroad.
According to NNMC infectious disease expert, Lt. Cmdr. Kyle Petersen, the Secure Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak put many international travelers on guard. SARS is a deadly illness that can be spread through person-to-person contact or through the air by an affected person coughing or sneezing.
The World Health Organization recently declared the outbreak over and that it is safe to travel again to once quarantined areas like China. News like that is what Petersen and his staff offer families who stop by ITC before embarking on an overseas journey.
Petersen, who manages ITC, says that one problem with traveling abroad is that some people are unaware of the dangers and what to do if they are faced with them.
ITC has a web-based service called TRAVAX that gives doctors at NNMC a list of every country in the world and which immunizations are recommended for that area.
“A lot of people just get ready to go on a trip and they don’t think about what they need to do to protect themselves,” he says. “Maybe some of them have never traveled abroad before and don’t know what’s out there. A lot of those countries are really poor and they don’t have the infrastructure [basic installations and foundations of a growing community]…it’s an eye opener for some people.”
Petersen recommends attending one of the 30-minute counseling sessions offered by the ITC. The counseling sessions are available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on a self-referral basis, which means going through a primary care provider is not necessary.
“We’re on top of what’s going on worldwide all the time to make sure you have a safe trip. If you’re going to put down a few thousand dollars [for a vacation], you don’t want to be sick when you’re there or you don’t want to come back with something that you didn’t know about,” Petersen states.
The counseling session provides the ITC doctors the opportunity to ensure the traveler receives the proper vaccinations and medications for the area in which they are traveling. If a traveler indicates that he will be spending two weeks in an infected foreign country, Petersen says that traveler would be provided with an extra month worth of medications - just in case.
“We try to prevent people from getting into a situation on vacation where they have a life-threatening problem in a third world country with no health care. We protect you to the best of our ability here, so that’s not a problem when you get over there,” he says.
In addition, the counselors provide international tips on everything from prevention of malaria and traveler’s diarrhea, to what to eat and drink. ITC also provides a phone number to the American embassy in the traveler’s visiting country in case of an emergency.
Although SARS was a big international story, Petersen says there are other outbreaks that do not get the press that SARS receives, but could be just as dangerous.
“Other outbreaks like Japanese Encephalitis and Dengue Fever (infections) occur world-wide,” said Petersen. “It’s tough [for the traveler] to keep on top of these things because not everything makes the press… I have up to date info from the state department and from a service called Pro-med mail that gives me daily updates. So, when a patient comes here and tells me, ‘I’m going to Cambodia in two weeks,’ I can tell him what’s going on there.”
Some people would say that knowledge is power. Petersen thinks that being armed with the proper knowledge will enable international travelers to not only avoid illnesses, but also to have an enjoyable time.
Typically, what you eat and drink, and bugs are the two ways most people get sick during international travel, according to Petersen. Bottled drinks like wine, beer and soda are best for consumption, but travelers need to watch out for ice and untreated water.
“You should even use bottled water to brush your teeth,” said Petersen. “That little bit of [untreated] water on your tooth brush can be the one that gives you diarrhea and takes you down for a week of your vacation.”
He continues, “We have a saying: ‘If you can’t boil it, cook it or peel it, then don’t eat it,’ because it’s probably going to be very risky. Generally, if you’re near a metropolis and you’re staying at a four or five star hotel, then it’s probably safe to eat there…Those kind of places are not in the business of making people sick because then they are not going to get people to come back and stay with them again.”
For bugs, Petersen recommends consistent coverage with a bug repellent that contains at least 30 to 40 percent DEET (the active ingredient in most insect repellents available in the United States that are applied to the skin whose chemical name is N,N-diethyl-m toluamide).
Of course not all countries are afflicted with a high potential for illnesses to the international traveler. Petersen indicates that there are several regions that are considered “safe.” However, when you go outside of places like the United States, Western Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean Islands, caution must be taken.
According to Petersen, the most common preventable worldwide diseases and infections are Hepatitis A (a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus); Travelers diarrhea, which Petersen says can be caused by almost all water outside the United States and Western Europe; and typhoid fever (diarrhea which causes your intestines to swell up and burst), all of which can occur from consuming bad food or water.
Knowing what to do upon return from an infected country is as important as knowing what to do when you’re leaving, according to Petersen.
“If you’re going to a doctor for treatment, make sure you tell your doctor if you have just come from a third world country because he may think a fever is [only] caused by a virus when it’s [actually] something worse. In an emergency room, it’s easy for something like that to fly under the radar,” Petersen cautions.
Visiting the International Travel Clinic prior to a trip is not mandatory because there are other ways of getting information for the trip. However, if a person wants to vacation safely while traveling abroad, visiting the ITC just makes sense.
“It’s in your best interest to get good value for your money. It’s in the best interest of your health so you don’t come down with a chronic debilitating illness or an acute illness that can kill you. And it’s also in the best interest for your safety so you know about [crime] issues [in the area],” Petersan said.
To schedule counseling with ITC call (301) 319-8369.
For additional information on international travel warnings, Petersen recommends visiting web sites www.state.gov and www.cdc.gov/travel.
