Medical

Probably more important than an airline ticket is to be healthy, especially when traveling into more remote parts of the world. Your whole programme can come to an agonising end if you don’t prepare well in this area. If you know of a travel medicine site that should be listed let us know and we can add it.

General reference and research sites for travel medical related information

	Traveller's Medical & Vaccination Centre, is an Australian wide network of clinics which specialise in Travel Medicine.		New Zealand based operation
	TravelVax Australia, is another nationwide provider of information and inoculation services.		The Travel Health Advisory Group (THAG) is a joint initiative between travel industry and travel medicine professionals that aims to promote healthy travel amongst travellers.
	An Irish based information site.

Assorted World Wide travellers medical sites.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has produced a WWW version of their notable Travel Information that presents an enormous amount of information in a very usable format.
• Canada's Committee to Advise on Tropical Medicine and Travel (CATMAT) provides information for international travel suitable for practitioners and patients.
• Diabetic travellers have a bit extra planning to cope with. this site really can help.
• The International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) has information for professionals and the general public.
• International Travel and Health - Vaccination Requirements and Health Advice from the World Health Organization and available on the internet througth the Instituto Superiore di Sanita in Rome.
• The International Travelers Clinic site provided by the Medical College of Wisconsin contains both vaccination information and a nice collection of additional links to more travel vaccination and health information.
• Scuba Diver Doctor. Going to an exotic dive location and wondering about the medical side of travel and diving??

Survey Reveals Travellers at Risk

Whilst this survey was completed in Australia the general trend is world wide. this is not meant to scare, but to enhance awareness..

In the lead up to the Christmas holiday season, new survey results released today by the Travel Health Advisory Group indicate nearly one in 10 Australians have had an accident overseas whilst two in 10 Australians have had to seek medical treatment overseas.

Additional studies have also found that between 5% and 8% of travellers experienced an accident while travelling, and 15.6% of travellers reported having sought medical care owing to illness or accident during their stay overseas.  Dr Bernie Hudson, microbiologist and infectious disease physician at Royal North Shore Hospital said that its difficult to predict accidents or illness whilst travelling overseas, adding "If an accident does occur, medical treatment overseas can put travellers at risk from infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, especially when travelling to developing countries". He added that the medical procedures that can put travellers at risk include use of equipment containing blood-borne viruses such as needles and surgical tools, intravenous therapy, blood transfusions or dental procedures.

A review of the literature that included reports from the World Health Organization found that more than 50% of injections in developing countries are unsafe, this being because syringes and needles are often re-used on consecutive patients without sterilisation.  This lack of sterilisation can lead to infection by blood-borne viruses like hepatitis B.
Furthermore, he says that a large percentage of travellers are not seeking travel health advice before their trip, with one recent Australian survey (2006) finding that only 23% of travellers seek advice, and a recent international review finding nearly half of travellers did not seek advice. Dr Bernie Hudson agrees that travellers remain complacent about seeking travel health advice prior to their trip, saying, "Accidents and illness can happen to anyone", but that travellers should themselves the best chance of having a safe and healthy holiday, and visit their GP at least six weeks before they depart to discuss your travel health requirements.

Medical risks include: -

Involuntary exposure to hepatitis
Injections into the skin for medical reasons
Equipment containing blood-borne viruses (e.g. needles, surgical tools)
Intravenous therapy
Blood transfusions
Dental procedures

Other risks directly within the control of the traveller and to be avoided include:-

Voluntary exposure to hepatitis
Unprotected sexual activity
Recreational drug use
Acupuncture
Skin perforating cosmetic procedures (e.g. tattooing and body piercing)
Attending a bleeding person
Sharing personal grooming items (e.g. razors and toothbrushes)

* The Travel Centre and its associates are not a medical centre or trained medically. We offer these links as a guide only. By displaying these establishments we do not offer any recommendation for any particular service. We just recommend that you get as much information as possible, make an appointment at your nearest practice, and get the relevant medications and inoculations. Advance preparation means safer traveling.