A short city break in a European capital or hiking through tropical forests? Local culinary specialties, street food, or meals in the hotel restaurant. A business trip, carefully planned holiday or last minute deals? Many factors must be taken into consideration when planning a trip abroad. This also applies to pre-travel health prevention measures, which should always be tailored to the nature of the trip and planned activities.
Yellow fever - mandatory vaccination
It takes between 3 to 6 days from the time of infection for the first symptoms to appear. Usually, it goes away in a few days. For some patients, however, yellow fever may be fatal. In 15 percent of cases, the disease becomes more severe and may be accompanied by jaundice, haemorrhaging, shock and multi-organ failure. Half of these cases end in death,
says Professor Bożena Walewska-Zielecka, travel medicine physician and Medical Director at Medicover Poland.
The doctor qualifies the patient for yellow fever vaccination by assessing the patient's immunity, taking into account any co-morbidities and medications taken. Since 2016, according to the WHO guidelines, there is no need for a booster vaccination - it is good for life. After the vaccination, the doctor issues a special certificate, which becomes valid after 10 days,
adds Professor Bożena Walewska-Zielecka.
Anti-malaria prevention
Currently there is no highly-effective vaccine against malaria available on the market, so preventive measures include taking medication to prevent the infection from developing. There are various products available on the market, which the doctor recommends depending on the patient’s destination,
says Professor Bożena Walewska-Zielecka.
Typhoid fever – the "dirty hands" disease
Typhoid fever is accompanied by fever, weakness, insomnia, headache, as well as stomach symptoms - constipation, bloating, and diarrhoea. Non-specific preventive measures while travelling include refraining from eating food of unknown origin, drinking bottled water in original packaging, and consuming food after it’s been heated. As far as vaccination is concerned, it should be taken at least two weeks before the trip. However, it does not provide permanent immunity - it has to be taken again every 3-5 years,
says Professor Bożena Walewska-Zielecka.
Who should be vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis?
If you are planning a short trip and will spend most of the time in hotels, the risk of contracting this disease is small. However, we must be aware that if the infection occurs, in a symptomatic disease, significant and irreversible complications in the brain may occur in as many as 30-50% of cases,
explains the expert.
City break, or a short trip to a big city
If we are planning a trip to a capital or another big city, we will inevitably be surrounded and have contact with many people, so we may want to consider vaccination against whooping cough, which is an acute and very contagious disease. It is estimated that 80-90 percent of people who have contact with a whooping cough patient will develop the disease. In this case, vaccination against meningococci is also recommended, which are bacteria that cause encephalitis and sepsis,
says the expert.
Health prevention before a last minute trip
For instance, in the case of some vaccines, full immunity occurs two weeks after vaccination. So if we decide to vaccinate on Monday, before the two-week trip that starts on Saturday, we will only be protected for half of the holiday. Additionally, the doctor can prescribe us necessary medications, such as anti-malaria or anti-diarrhoea medicine, recommend intensive use of mosquito repellents, and advise us what to do if we experience worrying symptoms,
says Professor Bożena Walewska-Zielecka.
