Your Travel Health Checklist Planning your next trip abroad? Whether it's a family holiday, a short business trip, or a backpacking adventure, make sure to consider your travel health needs. Smarta Healthcare can help with medication, vaccinations, recommended products or simply advice about what to expect at your destination.
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Prescription medication Make sure you order your prescription medications in plenty of time for your trip. You’re able to order a supply of medicine for up to three months. If you are travelling for a longer period, you’ll have to plan to get your medicines from your destination country. Keep in mind, some medications may be restricted in the country you are visiting, so it’s a good idea to check with the embassy of the destination country, before you arrive. You may want to research the generic (non-brand) names of the medicines; in case you need more during your trip. Our Smarta Healthcare pharmacists can help you with this. Keep your medicines in their original packaging, make sure your full name, passport number and doctors name are on the labels, and take a copy of your prescription and a doctor's letter with you. Your medications should be taken in your hand luggage and not in your suitcase. Some medications need to be kept at a certain temperature – you can use thermos flasks, cool bags or insulated packs to help keep them cool.
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Your Travel Health Checklist
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Safety When travelling abroad, it’s important to consider your safety and wellbeing. Don’t overlook using common sense, like wearing seatbelts, helmets, lifejackets, etc. Never drink and drive, make sure any vehicle you hire is safe and road-worthy, and avoid motorcycles and mopeds. Research your destination to make sure you’re fully aware of potentially dangerous situations in your destination country. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website publishes up-to-date advice about specific destinations. Seek advice from people who live in the area you're visiting. Local knowledge can help you get the most out of your trip, as well as making you a few friends along the way. Be prepared for any possible medical expenses with comprehensive travel insurance. Make sure it covers all the activities you’re planning, as well as flights home in the event of an emergency. Let the insurance company know of any pre-existing medical conditions and check the small print of the policy thoroughly. If you’re travelling in the European Union, you can apply for an EHIC or GHIC card, to allow you access to medically necessary state-provided healthcare in the EU and Switzerland. Further details can be found on the NHS website. We also recommend packing a good quality first aid kit to help you with any minor injuries.
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Mosquitos No one enjoys the itch that comes with a mosquito bite, but they can carry a far more serious risk of disease, including malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever. If you experience flu-like symptoms (headache, fever, sweats, chills, feeling unwell, muscle pains, cough, diarrhoea), seek medical advice immediately and let them know you have travelled abroad. Yellow fever Some destinations require proof of yellow fever vaccination before you travel. We administer this vaccine at Smarta Healthcare and can provide travellers with the yellow fever vaccine certificate. Malaria There is no vaccination against malaria, but we can provide you with advice, and if necessary, or even malaria tablets for your trip. Call us to find out more: 01234 831 768. Dengue fever Dengue fever is usually not life-threatening, but symptoms last for 2-7 days and include fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pain and a rash. The best advice is to avoid getting bitten as much as possible: Wear loose clothing with long sleeves and trousers wherever possible. Use quality insect repellent on any exposed skin during the day and especially at night, and make sure you apply it regularly. Apply it after sunscreen, if you’re using the two together. Mosquito nets with insecticide can be used to protect you while you are sleeping.
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Your Travel Health Checklist
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Animal Bites Rabies is a deadly viral disease that affects the brain and nerves present in many parts of the world. It is transmitted through contact of the saliva of infected animals, usually through being bitten or scratched by an infected animal. Do not touch animals, even cats and dogs. If you are bitten, scratched, licked on an open wound by an animal, or their saliva has come into contact with your eyes or inside your mouth: 1. Wash the area thoroughly with soap and clean water for 10 - 15 minutes 2. Apply an antiseptic solution such as iodine or alcohol 3. Seek medical attention immediately A rabies vaccine can be administered before you travel and is advised if you are travelling to a country where rabies is considered a risk. A full vaccination course consists of three doses given over 3 to 4 weeks and is used develop antibodies in your blood against the rabies virus. Even with a full course of the rabies vaccination, it is essential seek medical attention immediately following rabies exposure.
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Sun care Sunburn, heat exhaustion and dehydration are very unpleasant and, in some circumstances, can be life-threatening. Avoid excessive sun exposure and try to avoid being out in the mid-day sun between 11am3pm as much as possible. Increase your exposure gradually, with an initial 20-minute limit. Protect your skin from the harmful effects of UV damage by using a good quality, high-factor sun protector that blocks both UVA and B rays. SPF 15 is the minimum recommendation, and you must apply a thick layer to stay protected. Keep in mind, you will have to apply it more regularly if you are sweating or swimming. Even in colder climates, it’s advised to wear sun cream. A hat and 100% UV blocking sunglasses can also help keep you protected from the sun. Pay special attention to children with pale skin, as they are most at risk. Make sure you are drinking enough water throughout the day. Reduce your alcohol intake, particularly in hotter climates, to reduce the risk of dehydration and sun stroke.
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Your Travel Health Checklist
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Swimming Remember that diseases can be caught from both drinking and swimming in contaminated water. It is safer to swim in water that is well-chlorinated, like a swimming pool. Avoid swimming in freshwater lakes and streams, especially in areas such as Africa, South America or parts of the Caribbean. A parasitic disease called schistosomiasis (also known as Bilharzia) can be caught by swimming in these waters. Avoid drinking alcohol before swimming, make sure to check for strong currents, sharks and jellyfish, and never dive into water where the depth is uncertain. It's also wise to wear protective footwear and avoid going barefoot when out, even on the beach. Diseases can be caught from sand and wet soil.
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Stomach troubles New food or different hygiene standards can leave your stomach wishing you’d stayed at home. Make sure to wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use sanitiser or hand wipes if it’s not an option. Unless you are sure that the water supply is safe, drink bottled or boiled water, or use a sterilising agent. Don’t forget, this also applies to the water you use to brush your teeth. Avoid foods that can harbour harmful bacteria, viruses or parasites, such as uncooked seafood, undercooked meat, unpeeled fruit (e.g., strawberries), and salads. Travellers’ diarrhoea is 3 or more loose stools in a 24-hour period, usually accompanied by stomach pain, cramps and vomiting. It usually only lasts a couple of days and can be managed by keeping hydrated and increasing salts and sugars in the diet. Hydration sachets can be bought in advance and added to drinking water to speed up recovery. If you experience symptoms for longer, or it’s accompanied with a fever (high temperature) or blood or mucus in the stool, seek medical advice as soon as possible. Women taking the contraceptive pill may not be fully protected during a period of vomiting and/or diarrhoea, so other protection should be used to prevent pregnancy. Anti diarrhoeal tablets such as loperamide and bismuth subsalicylate can be used in adults and are available on prescription for children aged 4-12 years. These are not suitable for children under the age of 4 years, or if the person has a temperature or blood in the stool. At Smarta Healthcare, we can administer a traveller’s diarrhoea and cholera vaccination which can help protect you against infections caused by 2 types of bacteria. You can book your vaccination appointment on our website.
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Your Travel Health Checklist
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Air Travel Deep vein thrombosis is a condition whereby a slow blood flow develops a blood clot within a deep vein in the body. It can be caused by long periods of immobility, such as longhaul flights. There are several factors that make some people at a higher risk from DVT, such as being pregnant or having recently given birth, taking the oral contraceptive or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs, heart or lung disease, obesity or mobility problems, blood-clotting abnormalities, cancer, recently having surgery or serious injury or trauma, as well as people with a history of, or family history of DVT or PE (pulmonary embolism). If you develop swollen, painful legs (especially if one is worse than the other), and/or breathing difficulties, seek immediate medical attention. Exercise your feet, ankles and legs every 30 minutes, and take short walks if possible. Improve your blood circulation by stretching your upper body and doing breathing exercises. Keep hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids but avoid alcohol. Aspirin is not a recommended preventative medication for DVT, however anti-embolism stockings may help reduce your risk. If you are at high-risk of DVT, we recommend speaking with your GP and letting them know you will be travelling. They may prescribe an injection of low molecular weight heparin.
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Required and recommended vaccinations Many destinations across the world require or recommend vaccinations. Check the country you are visiting on our vaccination checker on the Smarta Healthcare website, give us a call, or schedule a virtual AskMyPharmacist consultation online. We administer the following vaccinations at our Bedford Health clinic: Diphtheria/Tetanus/Polio Dengue fever Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Influenza Japanese Encephalitis Meningococcal Infection MMR Rabies Tick-borne encephalitis Traveller’s Diarrhoea and Cholera Typhoid Yellow Fever Remember that some vaccinations also require booster shots – check with us to make sure your vaccinations are up-todate and ready to keep you protected. You should keep a record of all your vaccinations and carry it with you whilst abroad.
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Your Travel Health Checklist
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Hepatitis B and HIV infection Both these diseases are transmitted through contact with blood and bodily fluids. Three doses of the Hepatitis B vaccination provide 90% protection against the disease for a 5-year period. There is no effective vaccine for HIV, so it’s very important to avoid infection: Avoid casual sex and always use protection Never share needles Avoid activities like tattooing, body piercing and acupuncture If you are travelling to a resource-poor country, take a sterile medical kit with you Only accept blood transfusions when it is essential
Be prepared We can help you make the most out of your trip and help protect you and your family. If you have any questions, or would like further advice about keeping safe whilst travelling, don’t hesitate to give us a call, or schedule a virtual AskMyPharmacist consultation online.
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