If you are planning foreign travel, take a moment to plan an office visit for your kids. We can provide you information on health hazards in general but also specific for your destination and travel plans. Vaccines for your destination might take a while to become effective, or need boosters. Typhoid vaccination and malaria preventive treatment need to start long before you enter a dangerous area. You can be prepared with water filters, insect repellent clothing and sunscreen in a lotion or a fabric!
At your destination we might find that:
- Accidents in motor vehicles are a huge risk in many countries (at a minimum check for seatbelts!)
- Fresh Fruits should be peeled to avoid surface bacterial contamination
- Tap water might be contaminated-
- don't use fountain drinks with ice cubes
- brush your teeth using bottled water, from a sealed bottle that you opened yourself
- consider buying a small UV water sterilizer
- Walking barefoot and swimming in freshwater streams, and ponds might expose you to parasites
- Entry from a third country might require vaccinations you didn't anticipate when you traveled from the US
Please schedule a visit as soon as you begin your travel plans but at least a couple of months before your trip. Bring an itinerary with your specific departure and return dates, each city you will visit and any unusual plans such as wilderness treks, visits to farms, high adventure activities. We will be able to tell you exactly what you need for each leg of your journey, alert you to health risks currently active and plan what treatments you need before you leave and after you return.
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