Health and Traveling

March 28th, 2008

What Every Tourist Should Know

Canadians are noted travelers and are commonly seen in all corners of the world. However traveling outside of Canada can entail risks; risks that a prudent tourist can easily avoid with forethought and help from their doctor and pharmacist.

In 2007 Canadians made 7,400,000 trips overseas to countries (not counting trips to the United States). According to 2006 figures from Statistics Canada the top ten countries Canadians visited (not counting the United States) were:

• Mexico
• United Kingdom
• France
• Cuba
• Dominican Republic
• Germany
• Italy
• China
• The Netherlands
Source: http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/arts37a.html

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada:

If you are traveling internationally you should be
aware that conditions in other countries, both natural
and man-made, may be significantly different from
those in Canada and may seriously affect health and
personal security during travel.
Source: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/index-eng.php

Basically, when you travel, you do so at your own risk: so be careful. If you are traveling outside of Canada you may need immunization. It can take several weeks for an immunization to become effective so travelers should consult a physician two months before your trip in order to be safe. Consulting with your physician will also allow you to decide what steps need to be taken to ensure that your trip is as pleasant as possible.

The first thing you should do is make sure that your normal immunizations are brought up to date; these are the immunizations which most Canadians received in childhood for diseases like:

• Diphtheria (a bacterial infection, this disease in currently common in some Eastern European countries)
• Measles (a highly infectious disease, endemic in many parts of the world)
• Polio (a viral disease, intermittent outbreaks occur all over the world)
• Tetanus (caused by a toxin produced by bacteria and prevalent throughout the world)

The Canadian Public Health Agency also recommends a series of “normal” immunizations for diseases such as Hepatitis B (a viral disease, more serious than Hepatitis A, also fairly common in developing countries and many rural areas) and Rubella (also known as German Measles, it is caused by a virus and occurs around the world. Since the disease can cause birth defects all women of childbearing age should receive immunization).

Other diseases that you might need immunization against include:

• European tick borne Encephalitis (a viral disease fairly common in Russia and parts of Europe)
• Hepatitis A (a viral disease fairly common in developing countries and many rural areas)
• Japanese Encephalitis (a viral disease transmitted by mosquito bite, occurs throughout most of East Asia)
• Meningococcal meningitis (a bacterial infection fairly common in Sub-Saharan Africa with outbreaks that have also occurred in locales as distant as Brazil and Nepal)
• Rabies (an acute viral infection that occurs in many areas of the world)
• Typhoid (a disease caused by bacteria, outbreaks happen throughout the world)
• Yellow Fever (a viral disease that is very common in many tropical countries)

It also might be necessary to take anti-Malarial medications to control this disease which is commonly found in many tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world.

Other advice for travelers everywhere includes using anti-mosquito spray and covering (as many diseases including Yellow Fever and Malaria) are spread by mosquito bites, drinking either boiled or bottled water (to counteract simple conditions like diarrhea and more serious diseases like Typhoid) and making sure your travel insurance is up to date!

If these simple precautions are taken then traveling to new lands becomes a pleasure so take care and have fun. Taking care of the little health details early means that you can relax and enjoy the overall experience without concern. If you have any other questions or concerns please do not hesitate to ask the pharmacists at CD Whyteridge and we will do our best to help you.

Bon Voyage!

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