It explains briefly the medical consultations for travelers to help them prevent catching disease during travel.

2. Introduction
• All individuals planning travel should seek advice on the
potential hazards in their chosen destinations and
understand how best to protect their health and minimize
the risk of acquiring disease.
• Forward planning, appropriate preventive measures and
careful precautions can protect their health and minimize
the risks of accident and of acquiring disease.
• Although the medical profession and the travel industry
can provide extensive help and sound advice, it remains
the traveller’s responsibility to seek information, to
understand the risks involved and to take the necessary
precautions to protect their health while travelling.

3. General precautions
• Travel-related risks
• Medical consultation before travel
• Assessment of health risks associated with travel
• Medical kit and toilet items
• travellers pre-existing medical conditions and
special needs
• Insurance for travellers
• Role of travel industry professionals
• Responsibility of the traveller
• Medical examination after travel

4. Travel-related risks
•destination(s)
•duration and season of travel
•purpose of travel
•standards of accommodation, food hygiene and
sanitation
•behaviour of the traveller
•underlying health of the traveller.

5. Medical consultation before travel
• take place at least 4–8 weeks before the journey
• last-minute travellers can also benefit from a
medical consultation
I. include information about the most important
health risks (including traffic accidents)
II. determine the need for any vaccinations
and/or antimalarial medication
III. dentify any other medical items that the
traveller may require.
• Dental, gynaecological and age-appropriate
examinations are advisable

6. Assessment of health risks associated
with travel
1. Malaria: insect repellent, barriers, window
screen, mosquito nets, use of medications as
chloroquine.
2. Traveller diarrhea (Montezuma's revenge):
• No Prophylactic treatment
• immed iate use of medications- such as
ciprofloxacin usually dramatically limits the
duration of the illness.

7. Assessment of health risks associated
with travel
• Motion sickness
• Insect bites
• Food and water risks
• Altitude sickness
• Injuries
• animals

8. Immunization recommendation
• Vaccinations are often recommended or
required for the traveler
• no vaccine is 100 percent effective in
protecting against illness
• Vaccination is no substitute for taking
precautions to reduce exposure to pathogenic
agents

9. Vaccination recommendations
• Routine immunizations.
• Additional immunizations (influenza, Yellow
fever, meningiococci…etc)
• Vaccine certificate requirement:
International certificate of vaccination

10. MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE
• Vaccine may be required for pilgrims to
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the Hajj and
Umrah.
• Vaccination is recommended for travel to any
country experiencing an epidemic due to a
vaccine-preventable strain (A, C, Y, W-135), as
generally recognized by issuance of a CDC and
or WHO trave l advisory.

11. Meningiococcal vaccine

12. Medical kit and toilet items
• adhesive tape
• antiseptic wound cleanser
or alkaline soap
• bandages
• scissors
• safety pins
• emollient (lubricant) eye
drops
• insect repellent
• insect bite treatment
• antihistamine tablets
• nasal decongestant
• oral rehydration salts
•simple analgesic (e.g.
paracetamol)
•sterile dressing
•clinical thermometer
•sunscreen
•earplugs
•tweezers
•adhesive strips to close small
wounds.
•Additional items according to
destination and individual
needs:
•medication for pre-existing
medical conditions
•antidiarrhoeal medication (to
include an antisecretory agent,
an antimotility drug, oral
rehydration salts, with
appropriate written instructions
regarding their use)

13. Travellers with pre-existing medical
conditions and special needs
• Age: air travel contraindicated for infants less than 48 h old
• Pregnancy: Airlines impose some travel restrictions in late
pregnancy and in the neonatal period
• Pre-existing illness
• People suffering from underlying chronic illnesses should seek
medical advice before planning a journey. Conditions that increase
health risks during travel include:
• cardiovascular disorders
• chronic hepatitis
• chronic inflammatory bowel disease
• chronic renal disease requiring dialysis
• chronic respiratory diseases
• diabetes mellitus
• epilepsy

14. Insurance for travellers
• Travellers are advised (i) to seek information
about possible reciprocal health-care
agreements between the country of residence
and the destination
• (ii) to obtain comprehensive travellers’ health
insurance for destinations where health risks
are significant and medical care is expensive
or not readily available.

15. Role of travel industry professionals
• Advise travellers to consult a travel medicine clinic or medical
practitioner preferably 4–8 weeks before departure.
• Advise last-minute travellers to visit to a travel medicine clinic or
medical practitioner, which can be done as late as the day before
or day of departure.
• Inform travellers of any particular hazards to personal safety and
security presented by the destination and suggest appropriate
precautions including checking authoritative web sites
• Encourage travellers to take out comprehensive travellers’ health
insurance and provide information on available policies.
• Inform travellers of the procedures for obtaining assistance and
reimbursement, particularly if the insurance policy is arranged by
the travel agent or company.

16. Responsibility of the traveller
• the decision to travel;
• recognizing and accepting any risks involved;
• seeking health advice in good time, preferably 4–8 weeks
before travel;
• complying with recommended vaccinations and other
prescribed medication and health measures;
• careful planning before departure;
• carrying a medical kit and understanding its use;
• obtaining adequate insurance cover;
• taking health precautions before, during and after the
journey;
• obtaining a physician’s attestation pertaining to any
prescription medicines, syringes, etc. being carried;
• the health and well-being of accompanying children;
• taking precautions to avoid transmitting any infectious
disease to others during and after travel

17. Medical examination after travel
If the traveller:
• return with a fever from a country where malaria is or may be
present, so that malaria can be excluded as a cause of their illness
• suffer from a chronic disease, such as cardiovascular disease,
diabetes mellitus, or chronic respiratory disease or have been
taking anticoagulants;
• experience illness in the weeks following their return home,
particularly if fever, persistent diarrhoea, vomiting, jaundice, urinary
disorders, skin disease or genital infection occurs;
• they received treatment for malaria while travelling;
• may have been exposed to a serious infectious disease while
travelling;
• have spent more than 3 months in a developing country.

18. Thank you