Going on vacation is always exciting but knowing the risks associated with diseases and illness in the region you are visiting is important. Remaining healthy throughout your holiday is not only important for your enjoyment but also for your long term health, especially when visiting developing nations.
Know the health risks of your destination
Before you go anywhere overseas, knowing the health risks of the destination or destinations you are travelling to is important. visiting your local GP is a great way to go about this as they will be able to inform you of risks and may be able to put you in touch with a special travel doctor should they need to.
Your GP will be able to advise you on the basics to take with you as part of your toiletries that will be able to help you to deal with any minor health issues whilst you are away. This will ensure that you are prepared for all situations and do not have to spend your day searching for medicines but can instead find a quick solution and continue your holiday.
Get vaccinated
Getting the required vaccinations is important and follows on from your GP visit as outlined above. No matter where you are going it is important that you are up to date with all of your vaccinations, such as tetanus and hepatitis, and get any of the destination-specific vaccinations to prevent against diseases such as rabies, malaria and yellow fever.
The important element of this step is that it is done well in advance of departing the country. Some vaccinations require a number of separate doses whilst others will also need to be completed a number of weeks prior to departing the country to ensure that you are properly vaccinated and your body has had time to build up resistance. However, it is advised that some protection is better than none at all so it is never too late to pay your doctor a visit for the vaccines.
Ensure your prescriptions are renewed
Before you embark on an overseas holiday you want to ensure that you have all of your necessary medications available and have additional prescriptions in case you lose or run out of them whilst away. This is another precautionary action, but again, you do not want to be without necessary medications whilst overseas and have to deal with local medical professionals or simply have a lower quality of time away.
In addition, it is advised that you check if any over-the-counter medicines in Australia require a prescription in your destination country. This of course can be overcome by taking a travel kit of medications with you, however, it is also a good idea to know what can and cannot be bought over-the-counter.
All of these steps are designed to reduce the risk of contracting a disease whilst overseas. It is strongly advised that you take all of the necessary precautions against diseases when travelling overseas due to the list of unknowns. The quality and/or costs of medical care may be poor or unattainable, respectively.
David Smith was born and raised in Calgary Alberta and loves to share his passion for health and fitness with others. Apart from running his own podcast, which uploads weekly shows that covers current health trends, he spends his time canoeing and backpacking. David recently spent a summer working at the CFIA as a health supplement reviewer. In regards to academics, David studied kinesiology at Guelph University.
