Travel Medicine
If you are considering international travel, a critical part of planning your trip is to call HealthCARE Express to get the recommended travel vaccinations and travel medicine before traveling to many countries.
In other parts of the world there are preventable diseases that are endemic and killing millions of people each year. You can prevent yourself from getting these diseases.
The travel vaccines you need depend upon the countries you plan to visit. Each travel destination requires different vaccinations and some vaccinations depend on the season of the year, your age, your current health status and any previous immunizations you may have received.
Before traveling overseas, you should verify that you have been vaccinated against:
Diphtheria
Tetanus
Pertussis
Measles
Mumps
Rubella
Varicella
Poliomyelitis
Hepatitis B
Haemophilus
Influenzae
Pneumococcal
HealthCARE Express provides affordable travel vaccines that your doctor offices cannot provide. After your immunizations, you will receive an official immunization record to keep with all your travel documents.
Depending on where you are traveling, you may be required to receive vaccinations prior to your trip. Each country has different travel vaccine requirements, so there is no universal list of travel vaccines. Vaccinations and travel medicine often require several doses prior to travel, so as soon as you know your itinerary, make an appointment with us to get your travel vaccinations in time to allow your immunity to build up prior to travel. For instance, Hepatitis B requires a booster after 30 days to increase immunity.
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an acute bacterial disease transmitted through respiratory droplets and personal contact. Diphtheria affects the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract (respiratory diphtheria), the skin (cutaneous diphtheria), and occasionally other sites (eyes, nose, or vagina).
Diphtheria remains a serious disease throughout much of the world. In particular, large outbreaks of diphtheria occurred in the 1990s throughout Russia and the other former Soviet republics. Travelers to disease-endemic areas are at increased risk for exposure to toxigenic strains of C. diphtheriae.
Areas with known endemic diphtheria include Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti and Paraguay; Asia/South Pacific — Afghanistan, China, India, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam; Middle East — Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen; Europe and other countries.
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. People with malaria often experience fever, chills, and flu-like illness. Left untreated, they may develop severe complications and die.
Each year 350-500 million cases of malaria occur worldwide, and over one million people die. About 1,300 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the United States each year. The vast majority of cases in the United States are in travelers and immigrants returning from malaria-risk areas, many from sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
Travelers to a malaria risk area should avoid mosquito bites and take a preventive anti-malarial drug.
Meningitis
Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of a person’s spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain. People sometimes refer to it as spinal meningitis. Meningitis is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection.
Viral meningitis is generally less severe and resolves without specific treatment, while bacterial meningitis can be quite severe and may result in brain damage, hearing loss, or learning disability. Some forms of bacterial meningitis are contagious.
The meningitis bacteria are spread through the exchange of respiratory and throat secretions (i.e., coughing, kissing). Fortunately, none of the bacteria that cause meningitis are as contagious as things like the common cold or the flu, and they are not spread by casual contact or by simply breathing the air where a person with meningitis has been.
Overseas travelers should check to see if meningococcal vaccine is recommended for their destination.
Tetanus
Tetanus is an acute disease characterized by muscle rigidity and painful spasms, often starting in the muscles of the jaw and neck. Severe tetanus can lead to respiratory failure and death. Tetanus is caused by a neurotoxin produced by anaerobic tetanus bacilli growing in contaminated wounds.
Lesions that are considered “tetanus prone” are wounds contaminated with dirt, feces or saliva, deep wounds, burns, crush injuries or those with necrotic tissue. Tetanus has also been associated with apparently clean superficial wounds, surgical procedures, insect bites, dental infections, chronic sores and infections, and intravenous drug use. Tetanus occurs almost exclusively in persons who are inadequately immunized and can occur anywhere there are inadequately vaccinated persons.
Typhoid Fever Vaccination
Typhoid fever is an acute, life-threatening febrile illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica Typhi. An estimated 22 million cases of typhoid fever and 200,000 related deaths occur worldwide each year. Approximately 400 cases of typhoid fever, mostly among travelers, are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention each year.
Typhoid risk is greatest for travelers to the Indian Subcontinent and other developing countries in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Travelers who are visiting relatives or friends and who may be less likely to eat only safe foods (cooked and served hot) and beverages (carbonated beverages or those made from water that has been boiled) are at greater risk.
Typhoid Vaccination is particularly recommended for those who will be traveling in smaller cities, villages, and rural areas off the usual tourist itineraries, where food and beverage choices may be more limited.
Yellow Fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted between humans by a mosquito. Most countries have regulations and requirements for yellow fever vaccination that must be met prior to entering the country. General precautions to avoid mosquito bites should be followed.
HealthCARE Express is yellow fever certified by the State Department of Health. Yellow fever vaccination proof is required for entry to many countries such as India and Brazil. Yellow fever vaccine is a live virus vaccine which has been used for several decades. A single dose confers immunity lasting 10 years or more. If a person is at continued risk of yellow fever infection, a booster dose is needed every 10 years.
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