(NC)-As the weather starts to cool, Canadians often turn to their favourite sunny destination to escape the winter blues. Dr. Jay Keystone, a travel medicine and tropical disease specialist from the University of Toronto, answers some common travel health questions.
Q. I'm taking a cruise that stops at several Caribbean
islands, as well as mainland Mexico. Should I get any special
vaccinations before I leave?
A. It's always a good idea to consult a travel medicine clinic,
or your family doctor, before travelling to tropical
destinations. Understanding the potential health risks in
certain regions of the world, even popular sunny destinations,
is important to ensuring that you have a safe and healthy
holiday.
Make sure that your routine immunizations are up to date,
including diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio,
measles, mumps and rubella.
Hepatitis A is common in many popular sun destinations and
according to the World Health Organization, Mexico and some
Caribbean islands are considered moderate to high risk areas
for Hepatitis B infection. For this reason, I recommend that
most travellers be vaccinated against both Hepatitis A and B.
You should also consider taking anti-malarial medications in
Haiti and in parts of Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Finally, it is always wise to be prepared for a bout of
traveller's diarrhea, so be sure to bring along an
antidiarrheal treatment which usually consists of an antibiotic
and a drug to slow diarrhea.
Q. I've been told I should get a hepatitis vaccination before I
go on holiday. Is this really necessary if I'm staying in a
nice resort and don't drink the water?
A. Hepatitis A and B are serious liver diseases, and the risk
of infection is greater than many people think. This is why
it's important to know how it can be contracted.
Not drinking the local water and avoiding ice cubes is
definitely a good start - but it's not enough. Hepatitis A is
mostly contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food or
water. Other common ways to come in contact with the virus
include swallowing contaminated water when swimming or being
exposed through food handlers who unknowingly contaminate your
food by not thoroughly washing their hands before preparing
your meals.
Unfortunately, high end hotels are no guarantee of clean water
or food.
Similarly, Hepatitis B can also be contracted in ways that you
might not think. For example, you could have an accident or
require emergency dental work when on holiday and your
treatment could be administered using contaminated medical
equipment. Even simple activities such as manicures or
pedicures may increase a person's risk of infection if
contaminated spa tools are used.
These are just some of the many ways that you could be exposed
to hepatitis viruses, so the best way to protect yourself is to
get vaccinated for both Hepatitis A and B before travelling.
Q. How soon before I travel should I make an appointment with
the doctor?
A. It is always a good idea to go to the doctor as soon as
you've booked your vacation. Some vaccinations need to be given
at least four or five weeks in advance of your trip in order to
be effective.
