The food and beverage choices you make while travelling can impact your chance of getting sick. Contaminated food or beverages can cause traveller's diarrhoea and other diseases. Stay healthy abroad by making smart food and beverage choices. If you aren’t sure if a particular food or beverage is safe, the saying “boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it” may help you decide whether it’s okay to consume.
Here are some suggested tips for choosing safe food and water while travelling:
Mosquitoes can spread serious, sometimes fatal infectious diseases, many of which cannot be prevented with vaccines. Therefore, effective prevention of mosquito bites is necessary to lower the likelihood of catching one of these diseases.
Talk to a travel health specialist about how to avoid mosquito bites by the mosquitoes that transmit certain infectious diseases. Some options include:
Be sure to bring your own insect repellent on your trip. Your preferred product may not be available in other countries.
The contents of your medical kit will depend on your trip schedule, destination, length of stay, style of travel, and whether you will have access to medical facilities.
Things to consider as a starting point:
Bites from monkeys, dogs, bats, rodents, and other animals frequently encountered during foreign travel could lead to a serious infection. In some cases, these animals’ saliva can be so heavily contaminated with pathogens (viruses, bacteria, and parasites) that you can get an infection if saliva gets into an existing cut or other body tissues.
Before you leave, you should have a current tetanus vaccination or proof of a booster vaccination in the past five to 10 years. A travel health specialist should assess if you need a pre-exposure rabies vaccination.
While travelling, never try to pet, handle, or feed unfamiliar domestic or wild animals, even in captive settings such as game ranches or petting zoos. Take particular care in areas where rabies is found. Also be sure to watch young children carefully, as they have a greater chance of being bitten and sustaining more severe injuries from animal bites.
Travel health experts advise preparing for a trip four to six weeks before your planned departure to ensure you’re well prepared to travel safely. By booking an appointment with your GP, local private travel clinic, or pharmacy as early as possible before your trip, you will be able to talk through any health concerns, receive important travel health advice, and get the vaccinations you need before you travel.
Remember - vaccination may help protect you from contracting certain diseases while travelling. Specific vaccinations may be required for entry into certain countries.
Be in the know before you go! We’ve gathered some helpful resources below.
Travel Health Pro Fit for Travel NHS - TRAVEL VACCINATIONS Gov.UK Foreign Travel Advice World Health Organization International Travel and HealthLinks to all outside websites are provided as a resource to our visitors. Emergent accepts no responsibility for the content of other websites.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in the package leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Report Side EffectsIf you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in the package leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
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