Vaccinations and Travel Medical Centers
International travel often means required and recommended vaccinations and travel medical centers are the best place to help you with this. Specialist travel medical centers can advise and administer the vaccinations or other prescribed medicine (eg malaria tablets) that are required and recommended by country prior to your departure. Your travel agent will also know what is required and recommended. These medications often require you to take them or have them administered several days or weeks ahead of time. This is to allow the medication to work effectively so you need to be prepared. A regular approach to managing your health while you travel is as important as you regular health management approach.
The best approach is to go to a specialist travel medical center that deals with travel medicine day in day out. All the major cities in the world have these medical centers. Make an annual appointment to talk to the doctor about where you are likely to be going in the coming year. Also talk about any issues you have had while traveling in the prior year. They can provide destination specific advice on health risks that you might encounter and how to minimize these risks. They will have readily available stocks of all vaccinations and medications for travel. They can give general advice on managing medical issues and how that relates to travelling (eg the impact of travelling on your existing health issues). They will be able to advise you on jetlag management, deep vein thrombosis management and other travel associated health issues. Click through to Staying Healthy In the Air, for further information on staying healthy in the air.
Your specialist travel medical center will be able to give you the vaccinations and other medication while you are there. They will also give you prescriptions for anything else that they recommend that you take with respect to travel. This may seem obvious however, a regular medical center is not likely to have all these medications available and you may need to go to a pharmacy/drug store which may need to order them in, thus requiring two or three visits.
International Certificate of Vaccinations
When you receive vaccinations, ask for an “International Certificate of Vaccinations”. This is a booklet that highlights the vaccinations you have had and the date by which you need to have your next vaccination or booster shot. It is internationally recognized by governments globally and the World Health Organization. The “International Certificates of Vaccinations” is a good tool for the following reasons:
- In the case of some diseases, eg Yellow Fever, Immigration will not let you into the country without proof of having had the vaccination. The “International Certificate of Vaccinations” signed and stamped by the doctor who administered the vaccination is the official certification that you have had the required dosages.
- Even when the vaccinations are recommended, not required by law, the “International Certificate of Vaccination” is the globally recognized document for this.
- Vaccinations last varying time periods so the “International Certificate of Vaccinations” is the best way for you to keep track of the several vaccinations you will be having (depending on where you are going).
- This is a useful tool if you do fall ill and go to a hospital or medical center in a foreign country. It will indicate all the details the attending physician requires.
