The standard of public health in the country you'll be visiting is the key issue. For example, trips to Europe generally don't require special preventive measures, Dr. Haburchak said. But in some underdeveloped countries, poor sanitation, both in waste and water treatment and food handling, can produce breeding grounds for diseases most Americans don't see inside their own country's borders. Insects also can transmit disease, such as fleas that transmit bubonic plague from rats to humans, or mosquitoes that transmit malaria. How close you'll be to nature also is a factor.
Flu shots are common.
But, particularly as many organisms become antibiotic-resistant, physicians recommend that anyone age 65 and older also have a shot to prevent the most common form of bacterial pneumonia. Also, if you have chronic health problems, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, it's helpful to get some advice about managing your disease while you travel. Information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention helps him research a country a traveler will visit. Also, The Physician's Update on International Health is a vast, continuously updated resource that tracks infectious diseases in different countries, as well as handy information such as phone numbers for the American embassies and doctors to see in those countries. Travelers can contact Dr. Haburchak while they travel by E-mail, fax or telephone if they run into problems.