Module 5: Travel Medicine - Pre-Travel Management

PRE-TRAVEL MANAGEMENT:

Pre-travel medical:

• Perform a medical review to ascertain whether the individual is:
  • fit to travel (fly, go on a boat).
  • any contraindications to fly.
  • has any conditions prohibiting him/her from travelling to a particular environment.
  • suffering from any medical condition that may require emergency care or medical care.
• Inform and educate the individual about risks - travel and host location. Provide updates on recent risks.
• Provide necessary vaccinations and prophylaxis.
• Provide a travel kit.
• Ensure adequate medication in the event of pre-existing disease.

Inform about precautions regarding:

• Food consumption.
• Water consumption and purification.
• Contact with fresh and salt water.
• Walking barefoot.
• Animal contact.
• Close interpersonal contact (for example, sexually transmitted diseases).
• HIV/Aids (risk factor MMM - "mobile men with money").
• Safety and security.

Prevention and self-treatment:

• Travel health kits.
• Chemoprophylaxis (such as malaria, traveler’s diarrhea, filariasis).
• Self treatment (for example, diarrhea, malaria).
• Personal protective measures (such as restriction of outdoor activity at dawn and dusk and barrier protection (such as bed nets, insect repellents).

Provision for medical care abroad:

• Procedures for locating medical care abroad.
• Blood transfusion guidelines for international travelers.
• Limitations of standard medical coverage during international travel and alternative medical insurance for international travelers.
• Aeromedical evacuation.