Healthy travels

We're down to about two weeks to go before departure so it's a good time to talk about how we stay healthy on the journey.  We advise all our travelers to start with a visit to their international travel clinic for expert advise specific to the region of Iringa, Tanzania.

On my recent visit, I got an update on typical health threats -- malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis A & B, rabies, cholera, tuberculosis, dengue fever, schistosomiasis, the presence of HIV/AIDS, and the ever present traveler's diarrhea.  There are lots of handouts and brochures to read after a visit to the travel clinic.

Most of us get a variety of vaccines -- this time I was due for another yellow fever vaccine, tetanus, and typhoid.  Other years I've completed a cycle of three shots for hepatitis A&B.

In addition to the shots and the reading material, we leave the clinic with prescriptions for malarone, an anti-malaria medication that we take daily while in country and for a week upon our return, and a prescription for Cipro or some other antibiotic to remedy the extreme case of traveler's diarrhea.

I also bought a good basic first aid kit and an insect repellant with 30+% DEET.  I'll round out my supplies with a few more basic over the counter meds -- advil, sudafed, antibiotic ointment, pepto bismol and immodium. And sunscreen! Most of these items we could purchase there if we needed to but in most cases it's just easier to come prepared for whatever might hit you.

Aside from all that, the best health measures are simply good hand washing and observing a few cautions about the food and drink.  We use bottled water, even for brushing our teeth.  We eat at restaurants we know and stay away from food sold by street vendors.  We avoid most dairy foods, make sure meat is well cooked, eat cooked rather than fresh vegies, and only eat fruits with a thick peel like bananas, pineapple, oranges, mango...

Most of our travelers never need the supplies they bring "just in case" and we're grateful for that.  Our hosts take great care of us and watch us carefully for signs of our health.  They are quick to ease our burdens and urge us to rest when they think we have overexerted ourselves.

Here's to safe and healthy travels!