Health and Medical Care

HEALTH AND MEDICAL CARE AND INSURANCE

Health and Medical Insurance

• We purchased Medical Insurance and Evacuation through World Nomad Travel Insurance. We recommend for extended travel that you purchase individual medical insurance even if traveling as a couple. If for any reason you are separated or one has to fly home for an emergency or such your insurance may become invalid for the person left behind. Check with your medical travel insurance.

General Health

• All medical and dental check ups should be completed at least 6 months before leaving. These should be done before starting your course of immunizations.
• We always carry copies of prescriptions for medication and glasses, and take spare sun and reading glasses.
• Depending on your route but if traveling through areas or countries with limited or no medical facilities it is recommended you carry a comprehensive first aid and medical kit. Knowledge of tropical diseases and first aid is very helpful. Suggest you take along a good reference first aid and tropical diseases book.

Immunizations.

• When traveling, you may be at risk for a number of illnesses that can be prevented by immunization.
• Visit a travel clinic at least 6 weeks before departure to ensure sufficient time to receive all required immunizations.

Your pre-travel health assessment provides an opportunity to review your immunization history and assess your needs based on where you plan to travel, what you plan to do and your own individual health concerns. Additional shots may be recommended depending on your age, anticipated travel activities and local conditions.  Remember that prevention of infection through immunization is a lifelong process.

The following immunization may be required prior to travel:

Routine Immunizations

• Tetanus diphtheria pertussis (whooping cough)
• Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
• Human papillomavirus (HPV) female travelers
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Meningococcal disease
• Zoster chicken pox
• Influenza
• Pneumococcal disease

• Varicella

Recommended Immunizations, we also received the following

• Cholera
• Polio
• Rabies
• Typhoid

Required immunizations, mandatory for travel in Sub Sahara Africa and tropical South America

• Yellow fever

Malaria

Our biggest health risk in Africa was getting malaria. We have both had malaria so know the importance of taking malaria prophylaxis. We also carry a good supply of DEET.

Malaria is a common and serious infection in many tropical and subtropical countries, and it can be fatal. At this time, an anti-malarial vaccine that provides effective protection for travelers is not available. Therefore, when traveling to an area where malaria occurs, you need to follow two measures to reduce your risk of infection:

(1) Protect yourself against mosquito bites and

(2) Take anti-malarial medication.

Anti-malarial medication decreases your risk but doesn’t provide 100 percent protection against the disease. The medication must be taken before, during and after travel. As with all drugs, this medication can have side effects and contraindications (conditions for which its use is inadvisable). Through an individual health assessment, your health care provider can give you a prescription for the appropriate anti-malarial medication for your needs.
Spray your tent well with permethrin; it is really effective in keeping mosquitoes out of your tent.

MEDICAL AID KIT

There are the questions what should one take in a medical aid kit. There are several organizations that sell expedition medical aid kits. What you decide to take depends on where you are going, how remote you will be and your ability to access medical care and the expertise of the team members.