While most travellers have a safe and healthy trip, no travel is risk free. The following information is designed to help you stay safe and healthy throughout your trip.

Water

Diseases can be caught from drinking or swimming in contaminated water, unless you know a water supply is safe where you are staying only use:

• Boiled water, bottled water or water treated with a sterilising agent.

This includes avoiding ice cubes in drinks and tap water for brushing teeth.

Food

Contaminated food is the most common source of many diseases abroad. You can help prevent illness by:

• Only eating well-cooked fresh food
• Avoiding leftovers and re-heated food
• Ensuring all meat is thoroughly cooked
• Avoiding salads
• Only eating fruits that need to be peeled
• Avoiding unpasteurised dairy products
• Avoiding high risk foods such as shellfish
• Avoiding food sold by street vendors

Personal Hygiene

Always wash your hands with soap after going to the toilet, before eating or pre-paring food. Consider carrying hand gel.

Traveller’s Diarrhoea

This is the most common illness that traveller’s are exposed to abroad. Diarrhoea is caused by eating or drinking food/water contaminated by bacteria, viruses or parasites. You can help prevent this by following the advice above.

If you do contract diarrhoea, make sure to drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
Consider taking oral rehydration solutions away with you – for example: Dioralyte, these can be bought over the counter from a pharmacy. These can be particularly useful in young children and the elderly.

Seek medical assistance if: diarrhoea continues for more than 48 hours (24 hours in children), A temperature develops, there is blood in the diarrhoea, or the traveller develops confusion.

Alcohol

Avoid alcohol before swimming and be aware if you drink to excess, alcohol could lead you to become carefree and take risks you would otherwise not consider.

Accidents

Are a major leading cause of death in travellers abroad. Help reduce the risk of accidents by:

• Avoiding alcohol and food before swimming
• Only swim in safe water; assess currents, risk of sharks, jellyfish, etc.
• Never dive into water where you are uncertain of depth
• Avoid hiring motorcycles and mopeds
• If hiring a car, rent a large one if possible, ensure the tyres, brakes and seat belts are in good condition.
• Only use reliable taxi firms and know the location of emergency facilities.

Hepatitis B and HIV Infection

These very serious illnesses are usually transmitted through contact with blood or body fluids, use of unclean medical equipment, sharing needles and unprotected sex.

Protect yourself by:

• Avoiding procedures which will break the skin, e.g.: ear and body piercing, tattooing and acupuncture.
• Avoiding casual sex, especially without use of condoms
• Only accept a blood transfusion when essential
• If travelling to a resource poor country, take a sterile medical kit

Animal Bites

Rabies is present in many parts of the world. If a person develops rabies, death is almost 100% certain.

Protect against rabies:

• Do not approach/touch any animal including cats and dogs
• If you are scratched, bitten or licked on broken skin by an animal in a country which has rabies, wash the wound immediately for 10-15 minutes then apply anti-septic solution. Such pre-cautions also apply if you are licked by the animal with their saliva coming into contact with your eyes or inside your mouth.
• Seek medical advice immediately, even if you have been previously immunised against rabies.

Bite Avoidance

Insect bites can cause many different diseases, including dengue fever and malaria.
Some bite at night and some in the day so 24hr protection is required. Protect yourself by:

• Covering up as much skin as possible if going out at night.
• Spray your clothes and exposed skin with insect repellent (A content of up to 50% DEET is recommended for tropical destinations).
• Close room shutters early in the evening and spray rooms with insect repellents.
• In malarious regions always sleep under a mosquito net which is impregnated with a suitable insecticide.
• Don’t camp near stagnant water, these are common mosquito breeding grounds.
• Use electronic insecticide vaporisers; however be aware of power failures!
• Take anti-malarial tablets if travelling to a malarious country. It is essential to complete the course. Remember malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease. If you develop flu like symptoms, seek medical help immediately and say you have been abroad.

Remember the ABCD of Malaria protection:

• Awareness of the risk, the incubation period and the main symptoms
• Bite prevention, particularly from dusk till dawn
• Chemoprophylaxis , appropriate anti-malarial medication
• Diagnosis, seek medical attention and treatment if fever develops 1 week or more after entering an area where malaria is a risk and up to 1 year on return.

Insurance

Take out adequate insurance cover, possibly covering you for repatriation. Make sure you declare any existing health issues. If you are travelling within the EU, also apply for a GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card); previously European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

Personal Safety

The Foreign and Commonwealth office (FCO) have excellent information about this. They have information for different types of travel and also advise on specific countries in times of political unrest or natural disasters. Please visit their website for further information.

Air Travel

Try to exercise your legs, feet and toes while sitting every half hour or so and take short walks if possible to do so.

Drink plenty of water and be sensible with alcohol intake which in excess can lead to dehydration.

Sun Protection

Sun burn and heat stroke can cause serious problems in travellers and in the long term can be a cause of skin cancers. Protect against the sun by:

• Avoiding direct sunshine between 11am-3pm.
• Increasing sun exposure gradually.
• Using High ‘SPF’ sun blocks with both UVA and UVB protection. Reapply often and always after swimming/washing, follow manufacturer instructions.
• Always apply sunscreen first and insect repellent on top.
• Wearing protective clothing e.g.: sunhats, sunglasses, tshirts, Especially important for children, those with pale skin/red hair.
• Drinking plenty of fluids and being aware alcohol can make you dehydrated.

Further Information

Nathnac – National travel health network and centre, NHS public travel site for general advice on all aspects of travel and country specific information, including malaria maps.

• www.travelhealthpro.org.uk

NHS Choices – Look at travel health in the A-Z section and travel health in the live well section.

• www.nhs.uk

FCO – Foreign and Commonwealth Office, especially useful for safety and security.

• www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-office