Travellers should be careful about their health when travelling overseas. Some of the highlighted risks are infectious diseases, allergies, and even insect bites. Precautions in taking food, water and beverages are also highly recommended by health experts. Dr Erum Bilal is a general practitioner and also a frequent traveller herself. She suggests seeing the doctor before travelling and taking advice. She emphasizes consultation with a regular GP or doctor as the first important step before you get on board. GP can suggest various precautions and also advise about any immunization requirement and other prescriptions.
"Prescribed medications and subscriptions can also help overseas. Travellers could have restrictions on taking in and out large quantities of medicines but your GP doctor can issue you a special letter with your prescriptions that could allow you to take out up to six months of dosage without any quarantine restrictions".
Dr Erum categorises travelling guidelines into three parts: Before travel, during the journey, and during an overseas stay.
Before travel:
Visiting your GP and taking advice according to your specific conditions is highly recommended before you travel. Prescriptions for up to six months' dosage of all critically required medicine can be taken abroad. Ask for vaccination according to the listed diseases common in visiting country. Your GP should be your first point of contact and it is advisable to visit the GP approximately three to four weeks before you travel. Your Doctor can also advise on vaccinations recommended for that part of the world where you will be visiting. For example, if someone is travelling to Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka or any other closed regional country then GP can suggest vaccinations against Typhoid, Malaria, Flu, Polio, and Hepatitis (Could vary for a specific country). These vaccines are generally recommended for those intending to travel in the region.
Source: AAP
During the travel:
Take measures against motion sickness, sleep well before flying and avoid sedative drugs/items during a plane journey. Do regular exercises and measures against deep vein thrombosis (DTV) that could produce blood clots. Swelling in the legs, thighs, and calf are a few of the symptoms of DTV and regular moments, exercise and walking can reduce the risk but these are not a cure for the severe conditions. Compression stockings/socks could also be used for improving blood circulation. Compression socks are commonly available in the local pharmacy.
Source: AAP
The Australian government's HealthDirect program also advises about the care required during long air journeys.
If the traveller will be taking a long-haul flight make sure to drink plenty of fluids and regularly exercise your leg muscles while on the flight to help prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Australian national carrier Qantas recommends various in-flight exercises with images on its “your health inflight” information page. Dr Erum says it is important to see your doctor before travelling if you could be at high risk of developing DVT such as if you have had recent surgery, are pregnant have other medical conditions. People who are travelling to the Indian subcontinent region might face a problem with SMOG in some cities. SMOG is a climate condition where fog and haze are intensified by atmospheric pollution and smoke. SMOG is more intensified in larger cities during a winter morning. It is suggested to keep prepared for dealing with it especially if the visitor has respiratory allergies or asthma conditions. Face masks and nasal sprays could also be helpful.
Specialized travel medical kits can also be obtained from the pharmacy that contains prescription medications for treating simple travel illnesses such as motion sickens. GP can provide expert advice about health risks at a destination, including vaccines and any other medication needs to take.
During overseas stay:
Experts' advice is to take fresh and hot food items, avoid cold drinks/ice cream and tap water, and walk-in sunlight to shorten the jet-lag period. She also warns about insect bites diseases such as dingy virus and malaria. Insect repellent or traditional mosquito nets can be helpful to save from a mosquito. If you have to visit a doctor, clinic or hospital, then do some homework and take a referral from friends and relatives before selecting a clinic. There are many high-standard clinics and hospitals serving outpatients with high-quality standards. Always consult a local doctor before buying counter medicines as some prescribed medicines such as antibiotics, could also be available on the counter without prescriptions. Dr Erum also advised using only pasteurized dairy products. Non-sealed yogurt and open milk should be avoided. Greasy sweets and spicy food could be over-tempt but your health and fitness during the trip are more important than the short-term satisfaction of your taste buds. Boiled or sealed bottled water can save you from doctor visits as some home or commercially filtered water could not be as safe as they claim.
Source: Getty
Care should also be taken to settle down after returning back to Australia.
A settlement with Jet-lag and body clock adjustment is necessary before starting routine tasks. Always keep 24-48 hours in hand for settling down before joining back to work.
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