Travel medicine: don't leave home without it.

• Author: Tricker, Jennifer
• Position: Business Travel

THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT OF international travel from the U.S. is work-related, according to a recent U.S. Department of Commerce report. CEOs, managers, engineers and contractors fly to all parts of the world every day to visit customers, sister companies, manufacturing plants and other resources from Bahrain to Bangladesh. The failure of business travelers to obtain preventive medication and vaccinations can result in unnecessary illness, medical expense and the potential spread of contagious diseases within their local communities.

Six weeks before trip. Dr. Curtis Gongwer of Family Care Associates in South Bend recommends "pre-trip consultation four to six weeks prior to an international trip to ensure adequate protection from any necessary vaccines." Though he adds that if it is necessary to leave with less notice, "an accelerated vaccine series is available, but requires an extra dose post-trip." Upon initial consult, Dr. Anthony Warner, director of the Department of Occupational Medicine of Hammond Clinic, always begins with what he calls his "w's." These include: Where are you going? Why are you going? What will you be doing there? When will you be leaving? Whom will you be traveling with? When will you return?

Along with a personal health history, most physicians use the type of questioning above to ascertain what, if any, vaccinations or specific precautions are necessary pre-travel. For example, travelers who visit developing countries are considered high-risk for hepatitis A, the most common vaccine-preventable disease of travelers. Also, depending on the destination, travelers may need an International Certificate of Vaccination, or "vaccine visa," to prove immunization for yellow fever, one of the only vaccinations mandated by the World Health Organization when traveling between certain countries.

Jonathan Green, physician assistant at St. Mary's Occupational Health in Evansville, points out that "there's a lot more to it than shots" though. And he's right. No vaccines exist for the two most common travelers' maladies. Malaria, carried by mosquitoes and the most prevalent infectious disease, can be found in many parts of the world, including sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, tropical South America, southeast Asia and India. Taking antimalarial medication during and for several weeks after a trip cannot guarantee you won't contract malaria, but can significantly decrease the likelihood of any blood-borne parasites converting to...