ShareThisThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges travelers to see its travelers' health Web site wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/ ahead of time to learn about any disease risks and health recommendations for areas they plan to visit. Among its recommendations:
-- See a doctor familiar with travel medicine at least four to six weeks before you leave to answer your questions.
-- Travelers to Mexico who are at high risk of severe illness from flu (people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, lung disease and heart disease, and the elderly) should take antiviral medications against swine flu.
-- Make sure all routine vaccinations are up to date.
-- Pack first aid and medical supplies.
-- Know health-care resources in the area you will be visiting.
-- Check if your health-insurance plan will cover you abroad. Consider purchasing insurance that covers medical evacuation in case you become sick.
-- While you are in an area affected by swine flu, stay informed on the local situation and heed public announcements.
-- Practice healthy habits: Wash your hands often with soap and water and use alcohol-based hand gels when soap is not available. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you have no tissue, cough or sneeze into an upper sleeve, not into your hands.
-- If you are ill with fever and other symptoms of swine flu, such as cough and sore throat, see a doctor.
-- After you return from Mexico, if you become ill with symptoms, contact a doctor. Stay home from work or school.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
