3
traveling (less per capita cardiac deaths in age related travelers), but more risk prone
(higher trauma death rate).
Observing the following precautions can minimize traumatic travel risk:
·
Don't ride on the back of trucks
·
Use helmets on motorcycles and bicycles
·
Use seat belts
·
Avoid unscheduled aircraft
·
Carefully select swimming areas and avoid alcohol consumption when swimming
·
Avoid travel or driving at night
·
Encourage traveling in groups or pairs.
Disease Risk Assessment
Disease risk assessment and recommendations are found on multiple governmental sites.
In addition to the sites listed earlier, the primary US source is the Centers for Disease
Control at
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/
The World Health site is:
http://www.who.int/ith/
Many private travel medicine sites reproduce material from the above sites. An
informative pharmaceutical industry portal site is:
http://www.surf-for-safe-travel.com
,
which is financed by GalaxoSmithKline. It in turn will link you to
http://www.fitfortravel.com/en/
, the website of the University of Munich Tropical
Institute;
http://www.worldwidevaccines.com/
, the home site of GSK in Rixensart,
Belgium (the site is marked "The site is not intended for US audiences), and
http://www.travelmedicineweb.org/
, which is also funded by GSK containing articles
especially written for this site and links to many outside sites such as commercial CME
offerings, etc. Another portal site is
http://www.us.aventispasteur.com
with multiple
resource areas for both professional and public access.
IAMAT is a non-profit membership that maintains a network of physicians - general
practitioners and specialists, hospitals and clinics around the world - who have agreed to
treat IAMAT members in need of medical care during their journey. Their aim is also to
advise travelers about health risks, the geographical distribution of diseases,
immunization requirements, sanitary conditions of water, milk and food, and
environmental and climatic conditions around the world. Its website,
http://www.iamat.org
, contains unique, non-government filtered disease risk information
and specific recommendations for international immunization compiled by its
international scientific advisory board. Membership in IAMAT is free and access to the
website is immediate even without membership.
