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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Travel Medicine?
Travel Medicine (TM) is a nontraditional medical specialty, which has evolved over the last decade in response to a growing demand for information regarding advice to prospective travelers as well as evaluations of ill returning travelers. A TM practice is dedicated to all factors that can affect the health and well-being of people during travel and draws from a variety of medical fields such as:
- Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health and Preventive Medicine
- Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
- Bioterrorism
- Geographic/ Environmental/Wilderness/Adventure Medicine
- Zoonotic Diseases/Diseases Related to Animals/Veterinary Medicine
 Vector-Borne Diseases/Vector Biology
- Parasitology
- Genetic Diseases in Ethnic Groups
- Health and Human Rights
- Complex Humanitarian Assistance During Conflict and Natural Disasters
- Immigration and Human Migration
- Cultural Diversity
- Social and Geopolitical Structure
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Who are our clients?
The clients for these services are basically, anyone who travels, including:
- High tech and multinational companies that send people overseas
- Retirement communities
- Adventure enthusiasts
- Missionaries/Peace Corps volunteers
- Medical Relief Workers
- Non-government Organizations/NGOs
- Returning travelers
- Foreign exchange students/professors
- Government workers
- Migrants, immigrants, and refugees
- Individuals with families overseas
- Foreign Visitors
- Prospective parents of international adoptees
- Physicians in the community
- Human Rights’/Advocacy/and other Special Interest groups
- International social organizations
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What is a Pre-Travel Consultation?
At Travel Medicine Consultants we will customize your consultation based on your wishes, needs, and level of experience. We are a full service medical practice dedicated to providing far more in depth counseling and evaluations to prospective travelers than is usually available. For example,
- What kinds of medicines are given to prevent malaria? Which ones can be taken during pregnancy or given to newborns?
- How should a diabetic keep insulin cold during a safari to Africa?
- How should someone with high blood pressure prevent altitude illness?
- What immunizations should be given to a cancer patient going down the Amazon River?
- What immunizations should be given to a 6 month-old baby going to Cambodia?
- How can medical missionaries and relief workers help protect themselves against HIV in case of accidental needle stick?
- How should a woman in her second trimester of pregnancy be advised for travel to Nepal?
- How long after SCUBA diving should you wait before flying? And what is the first line of treatment for someone stung by a Portuguese Man of War?
- How does travel advice differ for individuals going to an area for a two-week holiday as opposed to a two-year Peace Corps assignment?
- What kinds of insect repellants should be used on babies?
- How do you make water safe for drinking?
 Using intake forms and personal interviews we assess your current health history for any pertinent conditions such as asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. We document all the medicines you might be taking and evaluate whether there are any drug interactions between your medicines and others you might need to take during your travels. We will also provide you with medical letters and waivers that will explain to border officials about the medicines you are carrying. We’re here to provide you with information and advise you of your options. We will be happy to talk with your doctor about your health and safety options.
Along with reviewing your health history, we will evaluate your itinerary to define the following:
- WHERE are you going? What are the specific health risks in that country or countries? What are the vaccine requirements? Are there any disease outbreaks going on? Is it a politically stable area? Are there any State Department warnings currently posted? Are there any particular cultural norms that should be observed?
- WHAT kind of environment is it? Are you going to high altitude? Jungle? Desert? What time of year will you be going? Monsoon season? The dry season? This information helps us tailor advice about helpful equipment and supplies.
- WHAT sort of travel will it be? Will you be staying in five star hotels and doing tour group packages or trekking off the beaten path?
- WHAT activities will you be enjoying? Are you an adventure enthusiast doing an eco-challenge or a connoisseur of fine dining doing a culinary tour of Europe?
- HOW LONG will you be away? Travel advice differs between people vacationing for a time and those traveling for work or extended stays.
- WHY are you going to a particular place? Work or pleasure? Why that specific country? What are your expectations?
 Once we’ve assessed your health and itinerary, we tailor an information package and plan to keep you happy and healthy while abroad. In addition to the usual travel advice about food safety, water preparation, v accines, and the use of repellants and sunscreen, we will advise you about any risk factors specifically relevant to you. This may include:
- Dispensing medicines to help prevent malaria and treat Traveler’s Diarrhea for you to carry. We will explain how to use these medicines and advise you on safely storing your prescription medications to include carrying a physician’s letter with a description of relevant medical conditions and replacement prescriptions should yours be lost or stolen.
- Discussing how environmental factors can affect pre-existing medical conditions, such as high altitude and asthma.
- Discussing of personal protection measures such as repellant use, appropriate clothing, sunscreen, prevention of dehydration, and personal security, such as safe travel in vehicles, changing money, and so on.
- Providing information such as US embassy and consular locations and whenever possible information about internationally recognized medical facilities and sources of legal assistance. We will provide any posted State Department warnings.
- We’ll talk about the kinds of symptoms that require medical evaluation while abroad or after return home.
- Information sheets to take with you for reference during your travels.
- We’ll talk about the kinds of supplemental insurance available for travelers who are not covered under their own plans such as life, health, evacuation, and diving insurances where appropriate.
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Why Should I see a Travel Medicine Specialist?
Most pre-travel consultations are limited to advice on required and recommended vaccines need ed for travel to other countries. Some services are available through county health departments and are usually accomplished by nurses who follow guidelines prepared by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Aspects of safe food handling and water preparation may also be discussed. While some pre-travel advice is also done in physicians’ offices, most physicians are not trained to give adequate advice and counseling. Additionally, the requirement of a vaccine certificate and meticulous storage and handling requirements makes storage of some vaccines (notably yellow fever) not cost-effective.
In recent years there has also been a proliferation of travel-related websites that provide information to travelers however their utility is limited by the need to obtain vaccinations, which necessarily requires an office visit. These websites do not generally lend themselves to make personal evaluations of their subscriber’s individual health risks. Additionally, some people prefer personalized attention with a professional who is able to put information in a context relevant to their needs, interests and level of existing knowledge. [ BACK TO TOP ]
What if I just want to get shots?
You may choose different consultation levels based on the amount of time you desire and the complexity of your plans. If you are already a seasoned traveler and just require immunizations, we will be happy to get you in and out after informing you about the recommended shots. [ BACK TO TOP ]
What if I get sick while I’m away or when I get back?
The good news is that exotic diseases are actually pretty rare in travelers. (It’s important to know the exceptions). How much risk you have of getting sick depends on a lot of factors such as where you’re going, how long you’ll be there, and what you will be doing. Obviously, a scientist studying hemorrhagic fevers in the heart of Africa for a couple of years runs much different disease risks than someone enjoying a tour of Italy during the grape harvest.
The bad news is the things that pose the greatest risks to travelers are the same things that are riskiest back home. In older adults it’s cardiovascular disease and in younger adults and children it’s accidents, usually motor-vehicle related and drowning. Therefore, it becomes really important to talk about maintaining your health while traveling in addition to protecting yourself against exotic diseases. People tend to be more laid back when traveling and tend to be less strict with things like glucose control for diabetics, blood pressure medications, seatbelt use, and so on.
Therefore, the first order of business is to be as healthy as possible before you go. We will make every effort to provide you with internationally recognized medical clinics in your destination country when available. We’ll have discussed supplemental health and evacuation insurance to bring you home quickly should your health deteriorate, and we’ll be here to work with you and your doctor on getting you better. (FYI: People who get sick after their trip usually have nothing wrong related to traveling!) [ BACK TO TOP ]
What services are provided to adopting couples?
 Usually, people contemplating adopting a child from overseas have done their homework about the child, country, customs, and agencies they’re working with. We do not facilitate adoptions or have overseas connections for adoption however we are part of a network of international adoption clinics who post bulletins and information as it becomes available. We can evaluate your child’s foreign immunizations and make suggestions based on demographics and physical exams as to screening tests that might be appropriate. We’ll try to help you avoid any pitfalls as we become aware of them and advise you as to the current immigration regulations regarding foreign adoptions according to the country of origin.
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