TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | j u ly 2 0 1 9 32 "If you're in a hotel, they usually have people that work with the hotels that you can summon to you," DuPont said. "You can also call the U.S. consulate in the city you are in and they have a list of doctors who take care of U.S. people living there. If all else fails, go to a university hospital. Everywhere you go in the world, people are required, by law, to see you." In addition to the risk of injury, travelers might encounter other health-related situations, including contracting a disease or succumb- ing to food poisoning. "Measles is highly, highly conta- gious—so contagious that you don't actually need to come in contact with someone that has measles to get it," Bicette said. "For example, say someone that has measles was in a hotel room before you got there and they were coughing and sneez- ing. Those respiratory droplets will still be there even if the person is gone and you may still be at risk." The best way to protect oneself from measles is by getting vacci- nated with the measles-mumps-ru- bella vaccine. The CDC recommends getting vaccinated at least two weeks before departing on a trip. Even if travelers are within two weeks of a trip, they should still get vaccinated. • • Eat food dry, peeled or hot • • To mitigate the risk of food poison- ing, Bicette suggests avoiding street food and DuPont swears by a "dry, peeled, hot" rule. "We have done research on this over the years and the foods that are safe are very simple," DuPont said. "They are dry foods—the bacteria that cause disease need moisture, so anything dry is safe. That is bread, toast—safe. Anything that is steaming hot—if you see steam coming from food, it is safe. If you peel something, it is safe. For example, a melon at a breakfast buffet, that is safe because the contamination is on the surface. If you stick with dry, hot, peeled, you'll never get sick." The UT Physicians International Travel Medicine Center, a once-a-week clinic offered at McGovern School of Medicine at UTHealth, prepares travelers by offering pre-travel exams, vacci- nations, contact information for U.S. embassies and consulates, and follow-up care. "Our patients come in because they want to stay healthy while they travel," said Maria Reyes, RN, a travel medicine nurse with UT Physicians. "We check vital signs, make sure their blood pressure is OK, their heart rate is OK and they're not running a temperature, and check their weight. We go through their medications, provide vaccinations if they are needed." DuPont said in regard to preven- tive medicines, the most important is malaria prophylaxis if you're going to a malaria endemic area, which includes parts of Africa, South Asia and Central and South America. Anti-diarrheal medicine is also a must for many travelers. "Malaria kills people; diarrhea makes them feel like they're going to die," DuPont said. "Arming your- self with medication for diarrhea is important if you're going to an area in Latin America, Asia or Africa. If you're going to Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, no problem. But if you're going to these other areas, you need to bring something to protect you from illness." Being prepared is the key to a safe and healthy trip. "You can't live in a perpetual state of fear or you will never be able to experience life," Bicette said. "Always consider your safety when traveling, always have bail out plans, make sure someone knows where you are every step of the way, make sure you have a way to contact people at home and that they can contact you." MEASLES ADVISORY The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends protecting against measles before international travel. Plan to be vaccinated at least two weeks before departure with the measles-mumps- rubella (MMR) vaccine. The CDC does not recommend measles vaccine for infants younger than 6 months of age.

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