Dealing With Medical Issues When Traveling

After two weeks of flu and other assorted illnesses in our house, it feels like time to write about medical issues when you're traveling.

When we first started traveling with little E, I was astounded at how many people felt that we absolutely should not take him to Paris "in case he got sick over there," My off the cuff response was either "they have babies over there too" or "the United States has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the developed world, he's better off in France." Sarchastic answers aside, it's scary to put yourself in the hands of an ER doctor close to home, and would be even scarier in a country where you don't speak the language.

CNN had a great article this week about avoiding the hazards of medical treatment abroad It starts with the requisite scary story, but ends with some good tips. Here are some simple things you should do before any international (or domestic) trip:

• Create an Emergency Contact List complete with contact information for your home doctor
• Have the name of a children's hospital or English speaking hospital before you go. Write it on your emergency contact list
• If you do run into problems, I particularly liked the suggestion to call the US Embassy and ask for help navigating the medical system, finding English speaking doctors, or finding a translator. We've only had a reason to stop in our Embassy once while traveling (long before kids on a trip to Namibia) but it was a great experience and they were extraordinarily helpful.
• Make sure you have a good first aid kit (doesn't need to be fancy), including a first aid book
• Pack whatever medication you might need along with dosing information. Include Tylenol, Pedialite (powdered), and Ipecac.
• For developing countries, we really like the practical and lightweight Lonely Planet Healthy Travel Series for its useful first aid section and easy to understand information about infectious diseases common in the developing world.

Filed Under: travel-health

0 comments | Posted on March 7, 2008 | Save to del.icio.us

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