When two longtime friends prepared for safari vacation in South Africa, they were excited to stay in a resort and see lions, elephants and zebras.
Less exciting were the vaccinations needed for traveling — abroad and domestically.
The two visited the Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association, which runs a program specifically for making sure people traveling abroad have the right immunizations — Travel Wise, run by community health and wellness nurse Mary Ellen Porrata.
“It’s a different world out there,” Ms. Porrata said. “So before you go on that great overseas adventure this summer, know what to watch for and how to take care of yourself to insure a safe, healthy trip.”
Those two safari-goers were each given immunizations for hepatitis A and typhoid and treatment to combat malaria. They also updated their routine immunizations such as tetanus with pertussis (whooping cough) and flu.
“It pays to discuss your travel plans with us in advance, since it takes about 10 days for most immunizations to take effect,” said Margarita Garces-Shapiro, a paraprofessional nurse manager at RVNA with years of experience as a travel health nurse and former head of the immunization program. “It can also take up to four weeks to complete an immunization series. …
“We go over things like possible rabies exposure and what not to pet. In fact, we always say it’s a good idea not to pet anything furry,” Ms. Garces-Shapiro said. Monkeys are prime carriers of infectious disease, especially rabies, she said.
Tattooed in Tibet
“I remember an adventurous man in his early 40s came in to RVNA who had never had any vaccinations of any sort and was planning to go to Tibet. He had never left the country before,” Ms. Garces-Shapiro said. “I gave him the whole list of immunizations he should take, but at first he said he didn’t want to take any. Asked why he was taking the trip, he said, ‘To get tattoos.’” Ms. Garces-Shapiro recommended hepatitis B immunization for blood-borne infection. “Hepatitis is a huge risk. We told him he was taking a risky trip and that tattooing in Tibet was risky behavior,” she said. The man returned home tattooed and free of infection, she said.
Food adventures
“Food is where you commune with people and talk to them. It’s a real door opener. When you eat on the street, people know it is risky. But others say, ‘I want to try every kind of food I come across.’ A gentleman who had never taken any stomach remedies was planning a native food tasting spree in Asia. We advised he take some stomach medicine with him. “He wound up taking lots of Pepto-Bismol with him, which became a very close friend on the trip,” Ms. Garces-Shapiro said.
Reality check
The RVNA said sometimes when hearing the health risks, would-be travelers change their minds.
“We get a lot of young students these days who are doing exotic community service overseas,” Ms. Porrata said.
“We had a young woman who was going to Thailand who came in with her mother. It turned out she had a stomach condition and needed to be very careful about her diet. She also admitted she couldn’t resist touching every animal she came across. After extensive counseling regarding dietary risks, we also advised her to begin a series of rabies shots before traveling. Her mother then stepped in and decided that the young woman was really not a good candidate for this particular travel adventure.”
Planning ahead
Time, or lack of it, can also present a health risk to travelers.
Travelers often don’t allow enough time to finish a series of immunizations here and think they can finish “over there,” the RVNA said.
The RVNA said while it’s never too early to get immunizations to go overseas, it can be too late. Some series of immunizations may require six to eight weeks to complete. Vaccines readily available in the United States can be hard to come by in foreign lands.
Domestic travel
The RVNA said it’s important to get vaccinated when traveling around the United States. In addition to flu, measles and whooping cough have broken out in some areas recently.
Other topics discussed during a travel consultation include water and food safety and how to protect yourself from insect bites, particularly mosquitoes carrying malaria or dengue fever.
“We have a top-notch travel health program here at RVNA that takes care of travelers going almost anywhere — from Tahiti to Timbuktu. Visits here are quick, easy and pleasant, and best of all, we are a facility that can do it all at a level that — in terms of depth, breadth and capability — exceeds that of many hospitals,” said RVNA President and Chief Executive Officer Theresa Santoro. For more information on the RVNA Travel Wise program, call RVNA at 203-438-5555.