Leisure & Adventure
Information
Leisure travelers may not realize the risks that threaten them in beautiful third-world settings. Parasites, crime, injuries, and exotic diseases may await the uninformed traveler. Something as simple as walking on a beach shoeless, may result in a parasitic infection. Traveler’s diarrhea is the most common form of travel-related illness. Up to 50% of international travelers acquire traveler’s diarrhea. Not obtaining the correct advice, vaccinations, and medications prior to your vacation can cost money, time, heartaches, or even your life. Our clinicians are trained to receive special populations of travelers such as: women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, the young, the elderly, the disabled, and immunocompromised travelers. In-depth training and expertise is required to counsel these unique travelers properly. Most primary care physicians are ill-equipped and lack proper training to do so.
Whether you’re traveling to visit friends and/or relatives, or you are an expatriate returning to your “homeland”, be aware that many factors may have changed, which could elevate your risk. For example, someone who grows up in Ghana, Africa may have developed immunity to malaria as a child. After a lengthy absence from their homeland, the same person may have lost their immunity to malaria without knowing it. A return home could result in severe illness or even death. Another traveler that may become at risk is the international adoption traveler. These folks often travel to third-world countries to adopt children and should seek appropriate advice and care prior to their travels.