Reno primary care physician Dr. Steven Zell answers the question: What health recommendations do you advise for seniors who travel abroad?
Seniors who travel or planning to travel to underdeveloped countries are at greater risk of contracting infectious diseases. However, traveler’s diarrhea is of particular concern.
Traveler’s diarrhea is caused by many strains of bacteria. It affects roughly 60 percent of Americans who travel abroad, usually during the first week of travel. There is no vaccine to prevent traveler’s diarrhea.
Managing traveler’s diarrhea requires antibiotics and oral rehydration packets dissolved in water to prevent dehydration.
Seniors who use acid-reducing drugs are at greater risk of getting traveler’s diarrhea, suffering more severe symptoms because of medications for high blood pressure, especially diuretics.
Drugs for hypertension in these cases can also lead to severe dehydration, loss of electrolytes and kidney failure if continued during an episode of traveler’s diarrhea.
Such patients need medical supervision on when to take medications for hypertension and on the use of oral rehydration salts. A prescription for an antibiotic to limit traveler’s diarrhea based on the bacterial agents in the country of travel is also advised.
When traveling to underdeveloped countries, disease can be organized as vaccine preventable and non-vaccine preventable.
An example of a non-vaccine preventable disease includes malaria. There’s currently no vaccine for malaria, but prescription drugs can help prevent infection.
Vaccines for travelling abroad are subdivided into vaccines required to enter a country, as defined by the World Health Organization, and recommended vaccines based on your travel plans.
You must provide proof of receiving the vaccine for yellow fever to have permission to enter certain countries and must receive the vaccine at a center certified by the Centers for Disease Control.
Recommended vaccines may be appropriate based on your travel plans, but don’t require proof of administration to enter a country. Examples include vaccines for hepatitis A and B, typhoid and influenza and boosters for tetanus and polio.
Steven Zell, M.D., is professor of medicine at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and board certified in internal medicine. His expertise and experience is in travel medicine.
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