Did you know there is a widespread measles outbreak in Europe?  Since most people don't think there are any travel alerts associated with going to Europe, they they don't visit a travel clinic or talk to their PCP's before they go.  So, many don't know this and aren't taking any precautions.

People of all ages can contract the measles.  Children are particularly vulnerable to morbidity and mortality from the measles and many children in the US are not fully protected against it.  We need to protect travelers from getting the measles and bringing it back home.

International Tourists Import Measles

In March 2018 there were 2 international travelers who were diagnosed with  measles who exposed hundreds of people in Detroit, Newark and Memphis airports. Measles is transmitted by cough and sneezes and can remain in an area for up to 2 hours after the infected person has left.  Most of the modern outbreaks of measles in the US were traced to...

Traveler’s diarrhea can be really miserable when people are far from home. Despite following food and water precautions, there is still a good chance of contracting it especially in low resource countries, and popular destinations like Mexico and the Caribbean. It doesn’t matter whether if your traveler is staying in a 5- star resort or a hostel. The water comes from the same source. 

In most cases, travelers' diarrhea clears up on its own within  a day or two. The majority of cases resolve within a week. 

There has been much debate about the best way to treat traveler’s diarrhea and to still be good stewards of antibiotic use. In the US, we rarely treat diarrhea with antibiotics because most diarrhea is viral in origin. In low resource countries, most diarrhea is bacterial, so there is a role for treatment with antibiotics.

What can you recommend for mild diarrhea?

According to the International Society of Travel Medicine’s evidence based ...

Travelers diarrhea is one of most common travel-related illness, affecting about 10 million people who travel every year. The most common cause is bacteria from water contaminated with feces.

It's most common in low resource countries with the highest risk is in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Here are 10 ways to help prevent travelers’ diarrhea.

1. Don’t trip the tap water. Drink only bottled water and beverages.
2. Avoid ice that may be made with tap water. Don’t forget those drinks made with crushed ice, the one’s with the little umbrellas in them.
3. Use bottled water to brush your teeth, not the tap water. If you contaminate the tooth brush by mistake, get a new one.
4. Avoid fruit that may have been cleaned with tap water. Peel it yourself carefully avoiding contact with what’s on the outside with what’s on the inside.
5. Vegetables should be thoroughly cooked. So that means no salads or lettuce and tomato on a...