Today’s news headlines can make travelers wary.
With the fall and winter travel seasons approaching, what should people know about Ebola and other infectious diseases?
Summit Medical Group travel medicine physician, Anjum Hasan, M.D., shares important information on precautions and preparations for travel during the Ebola outbreak and how you can “travel well” during the coming holiday season.
Selected Podcast
Preparations and Precautions for Holiday Travel
Featured Speaker:
Before joining Summit Medical Group, Dr. Hasan was an infectious disease consultant with Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. She also has practiced with the Department of Veterans Affairs Emergency Department in Gainesville, Florida.
Dr. Hasan's research interests are primarily devote to viral infections in critically ill patients. She is the coauthor of articles and abstracts that are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including American Journal of Transplantation and Journal of Critical Care. Most recently, she coauthored an article with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention on infection through organ transplantation.
Dr. Hasan says, " Infectious disease is a diverse field that exposes me to many aspects of medicine, including critical care, general medicine, and surgery. Challenging and rewarding, infectious disease allows me to make a positive difference in the lives of my patients." She adds, "I believe in a compassionate, direct approach with my patients that allows them to partner with me in decisions about their health and health care."
Dr. Hasan is a member of the Infectious Disease Society of America and American College of Physicians.
When she is not working with her patients, Dr. Hasan enjoys spending time with her family, running, traveling, and the theater.
Anjum Hasan, MD
Anjum Hasan, MD, specializes in general infectious disease, travel medicine, transplant infectious disease, and HIV/AIDs.Before joining Summit Medical Group, Dr. Hasan was an infectious disease consultant with Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. She also has practiced with the Department of Veterans Affairs Emergency Department in Gainesville, Florida.
Dr. Hasan's research interests are primarily devote to viral infections in critically ill patients. She is the coauthor of articles and abstracts that are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including American Journal of Transplantation and Journal of Critical Care. Most recently, she coauthored an article with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention on infection through organ transplantation.
Dr. Hasan says, " Infectious disease is a diverse field that exposes me to many aspects of medicine, including critical care, general medicine, and surgery. Challenging and rewarding, infectious disease allows me to make a positive difference in the lives of my patients." She adds, "I believe in a compassionate, direct approach with my patients that allows them to partner with me in decisions about their health and health care."
Dr. Hasan is a member of the Infectious Disease Society of America and American College of Physicians.
When she is not working with her patients, Dr. Hasan enjoys spending time with her family, running, traveling, and the theater.
Transcription:
Preparations and Precautions for Holiday Travel
Melanie Cole (Host): Today’s news headlines can make travelers worry. With the fall and winter travel seasons approaching, what should people know about Ebola and other infectious diseases when they’re thinking about traveling? My guest today is Summit Medical Group travel medicine physician, Dr. Anjum Hasan. Welcome to the show, Dr. Hasan. Tell us some important information on precautions and preparations for travel during this upcoming season.
Dr. Anjum Hasan (Guest): Thank you, Melanie. Thank you for having me on the show. Yes, we expect a lot of travel today during the holiday season and we are seeing a lot of patients come in for travel advice. One of my advices is that what is common is common, flu, upper respiratory infections. Those are still common. I realize Ebola is a scare at this point, but it is still limited to West Africa. For patients or people traveling overseas to West Africa, I would advise caution, and CDC as well advises caution about this illness, but it’s still not very common. What’s common is mainly traveler’s diarrhea, food, and we advise avoiding bug bites.
Melanie: When we’re traveling, we’re worried about all of it. Is getting on the plane – clear that up for everybody, Dr. Hasan, because that is something that people are afraid of right off the bat. You even see people these days with masks on.
Dr. Hasan: I know. Yes, I know that there is this concern about getting an infection from another person on the plane. That is a real risk; however, my advice would be standard precautions. Wash your hands. Cover your mouth when you’re coughing so you don’t infect other travelers. If you are sick, consider not traveling that day. Sometimes, illnesses can get worse in the air. Practicing safety in that respect, washing hands, we don’t realize these basic things. They do prevent a lot of spread of infections to other innocent people on the plane. If you’re not feeling well or if you feel like you can’t travel, my advice would be not to go because you don’t want to get yourself even sicker in the air. Some of the medications I do recommend taking, however, if you do consider traveling, would be first aid kit. Some people don’t realize that taking your Band-Aids and some Tylenol, just sort of a first aid kit if you need it, would be advisable. Other vaccines I recommend at this point would be to consider getting a flu shot. We do expect to see a high flu season again this year, and the CDC has recommended that everybody who is eligible get their flu shot, because it’s still going to be a common theme and a common infection we’ll see all around the country and all around the world.
Melanie: When we’re traveling with children, do we bring medications just in case? If we’re going abroad, let’s start with that, do they have the same medications, Motrin, Tylenol, any of these medications that you might need if you’re traveling with children? Can you get them abroad or should you bring them with [you]?
Dr. Hasan: I believe it would be best if you brought them with you. A lot of the medications abroad, the names and the brands, are different than what we have here. We’re not familiar with other countries’ overseas healthcare, so we can’t really talk too much about what their healthcare is and how it’s similar to ours, only because we’re not there and we’re not sure how their practices compare to the U.S. If you’re U.S. and you’re here and you’re traveling abroad, the best will be to go to your physician, a travel clinic like ours here at Summit Medical Group and come and get the information that you need, the appropriate vaccines you will need, and the medications you may need. A lot of people go abroad to overseas in a malaria-endemic area and they don’t realize it and then go abroad without malaria medications and come back sick. We advise that you speak to your doctor especially if you’re going abroad to another country and get the vaccines that you need, which is typhoid or hepatitis A. You get your malaria medications if it’s applicable to you, and if you’re having any diarrhea, we do recommend getting antibiotics to take that with you in the event the diarrhea gets bad or if you get traveler’s diarrhea. We also provide counseling such as food and water safety, advice on how to avoid bug bites especially with mosquitoes. We know that dengue and chikungunya have been prevalent now with the Caribbean travelers and also in Southeast Asia. We give you all that advice. We give you the precautions. Most travelers who do come to a travel clinic, get their precautions, get their vaccines, and the medications before they leave are more prepared than travelers who don’t. Their chance of also getting ill is much less and therefore they have a more enjoyable trip.
Melanie: When we’re traveling, say to the Caribbean, or even within the United States, do you advise, if you have health concerns or if you are traveling with children, knowing in advance what the clinic situation is, where doctors will be, and should they ask their own doctor for recommendations wherever they’re going to be?
Dr. Hasan: Yes, they should. They should know where they’re going to be, where the closest healthcare facility is. They should also know—what I advise my travelers when they come to see me—where the U.S. Embassy is, in the event they need it. Know what infection is out there, but if we travel, we should also know about where the U.S. Embassy is if we needed them in the emergency. We advise that they also look into that. Prior to traveling, the children should also be seen by a pediatrician. Therefore, they would get their vaccines, their medications that would be age-appropriate for them prior to going to the Caribbean or anywhere overseas. It is advised.
Melanie: What about traveling with antibiotics, Dr. Hasan? Because I think that that’s a scare for parents or for people: What if I get something and it’s very hard to get an antibiotic over there? Do you get a prophylactic antibiotic prescription from your doctor and just take it with you in case you need it?
Dr. Hasan: Yes, we have given prophylactic antibiotics for people. Everyone’s situation is different. We assess the person that’s going to travel and decide what antibiotic they will need. Almost everyone that comes into our office will get an antibiotic for traveler’s diarrhea. In the event it gets pretty bad and they get very sick, I do give them an antibiotic to take with them in the event they need it. Yes, that is something we do give to our travelers.
Melanie: What other advice would you like to give travelers besides medication, vaccines, knowing your clinics, getting prophylactic medication to bring with you? What about just healthy traveling, like dehydration, jet lag, airsickness, any of these things that might happen when you’re traveling?
Dr. Hasan: We do advise that our travelers, if they’re going overseas, try to be as regular as possible with the timing of their sleep so that way, when they do get there, they don’t have that much jet lag. Unfortunately, sometimes that’s unavoidable. Our main concern is for the travelers not to get ill when they eat the food and the water. We do advise our travelers to avoid street food and to eat at well-lit restaurants and very cooked food. My advice to our travelers is to just be more conscientious when you’re overseas, to be more aware of your surroundings, to be more aware of what you’re eating, and also for water safety, to just get their spring water from a well-lit restaurant and not from street vendors. That is where most of our travelers get sick or ill. Ice is a big culprit in water safety because ice is from the filthy water. A lot of folks take the ice in their drinks and then come back ill. We do advise those precautions. Most of people who are traveling overseas, when they get jet lagged, we do advise that they try to readjust their timing and try to set their timing with their country’s night and day. It’s difficult the first few days. We can give them a sleep aid if they need it for the first few days in order to help them adjust. Most travelers do well after that. It’s usually not an issue for them.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes, Dr. Hasan, if you would, give us your best advice for travel medicine and travel in the upcoming holidays. With infectious diseases going around, people are afraid. Give us your best advice and tell them why coming to Summit Medical Group Travel Clinic is a great idea.
Dr. Hasan: My advice to you is – basically, we will be expecting a high volume of travel this holiday season. We also expect most people to be going overseas and the best way to prepare to prevent people from getting sick is to come to the Summit Medical Group Travel Clinic. We do give out packets of information from the CDC and it is detailed with what you should be taking. We advise in the office as well. We answer all your questions. We have all the vaccines that you would need prior to your travel in order to help prevent you from getting sick from food and water. We also discuss any of your concerns, any extra antibiotics that you need. I would say a good portion of our patients who travel after seeing us come back happy, healthy, and thankful that they came because they’ve had experiences where they had not seen us prior to this and then did not take the proper precautions and they have had several stories of people coming back ill, and once they see us and they realize that after we speak with them, things that they should or should not have taken, they wished they would have come earlier. My advice would be with this high holiday travel season, come see us, come see our doctors. I do travel medicine. Get your vaccines. That way you have a more fun, enjoyable trip with your family.
Melanie: Thank you so much, Dr. Hasan. You’re listening to SMG Radio and for more information, you can go to summitmedicalgroup.com. That’s summitmedicalgroup.com. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks for listening.
Preparations and Precautions for Holiday Travel
Melanie Cole (Host): Today’s news headlines can make travelers worry. With the fall and winter travel seasons approaching, what should people know about Ebola and other infectious diseases when they’re thinking about traveling? My guest today is Summit Medical Group travel medicine physician, Dr. Anjum Hasan. Welcome to the show, Dr. Hasan. Tell us some important information on precautions and preparations for travel during this upcoming season.
Dr. Anjum Hasan (Guest): Thank you, Melanie. Thank you for having me on the show. Yes, we expect a lot of travel today during the holiday season and we are seeing a lot of patients come in for travel advice. One of my advices is that what is common is common, flu, upper respiratory infections. Those are still common. I realize Ebola is a scare at this point, but it is still limited to West Africa. For patients or people traveling overseas to West Africa, I would advise caution, and CDC as well advises caution about this illness, but it’s still not very common. What’s common is mainly traveler’s diarrhea, food, and we advise avoiding bug bites.
Melanie: When we’re traveling, we’re worried about all of it. Is getting on the plane – clear that up for everybody, Dr. Hasan, because that is something that people are afraid of right off the bat. You even see people these days with masks on.
Dr. Hasan: I know. Yes, I know that there is this concern about getting an infection from another person on the plane. That is a real risk; however, my advice would be standard precautions. Wash your hands. Cover your mouth when you’re coughing so you don’t infect other travelers. If you are sick, consider not traveling that day. Sometimes, illnesses can get worse in the air. Practicing safety in that respect, washing hands, we don’t realize these basic things. They do prevent a lot of spread of infections to other innocent people on the plane. If you’re not feeling well or if you feel like you can’t travel, my advice would be not to go because you don’t want to get yourself even sicker in the air. Some of the medications I do recommend taking, however, if you do consider traveling, would be first aid kit. Some people don’t realize that taking your Band-Aids and some Tylenol, just sort of a first aid kit if you need it, would be advisable. Other vaccines I recommend at this point would be to consider getting a flu shot. We do expect to see a high flu season again this year, and the CDC has recommended that everybody who is eligible get their flu shot, because it’s still going to be a common theme and a common infection we’ll see all around the country and all around the world.
Melanie: When we’re traveling with children, do we bring medications just in case? If we’re going abroad, let’s start with that, do they have the same medications, Motrin, Tylenol, any of these medications that you might need if you’re traveling with children? Can you get them abroad or should you bring them with [you]?
Dr. Hasan: I believe it would be best if you brought them with you. A lot of the medications abroad, the names and the brands, are different than what we have here. We’re not familiar with other countries’ overseas healthcare, so we can’t really talk too much about what their healthcare is and how it’s similar to ours, only because we’re not there and we’re not sure how their practices compare to the U.S. If you’re U.S. and you’re here and you’re traveling abroad, the best will be to go to your physician, a travel clinic like ours here at Summit Medical Group and come and get the information that you need, the appropriate vaccines you will need, and the medications you may need. A lot of people go abroad to overseas in a malaria-endemic area and they don’t realize it and then go abroad without malaria medications and come back sick. We advise that you speak to your doctor especially if you’re going abroad to another country and get the vaccines that you need, which is typhoid or hepatitis A. You get your malaria medications if it’s applicable to you, and if you’re having any diarrhea, we do recommend getting antibiotics to take that with you in the event the diarrhea gets bad or if you get traveler’s diarrhea. We also provide counseling such as food and water safety, advice on how to avoid bug bites especially with mosquitoes. We know that dengue and chikungunya have been prevalent now with the Caribbean travelers and also in Southeast Asia. We give you all that advice. We give you the precautions. Most travelers who do come to a travel clinic, get their precautions, get their vaccines, and the medications before they leave are more prepared than travelers who don’t. Their chance of also getting ill is much less and therefore they have a more enjoyable trip.
Melanie: When we’re traveling, say to the Caribbean, or even within the United States, do you advise, if you have health concerns or if you are traveling with children, knowing in advance what the clinic situation is, where doctors will be, and should they ask their own doctor for recommendations wherever they’re going to be?
Dr. Hasan: Yes, they should. They should know where they’re going to be, where the closest healthcare facility is. They should also know—what I advise my travelers when they come to see me—where the U.S. Embassy is, in the event they need it. Know what infection is out there, but if we travel, we should also know about where the U.S. Embassy is if we needed them in the emergency. We advise that they also look into that. Prior to traveling, the children should also be seen by a pediatrician. Therefore, they would get their vaccines, their medications that would be age-appropriate for them prior to going to the Caribbean or anywhere overseas. It is advised.
Melanie: What about traveling with antibiotics, Dr. Hasan? Because I think that that’s a scare for parents or for people: What if I get something and it’s very hard to get an antibiotic over there? Do you get a prophylactic antibiotic prescription from your doctor and just take it with you in case you need it?
Dr. Hasan: Yes, we have given prophylactic antibiotics for people. Everyone’s situation is different. We assess the person that’s going to travel and decide what antibiotic they will need. Almost everyone that comes into our office will get an antibiotic for traveler’s diarrhea. In the event it gets pretty bad and they get very sick, I do give them an antibiotic to take with them in the event they need it. Yes, that is something we do give to our travelers.
Melanie: What other advice would you like to give travelers besides medication, vaccines, knowing your clinics, getting prophylactic medication to bring with you? What about just healthy traveling, like dehydration, jet lag, airsickness, any of these things that might happen when you’re traveling?
Dr. Hasan: We do advise that our travelers, if they’re going overseas, try to be as regular as possible with the timing of their sleep so that way, when they do get there, they don’t have that much jet lag. Unfortunately, sometimes that’s unavoidable. Our main concern is for the travelers not to get ill when they eat the food and the water. We do advise our travelers to avoid street food and to eat at well-lit restaurants and very cooked food. My advice to our travelers is to just be more conscientious when you’re overseas, to be more aware of your surroundings, to be more aware of what you’re eating, and also for water safety, to just get their spring water from a well-lit restaurant and not from street vendors. That is where most of our travelers get sick or ill. Ice is a big culprit in water safety because ice is from the filthy water. A lot of folks take the ice in their drinks and then come back ill. We do advise those precautions. Most of people who are traveling overseas, when they get jet lagged, we do advise that they try to readjust their timing and try to set their timing with their country’s night and day. It’s difficult the first few days. We can give them a sleep aid if they need it for the first few days in order to help them adjust. Most travelers do well after that. It’s usually not an issue for them.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes, Dr. Hasan, if you would, give us your best advice for travel medicine and travel in the upcoming holidays. With infectious diseases going around, people are afraid. Give us your best advice and tell them why coming to Summit Medical Group Travel Clinic is a great idea.
Dr. Hasan: My advice to you is – basically, we will be expecting a high volume of travel this holiday season. We also expect most people to be going overseas and the best way to prepare to prevent people from getting sick is to come to the Summit Medical Group Travel Clinic. We do give out packets of information from the CDC and it is detailed with what you should be taking. We advise in the office as well. We answer all your questions. We have all the vaccines that you would need prior to your travel in order to help prevent you from getting sick from food and water. We also discuss any of your concerns, any extra antibiotics that you need. I would say a good portion of our patients who travel after seeing us come back happy, healthy, and thankful that they came because they’ve had experiences where they had not seen us prior to this and then did not take the proper precautions and they have had several stories of people coming back ill, and once they see us and they realize that after we speak with them, things that they should or should not have taken, they wished they would have come earlier. My advice would be with this high holiday travel season, come see us, come see our doctors. I do travel medicine. Get your vaccines. That way you have a more fun, enjoyable trip with your family.
Melanie: Thank you so much, Dr. Hasan. You’re listening to SMG Radio and for more information, you can go to summitmedicalgroup.com. That’s summitmedicalgroup.com. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks for listening.