Resources – Healthy Travel Tips & Links

How to treat travellers diarrhoea

How to use hand sanitisers

How to apply emla to decrease the pain of intramuscular vaccination

How to use permethrin to impregnate clothes against mosquitoes

Yellow fever certificates

MORE Travel Health Video Tips on Dr Deb’s Youtube channel

• Rabies: The rabies virus is present in mammals in most developing countries. If you are in a rabies infected country, and are bitten by a mammal, you will need post-bite rabies vaccine.
• Swine Influenza H1N1
• Meningitis: The very word Meningitis strikes fear into our hearts. The media loves the disease because it is so dramatic, but it is really very rare – an individual is many times more likely to die in a car accident than die of meningitis.
• Hepatitis: Hepatitis is an infection of the liver that is mainly transmitted by exposure to the Hepatitis virus, but may also occur as part of another illness such as Glandular Fever, or as a side effect from a drug.
• Q Fever: Do your staff come in contact with cattle, sheep or native animals? Do they visit abattoirs? Are they visiting rural areas, particularly in dusty conditions? Are they maintaining transport equipment that travel in these areas? Q Fever could be a significant risk.
• Yellow Fever: Important information about Yellow Fever vaccines and vaccinations, Yellow Fever distibution, and vaccine side effects.
• Tick Borne Encephalitis: Tick Borne Encephalitis is a serious disease carried by tick bites in Europe. 1-10% of ticks in affected areas may harbour the virus, and whilst many sufferers have no effect, the disease can cause brain damage and death.
• Japanese Encephalitis – another serious brain infection from mosquitoes in Asia

• The A to Z Of Healthy Travel: Make Sure Your Travel Dream Does Not Turn Into A Travel Nightmare!!!
• Aircraft Cabin Air: Just how healthy (or unhealthy) is cabin air on aircraft?
• Buying Medicines Overseas: Seeing a doctor in some parts of the world is like playing Russian Roulette.
• Taking Or Sending PBS Medicines Out Of Australia May Be Illegal: Unless the medicine is for your use, or the use of someone travelling with you, taking or sending medicine overseas that has been subsidised under the PBS is illegal.
• Fear Of Flying: If you are afraid to fly, you are not alone. This non-profit site presents information on courses to help you overcome a fear of flying.
• Leaving The Kids At Home: Business travel unavoidably involves time away from the family. A few suggestions for travelling parents so that your next business trip doesn’t become a guilt trip. (PDF 11Kb)
• Human Maggot Infestation
• Malaria: Will a gin & tonic help?
• Melioidosis
• The Pill & Timezones: Not sure what time to take your contraceptive pill while overseas and in a different time zone? Check with our pill time calculator.
• Travellers Thrombosis: There’s far more to travel health than just vaccines! An assessment of the potential risk factors relating to Travellers Thrombosis by Dr Trish Batchelor. (PDF 21Kb)
• Deep Vein Thrombosis
• Economy Class Syndrome
• Some Womens’ Health Considerations When Travelling
• Infectious disease risks from dead bodies following natural disasters
• Flooding and communicable diseases

• Fearless Flyers: If you are afraid to fly, you are not alone. This non-profit site presents information on courses to help you overcome a fear of flying.
• The Pill & Timezones: Not sure what time to take your contraceptive pill while overseas and in a different time zone? Check with our pill time calculator.
• Jiggers: Tungiasis (or Jiggers) is caused by the flea Tunga penetrans and although there has been an overall reduction of its occurrence within the last decades, it is still highly prevalent where people live in extreme poverty, occurring in many Latin American and African countries.
• Yellow Fever Online: Important information about Yellow Fever vaccines and vaccinations, Yellow Fever distibution, and vaccine side effects.
• Air Travel And Diabetes: How to adjust insulin across time zones.
• Anaphylaxis: A Travel Plan for those travellers who are at risk of anaphylaxis.
• Travel health Tips For Child Travellers: Excellent resource with lots of useful tips for parents.
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease: IBD affects people differently but many of the challenges of travelling with IBD will be the same whether travelling within Australia or Overseas. As with much of life, forward planning is essential. (PDF 12Kb)
• Asthma: Whether interstate of overseas, travel should not present any problems for someone with asthma, provided all the necessary pre-travel precautions are taken. (PDF 10Kb)
• Pregnancy: Special considerations for pregnant travellers.
• Diabetic Travellers

• Australia: A primer for international visitors planning on coming to Australia. (PDF 20Kb)
• Peru – The Inca Trail: Hiking the Inca Trail is one of the most popular activities of many travellers to Peru. The trek usually takes 3 – 4 days, and considerable amounts of equipment such as tents, gear and provisions have to be carried along. To allow you to enjoy your trip, porters will be employed to carry the loads. (PDF 108Kb)
• Peru – Altitude Sickness: I recently visited Peru. Great place. Great people. And a great place to observe the effects of altitude sickness first hand. (PDF 16Kb)
• What Vaccines do I need for Thailand?: Thailand is a great travel destination, but it pays to take a few sensible precautions to ensure your trip is trouble free, and also to ensure you don’t bring home a vile disease to your loved ones.
• What Vaccines do I need for Cambodia?: Cambodia is a great travel destination, but it pays to take a few sensible precautions to ensure your trip is trouble free, and also to ensure you don’t bring home a vile disease to your loved ones.

• Department Of Foreign Affairs: The travel information portal for Australians going overseas including consular travel advisories for many countries relating to political, social and medical issues that may impact on travellers to those countries.
• Taking Or Sending PBS Medicines Out Of Australia May Be Illegal: Unless the medicine is for your use, or the use of someone travelling with you, taking or sending medicine overseas that has been subsidised under the PBS is illegal.

• Nepal – CIWEC Centre Kathmandu: Western-quality medical care within Nepal for travelers and expatriates, CIWEC has developed an international reputation for its work in defining the health risks to travelers in Nepal. The CIWEC clinic website is also packed with health hints for trekkers in Nepal.
• Singapore – International Medical Clinic Singapore: Specialises in family and travel medicine for the international community. In recognition of this focus, the staff come from a diverse range of countries, encompassing North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
• Vietnam – The Family Medical Practice: Vietnam’s oldest, largest and most popular private international health care deliverer. Their clinics in Hanoi, HCM City and Danang offer 24-hour medical services in general and specialist health care including medical evacuations, emergency inpatient facilities, travel medicine advice and vaccinations.
• UK – Trailfinders Travel Medicine Clinic: Excellent place to access top quality travel medicine advice. They stock all vaccines.
• Ireland – The Tropical Medical Bureau: Has centres throughout Ireland. Find your nearest centre – lots of general travellers health information as well.
• Worldwide – ISOS: Credentialed healthcare providers that will deliver high-quality care at affordable prices in many parts of the developing world.
• Worldwide – ISTM: International Society of Travel Medicine has a clinic directory for finding Travel clinics world wide.
• Worldwide – IAMAT: The International Association of Medical Assistance to Travellers has a book for travellers listing English speaking doctors in every corner of the globe. IAMAT is a non-profit organization established in 1960. You can join for a donation and it takes about 4 weeks for the book to arrive.

• Paediatric first aid courses Brisbane
• International Porter Protection Group: IPPG’s aim is to improve health and safety for the trekking porter at work in the mountains and reduce the incidence of avoidable illness injury and death. This is done by raising awareness of the issue among trekking and travel companies, leaders, sirdars, and trekkers.
• Responsible Travel: This is an independent online resource committed to providing unbiased, clear information to all travellers who are concerned by the impact their activities may be having.
• Lonely Planet Online: Solid current travel information from the people that made the Lonely Planet guide books such a success.
• Getaway OnLine: The web site for the popular Channel 9 travel program Getaway.
• Safe Travel: Travel safety tips and advice for travellers.
• Find the sanitation rating of your cruise ship
• Divers Alert Network: DAN helps divers in need with medical emergency assistance and promotes diving safety through research, education, products and services.

• US Centre For Disease Control: This site has a comprehensive list of health information for travellers including briefing on country requirements and travel diseases.
• World Health Organisation: Reports and statistics on many aspects of World Health Organisation programmes relevant to intending travellers.
• The Vaccine Page: Useful and up-to-date information about vaccines and immunology presented in an easy to use format.
• Communicable Diseases Australia: Online version of CDI published by the National Centre for Disease Control Canberra.
• American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygeine: A peer-reviewed journal published monthly.
• Manual of Travel Medicine: Fantastic reference book for medical practitioners on the subject of travel medicine.

• Bat Conservation and Rescue QLD
• Nepal Australia Friendship Association
• Doctors for the Environment Australia
• Australian Conservation Foundation
• Wilderness Society
• Australian Marine Conservation Charity
• Medicine Sans Frontiers
• Greenpeace
• UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
• The Smith Family
• World Wildlife Fund