Travel clinics are medical facilities that provide preventive medical care that includes altitude sickness medicine, vaccinations to international travelers. With globalization comes an increase in the spread of diseases and more travelers are exposed to different environments with varying health issues. Morbidity studies suggest that about half the people who travel from developed countries and stay a month in a developing country will get sick, traveler’s diarrhea being the most common. With regard to this, health care professionals should advise travelers accurately about these potential risks. This article gives you a basic definition of the practice of travel clinics.

What is Travel Medicine

This is a field of medicine that’s evolving rapidly, is highly dynamic, an example being the diving medicals, multidisciplinary specialty that focus on the promotion of health for people, cultures and regions that are visited and the prevention of diseases, including other adverse health outcomes affecting the international travelers. It requires expertise in the various illnesses related to travel and be up to date with knowledge of health risks that are infectious and non infectious, health regulations and immunization requirements globally and the resistant infections drugs which keep changing patterns. Professionals involved in pre travel care are required to be certified in this field and have regular experience in giving pre-travel advice in accordance to the different destinations and varying health conditions.

Travel clinic

The Basics in Pre-Travel Consultation

In travel clinics, pre-travel consultation has an objective to reduce the risk and injury of travelers during travel by providing preventive counseling, education on medications and the required immunizations. This consultation is founded on a detailed and comprehensive risk assessment giving the new market doctors information needed to individualize care based on a traveler.

Traveler-Specific, Destination-Specific and Itinerary-Specific Risks

With regard to traveler-specific risks, evaluations are done thoroughly on individual travelers by a medical professional where their medical status and health history is checked as some travelers are considered a high risk. In addition, aviation medicals are required to have the most-recent  information on destination specific-risks by understanding the illness that is common in a specific region of travel. Itinerary-specific risk assessment involves looking at data on previous countries and regions one has visited, purpose of travel, mode of transportation, accommodation type and also any high-risk  activities one intends to involve themselves in. Click here for SmartClinics

Risk Management

After assessing the risk counseling, risk management is required. This may involve suggestions on personal protective measures against insect-borne diseases and effective measures to avoid water and food borne diseases. Also, counseling on the climate change effects, behavior risk, preparation of a travel health kit and advice based on acquiring travel insurance not forgetting how to access medical care abroad is imperative. In addition, vaccines must be given with regard to an individual traveler’s immunization history, travel history and the type of travel with its duration.

Travel clinics are involved in a challenging specialty which needs one to be constantly updated with knowledge on the global epidemiology of health risks and generally ensure travelers’ safety. Please see details at

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