Can you spot your
local TMA member in this photo?
In May, the Annual TMA Conference and Study Tour was
held in the himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. This photo
captures some of the participants near Tigers Nest
Monastery in Paro. The conference program included
travel medicine lectures on things such as fear of
flying, malaria, travellers diarrhoea, managing
travellers going into a war zone, pandemic flu planning,
case studies, country studies (India, PNG and Vanuatu),
staff training, and helping parents on extended postings
with children. There were visits to hospitals, basic
health units, and public health facilities (water and
sewage treatment facilities) and a short research
project on the affects of altitude sickness on
participants.
Doctors and nurses attended from Brisbane, Toowoomba,
Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Sydney, Newcastle, Geelong,
Melbourne, and Perth along with travel medicine
colleagues from India and UK.
Importance
of travel insurance prior to travel
It is very important that a
traveller should have adequate and proper travel
insurance prior to travel.
It is very essential that
traveller should discuss with travel agents and
take appropriate travel insurance prior to
commencing travel.
The following illustrated cases
show the importance of travel insurance ...
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Case One
61 year male doctor, visiting Vietnam with group of
friends, met with a motor vehicle accident while crossing
the road and sustained fracture of the Femur (thigh
bone).
He was initially taken to public hospital, due to poor
facilities and overcrowding in public hospital, he was
transferred to a French private hospital in Vietnam where
he underwent emergency surgery to fix the fracture.
After two weeks of stay in hospital he under-took travel
back to Sydney with special arrangements with aircraft.
After returning home he had undergone multiple surgery
to re-correct the fracture and had to have
physiotherapy, rehabilitation and had to stay off the
work for nearly 5 to 6 months.
The highlight of the problem was the doctor had failed
to take travel insurance prior to travel and had to bear
all expenses himself, including overseas hospital and
medical expenses and also had to pay for his travel
arrangements for aircrafts which was an enormous financial
and psychological burden not only to himself but also to
his family members.
Case Two
Male 21 year old university student travelling with
friends, celebrating completion of a
University degree, travelled to Thailand and decided to hire
motorbike to travel around Pukhet.
On the very first day of renting a motorbike, he had
fall after hitting a pot hole on the road, sustained a
dislocation injury to the shoulder and multiple soft
tissue injury to the elbow, ankle and other areas.
Initially he was admitted to hospital for treatment and
has to attend hospital for regular dressing. Following
discharge and return home to Sydney after 5 days, he
learnt from the insurance company that he had inappropriate
coverage and the insurance company
declined to cover his medical expenses and the damages to
the vehicle due to lack of appropriate and valid driving
license to ride a motorbike while overseas.
He has to bear all hospital and medical expenses to himself.
Conclusion
It is important travellers prior to travel to discuss their nature of travel,
are they are going to
undertake activities like riding motorbikes, scuba diving,
skydiving, mountaineering and various water sports
activities they are going to involve while travelling
but also pre-existing medical conditions should be
discussed and obtain an appropriate comprehensive travel
insurance prior to travel.
Remember ... If you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to
travel.
... prepared by Dr.M.Prabhu, Travel
Medicine Alliance Sydney, NSW
Aircraft Cabin
Air: Just how healthy (or unhealthy) is
cabin air on aircraft?
Healthy Air? Just how healthy (or
unhealthy) is cabin air on aircraft? How does it compare
to city buses, shopping centres and air terminals?
Offices and homes?
It's cleaner! Cabin air has tenfold
fewer bacteria than city buses, shopping centres and air
terminals. Studies have shown that air in homes and
offices is exchanged only every 5-12 minutes. Air on a
plane is exchanged every 3-4 minutes while flying.
The air coming into the plane, passes
through jet engines (250 degrees Celsius) on its way
into the cabin so is essentially sterile. However, since
cooling the air down takes power, rather than all fresh
air all the time, 50% of air is recirculated. there are
special systems for ensuring air flows directly from the
top of the cabin to the floor further decreasing the
likelihood of disease.
The most risky time for disease
transmission is when the plane is 'stuck' on the tarmac
with the engines off.
... by Dr Deborah Mills , Travel
Medicine Alliance Brisbane, QLD
Outbreak
Information and News
Measles risk to travellers
Measles remains a common disease in many parts of the
world. For many travelers, the risk for exposure to
measles can be high, but the illness can be prevented by
the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine.
Worldwide, more than 20 million people are affected
by measles each year; of these cases, 242 000 result in
death. Currently, numerous measles outbreaks are ongoing
worldwide, including outbreaks in Switzerland and
Israel, which have resulted in cases imported into the
U.S. However, in 2007, the majority of imported cases in
the United States were linked to India and Japan.
Australians born between 1966 and 1982 may need a
free measles booster vaccine before travel.
10 to 30% drugs in developing world are counterfeit
The World
Health Organization (WHO) estimates that
10% to
30% of medicines sold in developing countries
are counterfeit, and some studies conclude that
the percentage may be even higher.
Counterfeit
(or fake) drugs are products that are
manufactured using incorrect, inactive, or
harmful ingredients. These drugs are then
packaged and labeled to look like real
brand-name and generic drugs to deceive
consumers into thinking that they are buying
real drugs. Counterfeit drugs are unsafe because
they may contain inactive ingredients that are
not effective or toxic ingredients that are
harmful to your health.
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It makes sense to take trusted medications
from home
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| This is why
it
makes sense to carry medical supplies from
Australia. Our TMA doctors can help you organise
the necessary medication to have on hand in case
you get sick. We can supply a zipped medical kit
bag to make a kit look more 'official', a letter
of authority to carry these medications through
customs, and easy-to-follow, step-by-step
instructions that tell you exactly what to take
and when. For the contents of a sample
travellers medical kit,
download a kit contents
listing in PDF format. |
Hand, foot, and mouth disease - thousands of cases
and spreading in Asia
Since March 2008, a growing number of cases of hand,
foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) has been reported in
parts of Asia (26,000 in China, and Singapore), mainly
affecting children. HFMD is common among infants and
children. It is very contagious and is spread through
direct contact with the nose and throat secretions,
saliva, blister fluid, or stool of an infected person.
No vaccine is available to prevent HFMD. There is no
specific treatment for people who are sick with this
disease other than treating symptoms, such as fever.
Travelers can take steps to prevent getting HFMD by
practicing good personal hygiene and following safe food
and water practices...
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water
for 20 seconds, especially before you eat, after you
cough or sneeze, and after you go to the bathroom.
If soap and water are not available, use an
alcohol-based hand gel (with at least 60% alcohol).
Consider packing alcohol-based hand gel in your
luggage to ensure you have it when needed.
- Eat foods that are fully cooked and served hot.
- Drink beverages that have been properly bottled
and sealed (water, carbonated drinks, or sports
drinks).
- Do not put ice in drinks.
- Eat only fruits and vegetables that you can wash
and peel yourself.
- Do not share eating utensils, such as forks,
spoons, and cups.
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Do you have a holiday
story to tell, especially one with a medical
event?
Send it to
info@travelmedicine.com.au,
and we will send you one of our mini TMA
torches to put on your key ring - a great
help when finding your lock at night.
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The Travel Medicine Alliance