Travel Medicine: Treatment, Effects & Risks

Travel medicine covers several areas, such as prevention and treatment. It is used for people who are planning a vacation in another country or for people who have just left the foreign country. Especially when traveling to the tropics, precautions should be taken in advance.

What is travel medicine?

The term travel medicine includes all medical measures used for prophylaxis, diagnosis and therapy for diseases that arise abroad. The term travel medicine includes all medical measures used for prophylaxis, diagnosis and therapy for diseases that arise abroad. Travel diseases have increased in recent years. A parallel can be drawn to the increasingly frequent stays abroad. In addition, vacations are nowadays spent in more distant regions than was the case in the past. Especially in tropical and subtropical latitudes many Europeans fall ill. In most cases it is a harmless gastrointestinal upset. But more serious complaints cannot be ruled out. Some can be effectively prevented, such as vaccination or wearing appropriate clothing to protect against mosquito bites. Furthermore, specific behavior can help prevent infections. In some countries there are compulsory vaccinations, without which entry is not possible. Such a regulation exists for example in Brazil. The South American country can only be entered by people who have a yellow fever vaccination in their passport. Thus, prevention is also part of travel medicine, as is treatment in case of illness.

Treatments and therapies

The goals of travel medicine are different. On the one hand, diseases should be prevented at best, and on the other hand, they should be treated in such a way that no permanent damage occurs. Different measures are suitable for prophylaxis. First and foremost among these are vaccinations. A visit to the doctor can provide information about the required injections, which are administered depending on the planned trip. For example, a vaccination against yellow fever is not necessary in some countries, while it should not be missed when traveling to other places. Vaccinations against hepatitis A and B, cholera, influenza, rabies, typhoid, polio, yellow fever and meningococcus are recommended. However, the doctor decides which vaccination is really necessary in the end. Some shots require multiple applications. Accordingly, it is important that travelers inform themselves early so that the treatment is completed before the start of the vacation and the vaccination protection is thus guaranteed. Furthermore, education is part of prophylaxis. This is offered by some tropical doctors, but you can also find extensive information on the Internet. If the vacation lies in the tropics, long clothes and a mosquito net over the bed help against unpleasant bites, from which under circumstances diseases can result. Fruits and vegetables should be sufficiently washed or peeled. Furthermore, tap water is not drinkable everywhere. Bacteria or other pathogens may be present in the water. If in doubt, the water should be boiled before consumption to avoid infection. In addition, travel medicine deals with the diagnosis and treatment of people who have just returned from abroad. In the case of some tropical diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, rapid action is important to preserve health. To ensure that the symptoms are diagnosed quickly, a doctor with the appropriate expertise should be consulted. Tropical doctors are particularly suitable for this. Other risks of illness while traveling are altered climatic conditions, such as those present at high altitudes or in severe cold. Travel medicine thus covers various diseases and ailments. In addition to diarrheal diseases, infections or parasites are treated, for example.

Diagnosis and examination methods

The blood provides information about the physical condition of the person in many complaints. Accordingly, doctors often draw blood when symptoms exist in order to examine it in the laboratory. Such a procedure is also used for many diseases, which can be classified as travel medicine. Persistent fever after a vacation in the tropics can be a sign of malaria.As soon as the physician gains the corresponding suspicion, he usually tries to detect the pathogens in the patient’s blood. If plasmodia are found in the sample, the disease is considered diagnosed. A similar test also helps to detect dengue fever. This is usually transmitted by mosquitoes and manifests as fever, rash, and pain in the joints, muscles, head, or limbs. In most cases, dengue fever cannot be detected directly. The blood test succeeds only between the third and seventh day of the disease, before that a diagnosis of the virus is very difficult. However, from the eighth day at the latest, antibodies directed against the pathogen can be found in the patient’s blood. Typhoid fever can also be detected by a blood test. This can reveal changes in the blood, such as a reduction in white blood cells. The situation is different, however, in the case of complaints affecting the stomach or intestines. Traveler’s diarrhea is not an uncommon symptom on vacation. If it persists for more than 48 to 72 hours, a doctor should be consulted. A stool sample will reveal the exact pathogen causing the symptoms. Ideally, it should be a fresh sample. Traveler’s diarrhea is usually unpleasant, but harmless if sufficient water is taken in. However, a stool sample can also diagnose cholera in the context of travel medicine. Therefore, it is important to always mention the completed vacation to your doctor if you have any existing medical conditions.