Adult & Traveler Immunizations > Travel Checklist

Travelers Health Checklist

Before any international travel, be sure to:

• Visit DOH-Sarasota's Travelers Health Clinic
  Visit us 4-6 weeks before your departure to learn about health precautions and recommended vaccinations for your destination.  Be sure you are also up to date with all your routine vaccinations, including a flu shot.
• Learn more at CDC's Travelers' Health website
  Educate yourself and others traveling with you about any disease risks in the areas you plan to visit and as well as the CDC health recommendations for international travelers .
• Identify in-country healthcare resources
  in advance of your trip.
• Check your health insurance plan
  or get additional insurance that covers medical evacuation in case of serious illness. Information about medical evacuation services is provided on the U.S. Department of State's Medical Information for Americans Abroad web page
• Assemble a travel health kit (see sidebar)
  containing basic first aid and medical supplies. Be sure to include a thermometer and alcohol-based hand hygiene gel.

During any international travel, remember:

• Wash hands
  One of the most important preventive practices is careful and frequent hand washing. Cleaning your hands often with soap and water removes potentially infectious material from your skin and helps prevent disease transmission. Waterless, alcohol-based hand gels may be used when soap is not available and hands are not visibly soiled. 
• Avoid live poultry
  Avoid places such as poultry farms and bird markets where live poultry is raised or kept. Avoid handling any surfaces contaminated with poultry feces or secretions.  As a precaution, all foods from poultry, including eggs and poultry blood, should be thoroughly cooked. 
• If you get sick
  If you become sick with symptoms such as a fever accompanied by a cough, sore throat, or difficulty breathing, or if you develop any illness that requires prompt medical attention, a U.S. consular officer can assist you in locating medical services and informing your family or friends. Inform your healthcare provider of any possible exposures to avian influenza. You should defer further travel until you are free of symptoms, unless your travel is health related.
• If you require medical evacuation
  Information about medical evacuation services is provided on the U.S. Department of State's Medical Information for Americans Abroad web page

After your return, don't forget:

• Monitor your health for 10 days.
• If you become ill
  with a fever plus a cough, sore throat, or have trouble breathing during this 10-day period, consult a healthcare provider.
• Before you visit a healthcare setting,
  tell the provider staff the following: 1) your symptoms, 2) where you traveled, and 3) if you have had direct contact with poultry or close contact with a severely ill person. Your healthcare provider may make arrangements to have you wear a surgical mask if they feel you may be infectious to others in a waiting room or hospital setting.
• Do not travel while ill
  unless you are seeking medical care. Limiting contact with others as much as possible can help prevent the spread of an infectious illness.
• Some illnesses don't show up right away
  Some diseases might not manifest themselves immediately upon your return. Most travelers infected abroad become ill within 12 weeks after returning to the United States. There are, however, some diseases that may not show symptoms for as long as 6-12 months after exposure. If you have traveled outside the United States, it is always prudent to let your healthcare provider know, even if it has been longer than six months since your return.