Today’s Travel Clinic Planning Tomorrow’s Trip

A travel clinic is an absolute must for anyone traveling overseas. This is particularly true for anyone planning on visiting the following countries:

Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Colombia
Ecuador
French Guiana
Guyana
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Trinidad & Tobago
Venezuela

The reason why these countries stand out is their prevalence of yellow fever. Yellow fever is a life-threatening disease caused by the yellow fever virus. Over the years it has had some pretty awful nicknames including Yellow Jack (Not too bad), the American Plague (awful) and the Black Vomit (Absolutely awful!).

Yellow fever cannot be passed along by person-to-person contact, it is typically contracted through the bite of an infected mosquito. Its symptoms include: Jaundice, respiratory, liver and kidney failure and in the worst-case scenario—death.

If travel to any of the above listed countries is on your itinerary it is recommended you get yourself over to a travel clinic ASAP. The yellow fever vaccination in use today has been used safely for decades. Over ten years of protection is possible with only a single dose. Booster shots are recommended after ten years.

It is recommended that anyone older than one year of age should receive the vaccination if they will be in any of the countries listed above. In fact, many countries now require official paperwork stipulating that a yellow fever vaccination has been administered before entry to the country will even be considered. A certified travel clinic will know what countries require what type of paperwork.

There are people who are exceptions to the paperwork rule and they include women who are pregnant, persons allergic to eggs (the vaccination is incubated inside eggs), and infants younger than one year. Again, it is the certified travel clinic that will be up to date on these regulations, and that will provide the paperwork necessary to negate the first set of paperwork. Ah, bureaucracy!

Yet this vaccination and the certificate to prove inoculation is not the only thing a travel clinic can help with when journeying overseas. They can offer a ton of expertise regarding everything travel-related—down to the littlest of things. Take water, for example: How many people understand that in order to minimize your chances of catching a disease like giardia, ice cubes should never be used while overseas?

This water safety information continues, in addition to advice regarding foods and vegetables, insects and insect bites, and the sun and how to protect oneself from its powerful rays. When away from home numerous dangers seem to be hiding around every corner. Of course, it only seems that way when one lacks the professional advice of a travel clinic.

If a trip is in your near future it is recommended that you visit a travel clinic at least four weeks prior to your departure. This is primarily to give any vaccination time to do its magic.



If you currently reside in the New York City area and need a certified travel clinic you will have a hard time finding a better place than Travel Clinic NYC. For more information on their services and staff simply call 1-212-696-5900.