Many of the doctors in Mona Vale Medical Centre specialise in travel medicine. Many Northern Beaches residents take regular overseas holidays, so the GP’s located in this centre have vast experience in this area and can offer you and your family comprehensive travel advice.
When planning an overseas holiday, it is important that you plan an appointment with your GP. Bring your itinerary to your GP appointment!
It is ideal to make an appointment with your GP at least 6 weeks before you travel, as some vaccines may require multiple courses, and some may take some weeks to become effective.
Your GP will be able to provide the latest advice on immunisations, travel health concerns and ways to minimise adverse health risks. Som examples of these can be found below.
Tips for travellers to think about:
- Remember that most diseases are preventable so know your destination so you have the right vaccines, treatments and education to prevent them.
- Food and water borne diseases can be minimized by following a few precautions:
- Avoid food that is washed or made up from local water supplies
- Eat food that can be peeled
- Only eat freshly cooked food, not food that has been sitting at a buffet or reheated.
These are tips that will also greatly aide in the prevention of Traveller’s diarrhea:
- Avoid salads, uncooked vegetables, unpasteurized milk and milk products such as cheese, yoghurt and ice cream.
- Only drink bottled water with a tamper proof seal. Sealed cans of soft drink are ok. If boiling water, boil for at least 1 minute or purify with cleansing tablets before drinking or washing food.
- No ice cubes in yours drinks, it could still be local water.
- Avoid seafood that is raw or uncooked
- Be careful of food purchased from street vendors.
Further advice:
- Prevent mosquito borne diseases by using appropriate avoidance measures as follows: *Medication ie: antibiotics used to prevent malaria such as doxycillin or malarone
- Know your mossies. Malaria mossies bite at night.
- Dengue fever and Chikungunya mossies bite during the day.
- Wear cotton long sleeve shirts and pants that are well tucked in as all mossies are attracted to dark clothing.
- Mossies are attracted to perfumes and strong scents.
- Ensure you have well screened/sealed accommodation. If sleeping outdoors use nets preferably impregnated with permethrin.
- Use tropical repellents on all bare skin, particularly ankles and feet. Tropical repellents are used to repel most biting insects. Any repellent containing 30-35% DEET(N,N-diethylmetatoluamide) will provide 8-12hrs protection from: Mossies, sandflies, midges, ticks, bed bugs and leeches. Read recommendations on each brand prior to use. Some are not to used with children or pregnant women.
- Sunscreen should be applied 30 minutes prior to repellent.
- Avoid patting or attracting wild dogs, bats and monkeys. If bitten seek medical attention ASAP.
- Rabies is common in Asia, Africa and South America. Because of this there are many treatment centres located overseas for this.