Worksheet for Individuals Planning International Travel

 

This is a worksheet recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to aid in preparation for your foreign travel. The CDC’s goal is to better enable individuals to enjoy international travels safely. It is recommended that you visit the CDC website www.cdc.gov/travel to access the most current travel health information. It is recommended you print out the information on your area of travel and bring it with you prior to making an appointment at the Student Health Center or your doctor’s office. Make sure to click on and review ALL links to information about specific diseases, travel health recommendations, and medications for disease prevention.

 

Step 1

Create an ordered list and include all areas of travel and activities of interest (missionary work, healthcare related activities, hiking, game hunting, etc).

  1. ________________________________
  2. ________________________________
  3. ________________________________

 

What is the nature of travel?   Mission      Healthcare      Leisure      Work     Other

 

Dates of travel and country

 

a.  ___/____/___ to ___/___/___ in _____________________________________

    Mo/day/yr           Mo/day/yr               Country

b.  ___/___/____ to ___/___/___ in _____________________________________

     Mo/day/yr           Mo/day/yr               Country

 

Total number of days traveling  ________

 

Step 2

Make an appointment at the Student Health Center (464-5060), your home physician, or an International Travel Center at least 6-8 weeks prior to travel. The Student Health Center has your immunization record as part of your Healthcare file. Ideally, immunizations for travel should begin 6 months prior to travel, but 4-6 weeks are generally adequate time for vaccines to be effective.

Authorized International Travel Centers in Indiana are located on Indiana State Department of Health’s Web site at: www.state.in.us/isdh/healthinfo/yellowfever.htm

 

Step 3

Call your health insurance company. Ask the insurance company:

  1. Does my health insurance policy cover immunizations for international travel?
  2. Does my policy cover accidents or illness in the countries visiting? If so, do I need to call the insurance company before seeking medical attention?

It is not unusual for health care insurance to be invalid if used outside the U.S. Most places will demand cash before services are rendered.

 

 

Step 4

Investigate entry requirements for each country. Some countries require more documentation than a passport.

Look up travel warnings and the consular information sheets. These information sheets will give specifics about each country and will give an overall perspective of what to expect while traveling. The website is: www.travel.state.gov/travel warnings.html#s

Write down the telephone number of the U.S. Embassy in each country you will visit.

  1. ______________________________________________
  2. ______________________________________________
  3. ______________________________________________

 

Step 5

Make an appointment at The Student Health Center, your physician, or an International Travel Center to determine which protective immunizations are necessary. It will be important to be as thorough as possible to avoid illness later. These immunizations can be found at: www.cdc.gov/travel. The Student Health Center has your immunization records if you need assistance. The Nurse Practitioners can prescribe preventive medications and administer them at the Health Center. You may have to pick up some immunization medications at the local pharmacy yourself so be prepared for an additional cost in your trip.

Immunizations needed:              ________________________________________________

                                                ________________________________________________

Medications prescribed:            ________________________________________________

                                                ________________________________________________

 

If you should become ill up to a year after you return from traveling, notify your health care provider immediately and inform them that you have traveled out of the country. Usually illnesses from foreign countries will manifest themselves within 8 weeks after returning to the U.S. However, others may lie non-active in the body for months. Many illnesses are disregarded as flu or stomach flu, when in fact they are disease or parasite related.

 

Step 6

There are several things not to forget when packing.  This is an abbreviated list of things to remember:

_____ Anti-diarrhea medication (travelers’ diarrhea is very common)

_____ Malaria pills (if prescribed) and other daily prescriptions in well-marked bottles

_____ Sunscreen with at least a SPF of 15

_____ Passport and other documents needed for travel

_____ List of important telephone numbers

_____ Health condition ID Bracelet, if indicated

_____ Insect Repellent containing 30-35% DEET (concentration is for adults only)

_____ International Certificate of Vaccination (if it is an entry requirement)