While the U.S. Department of State provides travel alerts regarding safety and security in countries outside the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues travel notices specifically related to health risks in specific destinations. The travel notices are designed to inform travelers and clinicians about disease outbreaks, natural disasters, special events or other conditions that may affect the health of travelers.
The CDC uses a three-tier system of alerts. A Level 1 notice indicates a baseline risk with limited impact to the health of travelers. It’s a reminder to follow usual precautions for the destination. A Level 2 notice indicates an increased risk to travelers and certain high-risk groups (such as children, pregnant women, the sick or elderly) who should consider delaying travel to the destination. Those who do travel should follow enhanced precautions while in the affected area. Lastly, a Level 3 notice indicates a warning as a high-risk for travelers. It’s recommended by the CDC that everyone avoid all non-essential travel to the destination.
There are currently no Level 3 travel notices issued by the CDC. Due to the recent outbreak of the Zika virus, there are Level 2 alerts issued for more than 50 countries, including Mexico and countries in South America and the Caribbean. Other Level 2 travel notices include MERS in the Arabian Peninsula, yellow fever in Angola, and polio in Guinea, Laos, Ukraine, Madagascar, Nigeria and Burma. In addition, there are Level 1 alerts for various countries for measles, yellow fever, cholera, Lassa fever and chikungunya.
Vaccinate Before Traveling to Risky Destinations
The CDC recommends that people who decide to travel despite health notices be up to date on all immunizations received (?) in the United States. This typically would include pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and hepatitis B. Check out the links below for immunization schedules:
- Immunization Schedule for Infants and Children: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/parent-ver-sch-0-6yrs.pdf
- Immunization Schedule for Pre-teens and Teens: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/who/teens/downloads/parent-version-schedule-7-18yrs.pdf
- Immunization Schedule for Adults: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/downloads/adult/adult-schedule-easy-read.pdf
Unfortunately there is currently no vaccination for Zika or chikungunya. Some countries, including many countries in Africa, require all travelers to have an International Certificate of Vaccination against yellow fever. Similarly, a cholera immunization may be required if you are traveling to or from an infected area.
International Medical Transport Service
In the event that a traveler contracts a communicable disease while traveling internationally, an international medical transport service may be necessary to bring the patient back home. SentinelMED’s team of qualified logistics and medical professionals are able to determine the appropriate form of affordable air medical transportation and can help manage the process from end-to-end. As an international medical transport service, we understand the complexity of delivering exceptional care to patients who are away from home and in an unfamiliar environment. Please contact us if you’d like to learn more about our services and staff.
