Sunny, Safe Travel
When you can’t stand another day of gray Oregon skies, it’s only natural to start looking at airfare to places where February is warm, sunny, and filled with postcard-blue water. Before you book that reservation, however, make an appointment with Cascade Travel Health. While there’s nothing better than making memories with family or friends in a new country, there’s nothing worse than getting sick on vacation.
In fact, depending on your destination, traveling internationally can put you at risk for serious illness. Our travel health specialists provide personalized preventive care and recommendations to ensure you can enjoy every minute of your getaway. Cascade Travel Health helps you avoid malaria, hepatitis and common illnesses encountered abroad by offering:
Vaccinations and prescriptions for travel medications.
Crucial educational information on food and water safety, malaria prevention and more.
Up-to-date recommendations tailored to your destination.
Travel health appointments should be scheduled 4-6 weeks before your trip, so if you have a winter vacation coming up, call 541-228-3096 or visit our Travel Health page today. To get you started, we’ve rounded up some of the top tips from our travel health specialists.
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• Wear clothing that covers as much skin as practicable.
• Apply a repellent to all exposed, non-sensitive areas of the body. Frequent application ensures continuous protection.
• When both an insect repellent and sunscreen are used, apply the sunscreen first, let it dry completely, then apply the repellent.
• Use a repellent containing DEET (30%–35% concentration) or, alternatively, a repellent containing picaridin (20% concentration or greater for tropical destinations).
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• Avoid undercooked meat, seafood, and fish; unpasteurized dairy products, such as cheese, yogurt, and milk; creamy desserts; cold sauces such as mayonnaise, salad dressing and salsas; and leafy or uncooked vegetables and salads.
• Eat well-cooked, steaming-hot foods. Other safer-to-eat foods include breads, tortillas, crackers, biscuits, and other baked goods. Fruits, nuts and vegetables with thick skins, peels or shells that can be removed are also good choices.
• Avoid tap water or anything mixed with tap water and do not rinse toothbrushes in tap water.
• Do not use ice unless it is made from boiled, bottled, or purified water. Freezing does not kill the organisms that cause diarrhea.
• Drink canned, boxed, or commercially bottled carbonated water and drinks. Beer and wine are safe to drink; however, alcohol added to other liquids does not render the beverages safe.
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• Sit on a towel, blanket, or piece of clothing if a chair or hammock is not available. The sand may be contaminated in areas frequented by animals.
• Thoroughly shake out all fabrics after use.
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• Never assume that an animal or bat is free of rabies.
• Avoid entering caves due to the possibility of exposure to bats and their droppings.
• Do not handle or feed pets, unknown animals especially dogs, monkeys, or bats.
• Clean any bite or scratch.
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• Use caution at tourist sites, in crowded areas and on public transportation.
• Familiarize yourself with common local scams and distraction techniques.
• Avoid using ATMs at night.
• Give up valuables if confronted. Money and passports can be replaced; your life cannot.
• Use taxis from official ranks or dispatched via smartphone app or radio from a reputable company.
• Carry only a photocopy of the passport face page and legal entry stamp unless otherwise required by authorities; leave the actual passport in a hotel safe or other secure place.
• Advise at least one other person of your whereabouts and expected schedule.