Travel Clinic
Many foreign – and even nearby – countries are afflicted with diseases Americans don’t commonly face, such as malaria and typhoid fever. These sometimes-deadly diseases are preventable with vaccinations and other protection measures, but staying healthy takes planning.
Vacationers and students heading abroad should visit the Travel Clinic at Gifford six to eight weeks before departing, as it takes time for some vaccines to become effective and others are delivered in a series of shots.
Following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, the Travel Clinic offers pre-travel risk assessments that consider patients’ overall health, any underlying health conditions they may have, medications they take, their immunization history, and where they’re going, when and for how long.
Patients are then provided both verbal and written information on vaccines that can prevent contracting illnesses in the country or countries in which the patients will be traveling; advice on avoiding insects – such as through repellants and netting – if patients are traveling to a country where insects are known to carry malaria; and, finally, are given the needed vaccines.
If you plan to travel to a foreign destination, do so safely; call the Travel Clinic for advice and/or an appointment.
Travel Clinic : (802) 728-2366
Visit wwwn.cdc.gov/travel to learn more, including what immunizations are needed for various destinations.