Travel Clinic in Minnesota

Overview

Every year millions of people travel from one country to another. With this travel comes the potential for exposure to conditions and diseases that are vastly different from those encountered in a traveler's home country. These risks increase when an individual travels from a more sheltered environment, such as the United States, to countries where infectious diseases account for nearly half of all incidence of death and disease. This is the case in many tropical or developing countries.

International travel — be it a business trip to Australia or a backpacking adventure in Nepal — can be made safe and healthy with adequate preparation. Mayo Clinic's Travel & Tropical Medicine Clinic not only helps travelers medically prepare for their trips but also evaluates and treats returning travelers who may have acquired an illness during their journey.

In addition, the clinic provides infectious disease evaluations for immigrants, refugees and potential parents of internationally adopted children. Those children may be evaluated in the Mayo Clinic Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

Avian Influenza Advice

Disease and Risk

This is general information about the avian influenza A (H5N1) situation. Avian influenza A (H5N1) is mainly in birds and poultry currently; with limited numbers of human cases in Southeast Asia. Transmission is predominantly through direct contact with infected birds and poultry. Consumption of uncooked poultry or poultry blood can cause the disease. Person-to-person transmission is very uncommon. The risk to a traveler going to a country with infected birds or even human cases is extremely low.

Symptoms

It is important to know the symptoms of avian influenza. Symptoms are similar to typical influenza-like illnesses (e.g., fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches) or sometimes respiratory symptoms are complicated with diarrhea, eye infections (conjunctivitis), or pneumonia. If such symptoms occur, then patients should see a physician promptly. It is also important to understand that about 15-25% of travelers pick up common-variety respiratory viral infections while traveling. If symptoms of respiratory tract illness occur, it could just be one of the other viruses and not avian influenza. However, all patients with respiratory illnesses after travel should still be promptly evaluated by a physician.

Prevention

No avian influenza vaccine is available currently. Per CDC and WHO guidelines and because of lack of evidence of active avian influenza pandemic activity and the relative shortage of anti-viral medications (Tamiflu and Relenza), presently:

• There is no need for travelers to potential risk areas to carry or be taking anti-viral medications.
• At present we are not recommending or providing any prophylactic anti-viral medications (Tamiflu and Relenza) for travelers. This may change if the global situation changes in the future.

Methods to prevent getting avian influenza include:

• Avoid travel to farms or areas with many live animals/birds.
• Avoid all contact with poultry markets, avoiding eating uncooked or undercooked poultry or poultry products, including dishes made with uncooked poultry blood.
• Frequently wash hands and use alcohol hand gels to maintain good hand hygiene.
• Carry an N-95 mask to use in case of a respiratory illness outbreak while in the country of travel.
• Keep informed of the global situation while traveling, through the media and by checking the following sites:
  The CDC Disease Outbreak site Web site
  http://www.cdc.gov/travel/
  The WHO Communicable Disease Outbreak Web site
  http://www.who.int/csr/don/en/