Last-Minute Travelers

"If you are a last-minute business traveler, returning to your home country for a family emergency, or traveling internationally on short notice for another reason, you can still plan for safe and healthy travel.

Pretravel Checklist

Even if you are leaving soon, there are steps you can take to prepare for a safe and healthy trip.

• Check CDC Destination pages for important travel health information about your destination, including information about recommended vaccines and medicines.
• If possible, get an in-person or telehealth appointment with your healthcare provider to discuss your trip and any vaccinations and medications you may need.
• Check with you healthcare provider to see if any of the vaccinations you need can be given on an accelerated schedule.
  
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.. to notify the U.S. Embassy or Consulate of your trip and for help in case of an emergency.
  

Talk to your doctor about vaccines and medicines

If you are short on time, some vaccines can be administered on an accelerated schedule, meaning doses are given in a shorter period of time.

You may also want to get at least the first dose of certain vaccines that usually require multiple doses so you get some protection before your trip. These include hepatitis A, Japanese encephalitis, and rabies vaccines.

Yellow Fever Vaccination

Some countries require, proof of yellow fever vaccination before entering the country. This proof is usually a signed and stamped International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) card that you receive after you get the vaccine. Your proof of vaccination is not valid until 10 days after you get the vaccine because of the time it takes for your body to build protection. If your destination requires proof of yellow fever vaccination and you are not able to get the vaccine 10 days before travel, you may need to change your travel plans.

Malaria Prevention

If there is a risk of malaria at your destination, your healthcare provider may prescribe medicine to prevent malaria. Be sure to let your healthcare provider know when you are leaving, so they can prescribe the right amount of medicine for you. Some malaria medications must be started 1-2 weeks before you go, while others only need to be started 1-2 days before you travel. You will still need to take steps to prevent mosquito bites during travel, since malaria drugs are not 100% effective and they don’t protect against other diseases spread by mosquitoes (like Zika, dengue, and chikungunya)..."
Travelers 

Travel to Mass Gatherings

"Whether the event is planned years in advance (World Cup) or happens more spontaneously (street celebrations), events that draw huge crowds can come with unique risks to travelers including increasing the spread of infectious diseases.

What risks should I be worried about?

Mass gatherings involve a large number of people (sometimes in the millions) at a specific location, for a specific purpose, during a defined time frame.

Risks caused by crowding you should be aware of include:

• Poor hygiene at or around temporary food and sanitation facilities
• Challenging security situations
• Sun & heat exposure
• Diseases caused by bug bites (like malaria, dengue, Zika, chikungunya, Lyme, and yellow fever).
• Increased risk of preventable diseases due to an influx of people
  • Flu
  • Measles
  • MERS
  • Hepatitis
  • Travelers’ diarrhea

What can I do to protect myself?

Before your trip:

• Check your destination for health risks and safety concerns.
• Consult with your doctor or a travel medicine provider at least a month before your trip to allow time to receive vaccinations, medicines, and advice that you may need. Discuss your itinerary and any planned activities with your provider so that he or she can make customized recommendations to ensure a healthy and safe journey.
  • Make sure you are up-to-date on all of your routine vaccines, including measles-mumps-rubella (MMR). Measles and other infectious diseases can spread quickly in a large group of unvaccinated people.
• Enroll with the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). You can subscribe to receive notifications on travel warnings for your destination. Enrolling also ensures that the Department of State knows where you are if you have serious legal, medical, or financial difficulties while traveling. In the event of an emergency at home, STEP can also help friends and family contact you.
• Pack a travel health kit complete with bug spray, sunscreen, aloe, over-the-counter medicines, prescription medicines, a first aid kit, and more. Be sure to bring enough of your prescription medicines to last for the whole trip, plus a little extra, just in case.
  • Be sure that all your medicines are permitted in the country where you’re traveling, even if you’re just passing through..."
    Mass gatherings

Don’t Let Measles Be Your Travel Souvenir

"Stay safe and healthy when traveling abroad. Measles spreads easily through coughing and sneezing. It can cause serious illness, even death. Make sure you and your family are vaccinated for measles before you travel.

Are you traveling abroad? You might not think about measles when you are preparing for your trip, but it is a health risk in many destinations. Make sure you and your family are vaccinated for measles and other diseases before you travel abroad.

After your trip, you want to bring home fun souvenirs, a camera full of photos, and fantastic memories—not measles!

Travelers who are not vaccinated are at risk of getting measles

Each year, unvaccinated people get infected while in other countries and bring the disease into the United States and spread it to others. Measles cases and outbreaks still occur in many parts of the world. Each year, an estimated 10 million people are affected by measles and measles kills almost 110,000 people around the world. The majority of measles cases that are brought into the United States come from unvaccinated U.S. residents.

Measles is highly contagious and can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected. An infected person can also spread measles to others 4 days before the rash even develops.."
Measles and travel

Managing Travelers’ Diarrhea While Traveling Abroad

"What do you do if you find yourself with a rumbling tummy while traveling overseas? Follow these tips to prevent or treat travelers’ diarrhea and still enjoy your international trip.

What is it?

Travelers’ diarrhea is caused by a variety of pathogens but most commonly bacteria found in food and water, often related to poor hygiene practices in local restaurants. An estimated 30% to 70% of travelers experience travelers’ diarrhea, depending on where they go and what time of year. Countries are generally divided into 3 risk groups: high, intermediate, and low.

• Destinations with high risk: Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Mexico, and Central and South America.
• Destinations with intermediate risk: Eastern Europe, South Africa, and some Caribbean islands.
• Destinations with low risk: the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Northern and Western Europe..."

Travelers' diarrhea