Synopsis
This annual guide, updated each January, issues advice on the medical and personal precautions needed to protect the health of international travellers. Addressed to physicians, tourist agencies, airlines and shipping companies, the book presents information on general precautions to be taken by all travellers, health risks specific to different geographical areas, vaccinations recommended or advised by WHO, and vaccinations legally required for entry into each of the world's countries. Though the main emphasis is on prevention, country-specific information on common diseases may also help physicians track the cause of illnesses acquired abroad. The first chapter provides a country-by-coutry list of required vaccinations, with information on the malaria situation, for each country in the world. For malaria, epidemiological details are given for all countries with endemic areas, including notes on geographical and seasonal distribution, altitude, predominant species, and status of resistance.
Further information on geographical risks is provided in the second chapter, which alerts readers to the main arthropod-borne, food-borne and water-borne diseases and other health hazards commonly found in different parts of the world. The next chapter offers advice on what travellers can do to protect their health while abroad. A list of all vaccinations recommended or advised by WHO is presented in the form of a table, which includes information on the vaccine, lower age limit, number of days before the vaccine becomes effective, and duration of protection. The chapter also communicates WHO advice on the immunization of HIV-infected travellers and on the risk of TB transmission during air travel.
