subject: Travel Guidelines From The Center For Disease Control [print this page] The CDC is a United States federal agency located in Atlanta, Georgia that functions as an independent non-profit organization. It was formed by the Department of Health and Human Services to protect the public health and safety of citizens travelling in and out of the country. This organization was originally founded in 1942 shortly after World War II as the Office of National Defense Malaria Control Activities. It is now used as a means of educating persons and aid them to make proper decisions concerning their health. The aim of the establishment is to employ disease prevention and control techniques to protect individuals from environmental ailments like infectious diseases.
Persons should try and consult the CDC before going to a foreign countries, this will notify you about any possible epidemics that may be having an impact on a country. Some of the more popular ailments are Swine Flu, Malaria, Typhoid, Hepatitis B. Apart from environmental health threats, the organization also places their efforts on informing persons about on chronic diseases, injury control, disabilities, terrorism preparedness, workplace hazards. CDC is now also tackles emerging diseases like birth defects, West Nile virus, obesity, avian, swine, and pandemic flu, E. coli, auto wrecks, and bioterrorism, to name a few.
The CDC would then relay details to travelers about the precautions that they need to take for protecting themselves against these sicknesses when going across certain borders. The CDC have made spin off centers that persons can visit to get information. The CDC also offers a website you can go to for information, there you can get general advice for protecting your health while on your journey. You can also get advice on the required vaccinations for travelling to certain countries. Persons should make certain that they recheck their immunization card to see that they are up to date.
Persons who travel and have trouble with certain ailments should carry all their medications along with them. Individuals who have certain health issues such as asthma, a lot of times need their medication to survive in case they get an attack, so it is essential that they travel with it. Before you visit a country take some time to find out what is taking place in the environment. This can be done by browsing through newspapers or news on the web, they may provide information you need to know about what is taking place in that region, healthwise. You may also get in contact with the American Embassy for more information.
Sometimes the CDC provides alerts and recommendations for certain countries. For example there have been instances that the CDC have asked persons to suspend their visits to Mexico due to a possible outbreak of the Swine Flu, so persons were asked to refrain from visiting Mexico unless completely necessary|called for. The CDC recommends that after persons return from a visit they should monitor their health for at least seven days after they have returned home. There is usually an incubation period after being exposed to a disease so persons should monitor themselves to see if there may have been ailments you have overlooked.
