Traveling Precaution
Traveling precaution is essential to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip. Before traveling, research your destination and familiarize yourself with local customs and laws. Pack appropriate clothing, medications, and travel documents. Avoid carrying valuable items and keep important documents secure. Stay aware of your surroundings and be cautious of scams and pickpockets. At Aafiyat, we help to practice good hygiene and follow all COVID-19 guidelines.
Breastfeeding
Most mothers should be advised to continue breastfeeding their infants throughout travel. For the first 6 months of life, exclusive breastfeeding is recommended. This is especially important during travel because exclusive breastfeeding means feeding only breast milk, no other foods or drinks, which potentially protects infants from exposure to contamination and pathogens via foods or liquids. Breastfeeding infants require no water supplementation, even in extreme heat environments. The mother’s milk supply remains sufficient and the child’s nutrition and hydration remain ideal.
If you plan to use an electric breast pump, keep an electrical current adapter and converter on hand. A back-up option like a manual pump may be required, and educate yourself on techniques for hand expression. Avoid risk of contamination by following proper cleaning guidance of the machine and related bottles, caps, nipples, etc.
Breast pumps and expressed milk carried in an airline may require special consideration. Ensure you have read the airline’s policies regarding this or contact them directly.
Exclusive breastfeeding protects infants against travelers’ diarrhea. Breastfeeding is ideal rehydration therapy. Children who are suspected of having travelers’ diarrhea should breastfeed more frequently. Children in this situation should not be offered other fluids or foods that replace breastfeeding.
Infants and mothers should be vaccinated as per routine recommended schedules.
Consult our physicians today and discuss immunization and medications which can be given safely while breastfeeding.
For more information: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2020/family-travel/travel-and-breastfeeding
Infants and Children
Children face similar problems while travelling as their parents, but they are less likely to receive pre travel advice.
Consult your paediatrician and our physicians for:
- A complete review of your child’s routine and travel-related vaccines. Ensure they are up-to-date on their routine schedules. Discuss the safety and benefits of administering travel vaccines to your child.
- Assessment of risks involved in activities in your itinerary.
- Preventive counselling and interventions for children with chronic diseases, including safety of air-travel and activities planned.
- Adults travelling along with them should consider taking a basic first aid course and kit.
- Preparing an emergency kit with safe over-the-counter medications at the age-appropriate dose for your child.
Precautions:
- Infant formulas may have different compositions in different countries, parents may need to consider carrying formula from home when they travel. Prefer to consume bottled water or disinfected water only while preparing infant formula.
- Children should be served food that has been cooked thoroughly and eaten while still hot. Fruits consumed raw should be washed and peeled just before consuming.
- Caution to be used with fresh dairy products which may not be pasteurised or diluted with untreated water.
- Pay close attention to handwashing and cleaning toys and other products used by children with potable water.
- Use of correct and timely rehydration therapy is a must in the treatment of diarrhoea, be prepared with the necessary Oral rehydration solution. This is available in almost all countries and should be prepared with clean boiled or treated water.
- If travelling to developing countries, discuss with your paediatrician regarding available prophylaxis for children. Make sure to sleep in air-conditioned rooms or with screened windows, use bed nets as required, reduce exposure with preventive clothing and safe use of insect repellents.
- Children should be made to wear protective footwear, apply adequate sunscreen, and wear protective clothing as required.
- Avoid contact with unfamiliar or sick animals harboring infections. Wash any wounds inflicted by them with soap and water thoroughly and povidone iodine if available.
- Make sure to prepare the child with identity information in case of separation.
- Review travel health insurance for your children before you travel.
For more information: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2020/family-travel/traveling-safely-with-infants-and-children
TRAVELING WITH DISABILITIES AND CHRONIC ILLNESSES
With proper preparation, people with disabilities and chronic illnesses can travel internationally. Some may need special attention or adaptive transportation services. Each itinerary has to be assessed carefully and discussed with travel agencies or tour operators. Your health provider can give additional recommendations to plan the appropriate accommodations.
- Seek pretravel consultation more than 4-6 weeks earlier to respond to immunizations and any other modifications required, especially immunocompromised patients.
- Consult all hotel, airline, etc providers to learn about their services offered.
- Consider purchasing supplemental health insurance and medical evacuation insurance as well.
- Wear a medical alert bracelet. Carry all your medical alert information and a letter from your physician describing your condition, requirements, potential complications and other pertinent information.
- Discuss all potential complications with your physician so you can prepare for them. Carry necessary over-the-counter medication as well as prescribed medication you may need.
- Educate yourself on possible drug interactions and managing medications in different time zones.
- Carry sufficient prescription medications to ensure adequate supply, including extra in case of delay. Always carry prescriptions with clear detailed labels and instructions.
- Carry documentation and research to ensure all medications you carry are legal in your destination of travel.
- Some airlines accept a letter from your physician stating if you are self-reliant and fit to complete certain parts of your travel or if you require any assistance or special equipment. Call them at least 48 hours in advance to ensure they are prepared with all your necessary assistance.
- Consider traveling with an attendant if you have severe restrictions.
Assistive Equipment’s: Find out if there are any specific policies for the airline, destination, etc for any medical equipment you require. Consider renting equipment at your destination and availability of the same. Make sure to have all the required chargers and power adaptors for all your devices, or keep manual devices too.
Service Animals: Find out about requirements for documentation, vaccination, transport of service animals at all your locations planned in your itinerary. Consult your veterinarian for advice on animal handling.
For more information: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2020/travelers-with-additional-considerations/travelers-with-disabilities
