We have had the opportunity to counsel patients travelling to 48 different countries!
Top destinations for individuals consulting TravelHealthMD.ca are: Thailand, India, the Philippines, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Vietnam and China.
We recommend checking Travel.gc.ca (health section) to get an idea of what vaccines may be considered. This will give you a general idea of vaccine-preventable infections affecting your destination country as a whole. At your consult, we will focus on issues/diseases relevant to your particular trip. The focus of the consult is preventative health measures.
It is always encouraged to be up-to-date with standard vaccines recommended for life in Canada eg. measles, shingles, Tetanus, hepatitis B and flu as these diseases are an issue both at home and internationally.
To give you an idea of what a consult with Dr. McCullagh-Cheung would cover, here are some sample itineraries and discussion points:
1) Thailand- Bangkok, planned excursion to a bat cave, underground river tour, Khao Sok, elephant sanctuary, planning to eat street food, Chiang Mai Valley
Discussion points: bug bite prevention, antimalarials, leptospirosis, traveller’s diarrhea, animal bites, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Japanese encephalitis, dengue fever, ciguatera poisoning, leptospirosis, jellyfish stings, air quality, water safety, counterfeit medications, jet lag, motor vehicle accidents
2) India- Delhi, Kolcata, Varanasi, Jaipur, Udipur, Goa tour
Discussion points: bug bite prevention, antimalarials, zika, dengue, chikungunya, Hepatitis A, dengue fever, traveller’s diarrhea, antibiotic-resistent typhoid infection, counterfeit medications, dog bites, jet lag, motor vehicle accidents
3) Philippines- Palawan Islands, visiting friends and relatives in Cebu
Discussion points: COVID-19, bug bite prevention, antimalarials, zika, dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, Hepatitis A, polio, counterfeit medications/vaccinations, jet lag, traveller’s diarrhea, ciguatera poisoning, animal bites, air pollution, jellyfish stings
4) South Africa- Johannesburg, travel to Victoria falls, Zimbabwe
Discussion points: antimalarials, chikungunya, food and water precautions, Hepatitis A, traveller’s diarrhea, HIV, motor vehicle accidents, power outages
5) Indonesia- rural Bali, Jakarta
Discussion points: bug bite prevention, antimalarials, zika, dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A, traveller’s diarrhea, animal bites, jet lag, motor vehicle accidents
6) Brazil- Iguazu falls, local homestay
Discussion points: COVID-19, bug bite prevention, antimalarials, Yellow fever, Hepatitis A, traveller’s diarrhea, animal bites
7) Costa Rica- eco-resort stay, local food tour planned
Discussion points: COVID-19, bug bite prevention, antimalarials, dengue fever, zika, chikungunya, cutaneous larvae migrans, Hepatitis A, traveller’s diarrhea, Chagas disease
8) Kenya/Tanzania- Safari in Kenya, visiting Masai Mara and ascent to Mt Kilimanjaro
Discussion points: antimalarials, Yellow fever (depending on exact itinerary, not a concern if only travelling to Tanzania), chikungunya, dengue, African sleeping sickness, traveller’s diarrhea, altitude sickness/prevention, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, MMR, meningitis, HIV, jet lag, animal bites, motor vehicle accidents
9) Vietnam - Mekong river cruise, rural homestay
Discussion points: bug bite prevention, antimalarials, chikungunya, dengue, zika, Japanese encephalitis, traveller’s diarrhea, animal bites, Hepatitis A, jet lag, motor vehicle accidents
10) China- Xian, Great Wall, tea plantations, rice paddy fields
Discussion points: COVID-19, bug bite prevention, chikungunya, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, traveller’s diarrhea, animal markets, animal bites, Hepatitis A, jet lag, motor vehicle accidents