Each year, it is estimated that nearly 450 million sexually transmitted infections occur across the globe. In other words, these are some of the most common infections worldwide. Travelers, who can easily be exposed to partners of a variety of different backgrounds, need to be particularly aware of the risks. In this post, we will [...]
If you spend anytime in hostel common rooms, especially in developing world areas, you will likely hear your share of tales that involve accidents, illness, and sometimes worse. You will also likely hear your fair share of medical advice from people who claim to know what they are talking about. As a result, there are [...]
The safety of prescription drugs and other medications purchased abroad is an often discussed topic in travel health forums. Particularly in developing world areas, there is a certain fear that drugs -- even those sold by licensed pharmacies -- could be counterfeit and possibly unsafe. Recent news stories and literature in credible journals, such as [...]
A tiny infected cut on my leg once took me out of commission for 3 weeks. I had been swimming at a waterfall in northwest Benin when I nicked my leg on a rock. It bled for a moment, but the cut was so tiny that I didn't make much of it. I kept swimming, [...]
While it's hard to make concrete predictions when it comes to travel health, there are some educated guesses we can make while looking forward. In this post we will make some (loose) predictions. In the past decade, malaria deaths have dropped by more than 20%, according to the World Health Organization. What's more, there is [...]
I used to think of tetanus as the disease of rusty nails and locked jaws. Turns out, I didn't know crap about the disease. While it's true that early stages of infection with tetanus bacteria can cause spasms in the jaw muscles, the whole rusty nail thing is a bit overdone. But we'll get to [...]
Few people doubt the virtues of handwashing, especially when traveling. Washing your hands is likely your greatest defense against water and food-borne illnesses like traveler's diarrhea. For such an important practice, few people know how to effectively wash their hands. What's more, few people realize that anti-bacterial soaps may not be all that they're cracked [...]
Tenerife is the largest island in the Canary Island chain. It also represents roughly 43% of the islands' population. A worthwhile destination for many reasons, Tenerife is thankfully free of many of the travel health risks that are found further south in Africa. In this post, we will talk about what kind of planning you [...]
Most people are aware that vomiting and/or diarrhea (the worst is when they occur at the same time, and oh yes, this is possible. Apologies in advance if you were eating something) can cause significant dehydration. What's not as well known is that water alone won't be able to effectively rehydrate you. In this post, [...]
Historically, doctors, researchers and scientists have tried to figure out both 1) how to develop a malaria vaccine and 2) how to best kill or avoid mosquitos. A new approach that does neither may be more promising than any other previous breakthrough. At Johns Hopkins, scientists have been toying with the idea of killing the [...]
