More
on Immunizations…
F Your local health department or the CDC (Centers for Disease Control)
website [www.cdc.gov/travel/camerica.htm]
can provide information on traveler’s immunizations. The phone number for the CDC is
1-877-FYI-TRIP.
F Always check with your physician.
Here are basic immunizations
to ask your doctor about:
1) Hepatitis
A and B.
2) Tetanus/Diphtheria
booster
3) Measles
immunity
4) Polio
booster
5) Typhoid
vaccine
6) Rabies—if
you’re concerned about animal contact
Malaria prevention:
- Chloroquine
is the commonly recommended medication for the region of
Central America. Consult a malaria map on the CDC
website or travel doctor.
- Take
steps to avoid mosquito bites. Bring
insect repellent containing some percentage of DEET, to
help prevent both malaria and dengue fever,
illnesses both transmitted by mosquito. (Repellant that
is 20-30% DEET is effective and safe. Higher percentages
can cause skin reactions.) Wear loose-fitting, long sleeves
and pants in the evenings.
Keeping
Healthy in Honduras…
A Word about Diarrhea:
The majority
of team members who come to Honduras do not get
debilitating diarrhea. Here
are some recommendations:
-
The
best way to avoid diarrhea is to watch what you eat and
drink. Avoid unpeeled, raw fruits and
vegetables, unless they have been properly treated in chlorine. Anything that is well-cooked and
hot is usually okay. Drink
only bottled water. Plenty
of bottled water (in 5 gallon jugs) are provided
to teams, at the worksite and where the team stays. Team members should bring wide-mouth
water bottles to make pouring from the big jug into little
bottles easier. Advise the local staff when the purified water is running
low and they will purchase more. Do not consume water from the tap. Do
not drink it or brush your teeth with it.
– Hot drinks
(tea/coffee) generally are safe if prepared
with boiled water.
– Ice is
only safe if made with purified water. Best to avoid ice unless told otherwise.
– Boiling water
is a safe alternative, but one that is rarely needed with MEH
teams.
(Vigorously boil
the water for 5 minutes, and then allow it to cool
without ice.)
- The
CDC and the MEH medical consultant
do not recommend taking preventive antibiotics to prevent
traveler’s diarrhea,
because this may cause resistant
organisms to develop in your body. It
is recommended that a team carry
an antibiotic, like Cipro, in case a team member gets
an intestinal infection (traveler’s
diarrhea).
- Pack
a few Imodium AD to help stop diarrhea just in case.
- Pepto-Bismol
tablets (or the generic equivalent) are also helpful in
case of general stomach upset. These
can be taken before or after each meal to prevent stomach
upset also.
General
advice on health:
- Get
in shape before you leave the USA/Canada
- Break in any new shoes a couple weeks before arrival
in Honduras.
- Bring all your own personal medications with you
in the original packaging.
- Avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of purified
water. Avoid excessive amounts
of caffeinated or sugary drinks. Purified water
will always be made available.
- Avoid overheating.
- Protect yourself from the intense, tropical sun.
Yes, the sun is DIFFERENT in
Honduras. It burns the skin more quickly
here, closer to the equator.
- Some work sites are in the sun, so bring
a wide-brim hat (a baseball cap leaves
your ears and neck exposed), good sun block
(and reapply it often), and
a light-weight shirt for sun protection.
- Don’t count on buying a hat in Honduras—they are not available everywhere
and
there is not always time and personnel for a shopping trip.
- Be sure to get plenty of rest. Give yourself and
others permission to take
breaks or to take a part of a day off for rest, if needed.
- Keep your feet dry and do not go barefoot (to prevent
parasitic infections).
- Don’t
suffer in silence. Please let others know when
you are feeling ill, especially your host. There
are recommended medical doctors available in Honduras,
if
needed.
Updated Feb. 2005 |
