Travel health in the pandemic ‘not all about vaccines’

Journey wellness all through the pandemic is ‘not all about vaccines’ and healthcare industry experts require to be much better at placing much more emphasis on to other travel-connected challenges, states journey nurse specialist Clare Henderson.

Henderson, who will work with TREC Vacation Health Education and the Vacation Clinic in Glasgow, was speaking at Nursing in Practice’s digital occasion last week (25 Could). The event, the initial in a sequence of digital situations across 2022, gave attendees updates and perception on immunisation, cardiovascular disease and respiratory treatment, such as a session on advising travellers in a pandemic.

Nursing in Practice occasions continue on future week in Birmingham (9 June) with a live programme, discussing topics which include nurse leadership, the management of menopause, team individual consultations, health and fitness and wellbeing and bladder dysfunction.

‘A lot of the outbreaks that are taking place are not vaccine-preventable,’ reported Ms Henderson. ‘We have to have to comprehend what the diseases that are circulating are and a little bit about how they are unfold, due to the fact then we can then give the information and facts to a traveller to let them to modify their behaviour and reduce that danger.’

She highlighted that highway targeted traffic mishaps are the most frequent trigger of death among travellers aged 15-29 and that industry experts also need to have to advise travellers of challenges this kind of as sun, altitude, and conditions borne by bugs, animals, meals and drink. Despite the fact that awareness of respiratory and hand cleanliness has improved in new decades, she said it was nonetheless significant to remind travellers, for instance individuals preparing to make the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia at the commencing of July.

‘I consider it’s honest to say a great deal of us are experience relatively rusty due to the fact we’re not seeing the volumes of travellers that we used to see,’ she ongoing.

She advised attendees to talk to sources these types of as Turas, TRAVAX, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow’s Superior Practice Guidance for Providing a Journey Health and fitness Service, and the RCN’s journey health nursing competencies, which she additional are thanks to be up-to-date later on this 12 months.

She advised nurses refer travellers to the Covid-19 prerequisites of the nations they’re viewing the Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Advancement Workplace (FCDO) web site and to recommend them to get vacation insurance policies – and for them to be aware if their coverage will deal with them must they become infected with Covid-19 when overseas. She also recommended travellers glance diligently at the risk of Covid in the country they are travelling to – and how the healthcare process there is coping.

Meanwhile, she reported that she was ‘not worried’ about the monkeypox virus irrespective of a increase in bacterial infections in latest months.

‘It’s stressing that it is appeared and it’s spreading in a way that we probably have not noticed just before,’ she explained, nonetheless emphasised that it was spread through close contact and has really a prolonged incubation period of time, giving contact tracers time to uncover people and isolate them.

‘It’s boomed quite promptly but the threat to the general populace is low,’ she extra.

She did convey worry, having said that, about malaria, and pointed out that signs and symptoms could be baffled with flu or Covid. Ms Henderson extra that Zika virus was ‘still an issue’ for industry experts to be mindful of and the relevance of highlighting to travellers how to avoid insect bites and for female travellers to steer clear of obtaining expecting for up to three months following returning from a place wherever there’s a Zika virus chance.

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