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If you travel abroad regularly for work or when you finally decide to take a family vacation, it’s important to take special precautions to stay healthy. Especially if you’re going to a country with contagious diseases or unknown bugs.

This is where Travel Medicine comes in, a highly specialized medical specialty that aims to help you prepare safely for your trip and answer your questions. What should I watch out for? What should I avoid? Do I need any vaccinations or medication before traveling?

Travel medicine services at the Athens Medical Center

Within the framework of theInfectious Diseases Clinic of the Athens Medical Center, specialized medical advice services are provided for those who are going to travel abroad and especially to developing countries located in Africa, Asia, or South America, where tropical diseases are endemic, which often affect the health of travelers.

The Infectious Diseases Clinic of the Medical Center is composed of a team of highly specialized doctors, with excellent scientific training in tropical diseases. The Director of the clinic, Ms. Athena Stoupi, MD, is a Pathologist – Infectious Disease Specialist, with special training in travel medicine.

Specifically, the services offered are:

• Pre-travel medical advice

• Special vaccines required for destination countries

• Precautionary measures against malaria and “diarrhea of travelers’

• Full laboratory check Check – up before the trip

• Specialized medical advice and possible treatment for those who return and present with some pathological manifestation

• Information brochures for the specific destination country

• Drinking Water Disinfection Instructions

• Correct use of insect repellent products

• Special instructions for problems like:jetlag, mountain sickness, diving sickness, etc.

• Special instructions for pathological conditions that may arise when traveling by plane, ship, train or from activities such as mountaineering, diving, etc. 

In addition, it is aimed at people with cardiovascular problems, diabetes, immunosuppression, pregnancy, breastfeeding, young children, and people of advanced age.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who should make an appointment with a travel medicine specialist?

Anyone planning a trip abroad may benefit from seeing a travel medicine specialist. It is particularly beneficial if you are traveling to developing countries, where the risk of serious infectious diseases is higher. It is especially important to visit for patients who are immunosuppressed or have other conditions that make them vulnerable to infections. 

2. What vaccines do I need to travel abroad?

All travelers should be vaccinated against influenza and with vaccines forCOVID-19. It is also important to have completed the adult vaccination schedule which includes:

• Chickenpox

• Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP)

• Pneumococcus

• Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)

• Polio

• Herpes zoster 

Vaccination needs are individualized depending on the history and needs of each traveler.

3. There are travel destinations that have different recommendations vaccination?

Yes. Some infectious diseases thrive in different climates. Some areas, such as Africa and South America, have a higher prevalence of yellow fever and malaria, infections transmitted by mosquitoes.

4. Recommended vaccines may include:

• Hepatitis A

• Hepatitis B

• Japanese encephalitis

• Meningitis

• Rage

• Typhoid

• Yellow Fever 

5. How long before my trip should I go to the travel clinic?

It would be a good idea to schedule an appointment 4-6 weeks before you travel. Some vaccines require several weeks to acquire immunity, while others require more than one dose for full protection. 

6. Can I visit the Infectious Disease Clinic only before traveling?

The Infectious Disease Clinic of the Athens Medical Center is available before andafter the trip. The team can provide counseling and treatment if you get sick after you return home. 

7. I’ll go to a ‘5-star’ hotel. Will I have a lower risk of getting sick?

Maybe, but safety is not a given. Even in luxury hotels, we cannot know how the food is prepared and mosquitoes and other insects are everywhere, regardless of the conditions of the accommodation. That is why it is important to follow the recommendations of experts. 

8. How can I reduce the What is the risk of malaria when I travel?

Malariais a disease caused by a parasite. It is transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes. Prophylactic medications for malaria are available and are started before travel, continued during your stay, and for a period of time after you return home. A travel medicine specialist can review the risks and benefits of all prevention and treatment options. 

9. How do I stay healthy while traveling?

• Make sure you have received all recommended vaccinations and medications precaution

• Food and drinking water safety is important. You should avoid uncooked food, non-bottled water, and avoid food from street stands, etc. 

• Maintain hand hygiene by washing your hands frequently and using antiseptic

• Mosquitoes and bugs can transmit parasites and diseases, such as yellow fever and malaria. Use mosquito repellent

• As you make travel plans, schedule an appointment at least 4 weeks before your trip with a travel medicine specialist to ensure a safe trip