The recent news of the spread of the H1N1 (the flu formerly known as swine) virus has travelers worried. Countries are now dissuading unnecessary travel to countries with confirmed cases, like Mexico, United States and Canada.<\/p>\n
Along with the political unrest in Bangkok, and the news of the spread of the virus (Thailand has just recently reported its first case<\/a>, though the patients have already recovered) puts a damper in my travel plans. However, I’m adamant in traveling this June, and I’m just going to try my best to stay healthy. So how am I going to do this? How do people become infected with influenza A(H1N1)?<\/strong><\/p>\n Outbreaks in humans are now occurring from human-to-human transmission. When infected people cough or sneeze, infected droplets get on their hands, drop onto surfaces, or are dispersed into the air. Another person can breathe in contaminated air, or touch infected hands or surfaces, and be exposed. To prevent spread, people should cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing, and wash their hands regularly.<\/p>\n Source: World Health Organization<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n First step is to get educated. I’ve so far been ignoring the news, but as my departure date looms, I realize I have to be up to date with what’s happening in the places I’m visiting, specially with the recent flu outbreak. The most important thing to learn is how to prevent (or at least lower the risk) getting the virus while traveling, specially if going to affected areas. The Raffles Medical Group of Singapore gives us these advice:<\/p>\n If you have to travel to the affected areas:<\/p>\n Source: Raffles Medical Group<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n There is no vaccine to prevent swine flu yet, but there is the influenza vaccination that protects against the common flu virus. This is not a total protection against H1N1, but hey, at least it’d protect you from the flu bug. It’s a pain to get sick while traveling. I just got my flu vaccination yesterday afternoon from Mercury Drug. I saw an advertisement for the vaccination day while walking at the mall and thought it was timely. Flu shots should be administered every year, and it’s already been two years since my last shot. At Php 695 per vaccine, it’s a pretty reasonable price, considering that in 2006, the vaccine alone cost Php500 already. I’m not sure when their next vaccination day is, but they do announce it at the store and on their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Another way to protect yourself from the flu is to keep your immune system healthy. These days, I’m making sure that I get enough sleep. I notice that if I don’t get enough sleep for three days or more, I get sick easily. I also take supplementary medicine like ferrous sulfate (for anemia), vitamin C and Centrum. <\/p>\n Following the advice on hand sanitation, I’ll also be adding alcohol-based hand sanitizer to my packing list<\/a>. <\/p>\n And swine flu or not, it’s always advisable to get a travel insurance when you travel out of the country. Getting sick overseas is a huge downer, even more so on your budget. Medical treatment overseas can be very expensive, and it can easily eat through the travel budget<\/a> you worked so hard for. I’ve gone on four trips and luckily, I never had to call the emergency number (not that I want it to happen ever). It may seem like an unnecessary expense, but believe me, it can work out in your favor if you do have a medical emergency overseas. <\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n\n