Post by tomcamp on Jun 8, 2009 7:49:42 GMT -5
Some travel recommendations: (This will be old news to some of you)
1. Chloroquine 500 mg each week starting 7 days prior to arrival, weekly while there and weekly for 4 weeks after return. Take on the same day of the week. Those travelling to Utila do not have to take it, since there is no malaria reported in Utila according to local opinion...(CDC recommends taking anti-malarial medicine for travel to the Bay Islands). However there is malaria in San Pedro Sula and LaCeiba. Six or seven pills should suffice. email me if you need help with the prescription.
Chloroquine (brand name Aralen™ and generics)
Directions for Use
The adult dosage is 500 mg chloroquine phosphate once a week.
Take the first dose of chloroquine 1 week before arrival in the malaria-risk area.
Take chloroquine once a week, on the same day of the week, while in the malaria-risk area.
Take chloroquine once a week for 4 weeks after leaving the malaria-risk area.
Chloroquine should be taken on a full stomach to lessen nausea.
Chloroquine Side Effects
The most common side effects reported by travelers taking chloroquine include nausea and vomiting, headache, dizziness, blurred vision and itching. Chloroquine may worsen the symptoms of psoriasis. Most travelers taking chloroquine do not have side effects serious enough to stop taking the drug. Other antimalarial drugs are available if you cannot tolerate chloroquine; see your health care provider.
2. Immunizations: Hepatitis A and B. Influenza (rather important this year). Tetanus shots..make sure this is up to date (Adults every 10 years, and in 5 years if you have a tetanus prone wound.) Typhoid immunization is a <real good> idea. Immunization against yellow fever is not needed. Vets and people docs handling potentially rabid individuals should get rabies immunizations prior to travel. Here is the CDC skinny on recommended adult immunizations. Cut and paste the url into your browser. This is a nice color version of CDC charts and footnotes on immunizations. Persons over 65 or smokers should strongly consider pneumococcal immunization (against pneumonia), although there is no specific risk of this associated with travel to Honduras. www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/adult/2009/adult-schedule.pdf
3. Also, here is a url to a Google map I made last year, showing some of where we will be and some activities locally. Play with it and you can see the geography. Cut and paste this link into your browser of choice. maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ie=UTF8&ll=15.380867,-85.939178&spn=5.961169,8.393555&t=h&z=7&msid=112868556158825370559.00044b8b5dfafb1227729
4. Here is the CDC travel page on Honduras. Scroll down after it loads. wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/honduras.aspxphoid
5. A note on Diarrhea: Some recommend a daily does of cipro or bactrim for the <preventation> of diarrhea. Others recommend against prophylactic treatment, since one would be taking an 'un-needed' medicine. The jury is still out on this one, no firm data exists and it comes down to a matter of choice. The treatment of diarrhea is cipro x 3 days, peptobismol and something for nausea and/or cramps. Bactrim, with some regularity, can cause photosensitivity (sun poisoning). we have been feed wonderfully by the ladies in Ciriboya and no one has gotten sick there. Local food is tasty and healthy. The food is safe, wash your own hands often and well.
6. Insect repellant is a must. Use DEET 25%. Antedotal note: some say that a dryer sheet in your pocket is a good insect repellant. One might rub it on exposed skin.
7. Malaria is a largely rural disease, Dengue a largely an urban disease. Dengue carrying mosquitos bite during the day, Malaria carrying mosquitos bite at night.
8. I will have a medical history form on the trip down for each person to fill out. Information will be destroyed after the trip. This includes your past medical history, medications, and contact information. This is helpful to me so that I can fret about the health of our team. Dehydration is the biggest risk, IMHO, especially for those taking diuretics or beta-blockers. Watch urine output....frequent urination is a good thing.
9. Take aspirin 325 mg on the morning of travel to help prevent deep venous thrombosis related to sitting on an airplane for several hours.
10. Things to take and other comments:
clothing should be light weight. Short and t-shirts are the norm. Good shoes and cotton socks. Tennis shoes and possibly sandals. 40 pound limit for luggage. Light weight long sleeve shirts and pants can help with mosquitos and other critters.
Hat, personal medications in their original prescription containers. Insect repellent...pack in your luggage since there are airline restrictions about what you can carry on the airplane. Flashlight and spare batteries. A journal is helpful, with writing instruments. If you take a computer, plan on making it carry-on luggage. About $200 personal cah should be more than enough. Cell phones work in some very remote areas, if you have an international card in the phone. Personal security is not a problem in the rural areas, and larcenary is essentially unheard of in Ciriboya, although one should be <very careful> in San Perdo Sula, somewhat in LaCeiba. I only know of one theft (passport and packback left unattended in an urban area) in 10 years of travelling there
All things considered, this is not a dangerous trip and there are very few risks to personal health or saftey. For the Ciriboya portion of the trip, you will not meet nicer people anywhere on earth. Take a house gift for your host in the house you will sleep in, things for children, such as books are usually well appreciated. Candy for kids, although very popular, makes dental problems worse. Take your own medical instruments. BP cuffs are there, but if you are inclined to purchase 2-5 extra kits, those will be much appreciated by the folks.
11. Here are two reference about Honduras: commercial and governmental: www.ca-bc.com/zip_internacional/about_honduras.html
and www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ho.html
Accuracy not guarrented.
11. Hope this helps, send comments, critizisms or questions.
tom arnold
1. Chloroquine 500 mg each week starting 7 days prior to arrival, weekly while there and weekly for 4 weeks after return. Take on the same day of the week. Those travelling to Utila do not have to take it, since there is no malaria reported in Utila according to local opinion...(CDC recommends taking anti-malarial medicine for travel to the Bay Islands). However there is malaria in San Pedro Sula and LaCeiba. Six or seven pills should suffice. email me if you need help with the prescription.
Chloroquine (brand name Aralen™ and generics)
Directions for Use
The adult dosage is 500 mg chloroquine phosphate once a week.
Take the first dose of chloroquine 1 week before arrival in the malaria-risk area.
Take chloroquine once a week, on the same day of the week, while in the malaria-risk area.
Take chloroquine once a week for 4 weeks after leaving the malaria-risk area.
Chloroquine should be taken on a full stomach to lessen nausea.
Chloroquine Side Effects
The most common side effects reported by travelers taking chloroquine include nausea and vomiting, headache, dizziness, blurred vision and itching. Chloroquine may worsen the symptoms of psoriasis. Most travelers taking chloroquine do not have side effects serious enough to stop taking the drug. Other antimalarial drugs are available if you cannot tolerate chloroquine; see your health care provider.
2. Immunizations: Hepatitis A and B. Influenza (rather important this year). Tetanus shots..make sure this is up to date (Adults every 10 years, and in 5 years if you have a tetanus prone wound.) Typhoid immunization is a <real good> idea. Immunization against yellow fever is not needed. Vets and people docs handling potentially rabid individuals should get rabies immunizations prior to travel. Here is the CDC skinny on recommended adult immunizations. Cut and paste the url into your browser. This is a nice color version of CDC charts and footnotes on immunizations. Persons over 65 or smokers should strongly consider pneumococcal immunization (against pneumonia), although there is no specific risk of this associated with travel to Honduras. www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/adult/2009/adult-schedule.pdf
3. Also, here is a url to a Google map I made last year, showing some of where we will be and some activities locally. Play with it and you can see the geography. Cut and paste this link into your browser of choice. maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&ie=UTF8&ll=15.380867,-85.939178&spn=5.961169,8.393555&t=h&z=7&msid=112868556158825370559.00044b8b5dfafb1227729
4. Here is the CDC travel page on Honduras. Scroll down after it loads. wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/honduras.aspxphoid
5. A note on Diarrhea: Some recommend a daily does of cipro or bactrim for the <preventation> of diarrhea. Others recommend against prophylactic treatment, since one would be taking an 'un-needed' medicine. The jury is still out on this one, no firm data exists and it comes down to a matter of choice. The treatment of diarrhea is cipro x 3 days, peptobismol and something for nausea and/or cramps. Bactrim, with some regularity, can cause photosensitivity (sun poisoning). we have been feed wonderfully by the ladies in Ciriboya and no one has gotten sick there. Local food is tasty and healthy. The food is safe, wash your own hands often and well.
6. Insect repellant is a must. Use DEET 25%. Antedotal note: some say that a dryer sheet in your pocket is a good insect repellant. One might rub it on exposed skin.
7. Malaria is a largely rural disease, Dengue a largely an urban disease. Dengue carrying mosquitos bite during the day, Malaria carrying mosquitos bite at night.
8. I will have a medical history form on the trip down for each person to fill out. Information will be destroyed after the trip. This includes your past medical history, medications, and contact information. This is helpful to me so that I can fret about the health of our team. Dehydration is the biggest risk, IMHO, especially for those taking diuretics or beta-blockers. Watch urine output....frequent urination is a good thing.
9. Take aspirin 325 mg on the morning of travel to help prevent deep venous thrombosis related to sitting on an airplane for several hours.
10. Things to take and other comments:
clothing should be light weight. Short and t-shirts are the norm. Good shoes and cotton socks. Tennis shoes and possibly sandals. 40 pound limit for luggage. Light weight long sleeve shirts and pants can help with mosquitos and other critters.
Hat, personal medications in their original prescription containers. Insect repellent...pack in your luggage since there are airline restrictions about what you can carry on the airplane. Flashlight and spare batteries. A journal is helpful, with writing instruments. If you take a computer, plan on making it carry-on luggage. About $200 personal cah should be more than enough. Cell phones work in some very remote areas, if you have an international card in the phone. Personal security is not a problem in the rural areas, and larcenary is essentially unheard of in Ciriboya, although one should be <very careful> in San Perdo Sula, somewhat in LaCeiba. I only know of one theft (passport and packback left unattended in an urban area) in 10 years of travelling there
All things considered, this is not a dangerous trip and there are very few risks to personal health or saftey. For the Ciriboya portion of the trip, you will not meet nicer people anywhere on earth. Take a house gift for your host in the house you will sleep in, things for children, such as books are usually well appreciated. Candy for kids, although very popular, makes dental problems worse. Take your own medical instruments. BP cuffs are there, but if you are inclined to purchase 2-5 extra kits, those will be much appreciated by the folks.
11. Here are two reference about Honduras: commercial and governmental: www.ca-bc.com/zip_internacional/about_honduras.html
and www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ho.html
Accuracy not guarrented.
11. Hope this helps, send comments, critizisms or questions.
tom arnold