| 808 million people traveled internationally in 2005. | | | | protection against them. |
| Americans made almost 62 million trips abroad in | | | | Consistent with that approach, the Center of |
| 2004, which translate to about 1 in every 5 U.S. | | | | Disease Control in Atlanta also recommends that |
| residents. | | | | "international travelers contact a healthcare |
| With the increasing number of people traveling | | | | provider for pre-travel advice at least 4 to 6 |
| internationally, the risk of diseases carried across | | | | weeks before travel in order to obtain current |
| national boundaries also increases. The global | | | | health information, vaccinations, and prophylactic |
| society brings with itself global health risks as well. | | | | medications ( e.g., for malaria, traveler's diarrhea)." |
| Among the travel-related diseases most | | | | Here are the NPFH recommendations to all the |
| frequently mentioned in the press stories are | | | | nurses and healthcare professionals: |
| malaria, travelers' diarrhea, hepatitis A, HIV, | | | | "Raise awareness of the need for the health care |
| various STDs, typhoid, and meningitis. | | | | (of travelers) before, during, and after travel. |
| That issue was addressed in a new white paper | | | | Initiate a comprehensive, multi-tiered approach to |
| released by Nurse Practitioner Healthcare | | | | (travelers') health education, targeting consumers, |
| Foundation (NPHF), written by Nancy Rudner Lugo, | | | | healthcare professionals, health information |
| DrPH, NP. The NPHF paper warned that most | | | | systems, and policy formulation. |
| travelers do not know anything about such risks | | | | Incorporate ... health education and assessment |
| and when they do become aware of the danger, | | | | into routine primary care . Encourage patients to |
| it usually proves to be too late. | | | | self-identify their travel needs. Create an |
| Only a handful of travelers made sure they | | | | environment of travel health reminders in the |
| received any shots before they flew abroad: 11% | | | | practice. |
| for tetanus, 14% for hepatitis A, 13% for | | | | Increase primary care providers' knowledge of |
| hepatitis B, and 5% for yellow fever. 58.4% and | | | | (travelers') health and safety. Include travel |
| 68.7% of travelers reported that they did not | | | | immunization content, use of over-the-counter |
| receive protection against hepatitis A or hepatitis | | | | products, and resources for travel health and |
| B, respectively. | | | | safety in core curricula for primary care |
| This is where NPFH says the nurses have an | | | | professionals. |
| important role to play both in terms of making | | | | Increase access to travel health services. |
| the American public aware of the various health | | | | Encourage primary care practices to offer travel |
| dangers lurking out there and also in terms of | | | | health services. |
| providing practical and effective means of | | | | Engage in research on travel health. |