Spring Break Travel Reminders

Spring break is approaching quickly. Travelers should prepare ahead of time to ensure they have a safe, healthy vacation. Individuals traveling internationally should make an appointment with their health care provider 4–6 weeks before departure to ensure they have any necessary destination-specific vaccines, information on health and safety concerns, and medications they may need. Travelers should bring copies of important documents like their passport and health insurance card if they’ll be abroad. Remind travelers to pack prescription medications that may be hard to find while traveling.

Providers should also caution travelers to avoid biting insects like midges, mosquitos, and ticks, particularly if they’ll be going to a tropical location. Travelers can pack insect repellant, wear long sleeves and pants, and stay in places with window and door screens to lower their risk.

Travelers might also be exposed to other health risks while on spring break and should take steps to protect themselves and others. Advise travelers to avoid raw food, street food, and water and ice that may be contaminated. Travelers should use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher and reapply sunscreen every two hours. Remind travelers to follow safer sex practices, like using a condom or dam, to lower their risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI). As evidenced by methanol poisonings of tourists earlier this year, drinks and substances consumed abroad can put travelers in dangerous situations. Counsel travelers to stay in groups and take note of where their nearest health care facilities are while away from home.

Neglected Tropical Diseases

January 30 was Neglected Tropical Disease Day, a day dedicated to increasing awareness of a group of devastating diseases that have serious impacts on developing countries. Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are diseases that are common in low-income, tropical places but often don’t receive much attention globally.

NTDs are caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites that thrive in places with limited clean water and poor sanitation. These include diseases like leprosy, rabies, Chagas disease, onchocerciasis (river blindness), scabies, and yaws.

Climate change is making it more challenging to control and manage the spread of NTDs. Rising temperatures and changes in weather patterns are also shifting the spread of many vector-borne diseases, increasing the risk of introducing these diseases to unprepared areas.

Travelers can protect themselves from NTDs by talking about travel plans with their provider, wearing long sleeves and protective clothing, avoiding water and ice in areas where it may be contaminated, and getting any necessary destination-specific vaccines.

Disease Spotlight: COVID-19

It’s been five years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the virus continues to impact global health and safety. As case numbers around the world climb during respiratory season, travelers should be mindful of COVID-19 prevention and treatments so they can protect themselves and those around them.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It can be very contagious and spreads quickly. COVID-19 most often causes respiratory symptoms that can feel much like a cold, the flu, or pneumonia. Although SARS-CoV-2 primarily attacks the lungs and respiratory system, the virus can also attack other parts of the body. Most people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, but some people become severely ill, especially those over age 65 and those with certain underlying medical conditions, such as blood disorders, cancer, cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney, liver, or lung disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, heart conditions, and immunodeficiency.

What are the symptoms? 

People with COVID-19 can experience a wide range of symptoms. Most symptoms will be mild, but some can be severe and lead to hospitalization or death.

A person may have COVID-19 if they have any of these symptoms:

• Cough (new onset or worsening of chronic cough)
• Shortness of breath
• Fever or chills
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell

How is it spread? 

COVID-19 spreads when an infected person breathes out droplets and very small particles that contain the virus. Other people can breathe in these droplets and particles, or these droplets and particles can land on others' eyes, nose, or mouth, which can lead to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Anyone infected with COVID-19 can spread it, even if they do not have symptoms. COVID-19 can even spread from people to animals in some situations.

How is it diagnosed?

In order to identify patients with a current SARS-CoV-2 infection, there are two main types of diagnostic tests capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2 in nasal or oral specimens:

• Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), including PCR tests, detect RNA from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and are considered the “gold standard” for COVID-19 tests, since they are more likely to detect the virus than antigen tests.
• Antigen tests detect antigens from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They are considered rapid tests that usually produce results in 15–30 minutes. Positive results are accurate and reliable. However, in general, antigen tests are less likely to detect the virus than NAAT tests, especially when symptoms are not present. Therefore, a single negative antigen test cannot rule out infection. To be confident you do not have COVID-19, FDA recommends two negative antigen tests for individuals with symptoms or three antigen tests for those without symptoms, performed 48 hours apart.

Are there treatments for COVID-19?

The FDA has authorized or approved several antiviral medications for use in treating mild to moderate COVID-19 in people who are more likely to get very sick.

• Antiviral medications target specific parts of the virus to stop it from multiplying in the body once someone is infected, helping to prevent severe illness and death.
• The Infectious Diseases Society of America provides Guidelines on the Treatment and Management of Patients with COVID-19 for health care providers to help them work with their patients and determine the best treatment options for their patients. Several treatment options are available for treating COVID-19. They include:

Some treatments might have side effects or interact with other medications patients are taking. Side effects vary for each medication. For example, Paxlovid can cause a metallic taste in the mouth which goes away when patients stop taking the medication. Paxlovid is more likely to interact with other medications than other COVID-19 antivirals, but most people can still take it. Individuals should check with providers or pharmacists if they are taking other medications to ensure that COVID-19 treatments can be safely taken at the same time.

In the case of hospitalization, a health care provider might use other types of medications, depending on the level of illness. These could include medications to treat the virus, reduce an overactive immune response, or treat COVID-19 complications.

For those who have a weakened immune system, have received antiviral treatment, and continue to experience COVID-19 symptoms, a health care provider may recommend additional treatment, including convalescent plasma.

COVID-19 oral antiviral treatments are available for certain people at a lower cost. Patient assistance programs for Paxlovid, Veklury, and Lagevrio are available to people who are underinsured, uninsured, and who are on Medicare or Medicaid to lower their out-of-pocket costs. Patients can enroll in these programs to learn if they can receive assistance for specific medications, regardless of their insurance status.