Health Issues - Central America
For this trip, health was a top priority for us. We dealt with a few different issues.
1. First Aid Training - We think it is very important that all members of the family have some kind of first aid training, not just for this trip, but all our trips since we tend to venture to remote locations. James has the 48 hour Emergency Medical Responder (aka First Responder) training, which was provided this though his employer. Kelly and Grace both got certified in Wilderness First Aid by Kristina Hall of http://www.sweetotter.com/. We highly recommend Kristina and she is great and tailors your training to your specific needs. Since we took the class with a bunch of overlanders, she had us do many car and motorcycle scenarios.
2. Immunizations - there is enough about this to warrant its own separate blog post.
3. Travel clinic consultations
- James is a University employee, so he went to the campus travel clinic. They focused a lot on typical college student issues, who apparently make a lot of poor choices when they go south of the border. They did have a lot of good information on immunizations, mosquito borne illness, and food safety, and he came home with a folder full of information. Cost $25.
- Kelly went to Passport Health. They gave her a book of information. Some good pages on immunizations, food safety, and malaria medications. The rest was printouts of all the State Department travel warnings. This was well worth the money, since we have never been to a place that has a risk of malaria. She did a great job explaining all the different medications and costs and dosages for these medications. Cost $48
4. Travel Health Insurance - We are not getting travel health insurance, since our health coverage in the United States allows for emergency care outside of the US. It even has a provision for medical evacuation if it is deemed necessary.
5. Malaria
The best Malaria protection is prevention. We plan on using bug lotion with deet. I know people get all upset about deet, but it works, so we are using it. We will also get malaria medications in Mexico. I plan on going to the local farmacia and ask what the locals take, then we will take that.
6. Other mosquito born diseases
There are many of these - Dengue, Chikungunya, Onchocerciasis, and West Nile Virus. We have a "No seeum" tent, so we have a safe sleeping place and we plan on using deet bug lotion. Most of these are spread from night breeding mosquitos, so we will be more diligent at night.
