By: Marcia Abramson
Hopefully, Disney and Carnival Cruises, too, will have conquered all traces of gastric intestinal infections before their heavily-booked Christmas sailings. I also never had to deal with seasickness, diarrhea, intestinal upsets or other serious illnesses on my many sea voyages over the years.
As a matter of fact, in June of 2002 I enjoyed a wonderful cruise on the exquisite luxurious Silversea Cruise Lines from Istanbul to Venice, and Croatia, ending in Genoa without any health problems aboard the ship. The deluxe Radisson Diamond brought me from Costa Rica through the Panama Canal to Cartagena, terminating in Aruba without any health mishaps in February.
The prior year I did two sailings on the delightful Renaissance Cruises from Venice with stops in Malta, Dubrovnik, Corsica, and Mallorca, disembarking in Barcelona. The other voyage was from Dover, Great Britain along the Baltic Sea through Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, Oslo, Estonia, Norway, St. Petersburg, finalizing in Sweden without incident.
Incidentally, the Renaissance R1, R2 and R5 ships are sailing again under the helm of the former CEOs of Crystal Cruises and Renaissance Cruises as the Oceana Cruises. Their inaugural cruise will be on July 5, 2003 from Barcelona to Dover. This is good news to many Herald readers who enjoyed Renaissance cruising. (Your local travel professional can give you more information on future sailings).
But it is wise to be prepared in case of medical problems that can arise away from home. My grandson Bradley Wasser, while fishing, was stung by a wasp in Montego Bay, Jamaica. He didn't tell me about it until that evening when I noticed the swelling of his leg. Since he is an allergic child, I was very concerned, but was fortunate in that I was able to reach his father Stuart Wasser who practices internal medicine in Rockville Centre and travel medicine at MedPlus in East Northport.
After ascertaining that there were no stinger parts present and that enough time had elapse without an allergic reaction, Dr. Wasser advised me to apply "meat tenderizer" or salt on the bite as well as ice. He also prescribed the antihistamine benadryl.
I am happy to report, all's well that ends well and Bradley is still Grandma Marcia's delightful traveling companion. However, I have learned how important it is to be prepared for all emergencies if possible. There is an excellent booklet "Guide to Healthy Traveling" by Dr. Elaine C. Jong, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Washington Medical School [Seattle] and Chair of the International Association For Medical Assistance To Travelers. (The cost of the publication is $5). IAMAT was founded 40 years ago as the only non-profit organization dedicated to gathering and disseminating health information and assisting them to find qualified medical care in far off countries around the world. Publications are supplied to members on immunization requirements, information on malaria and other tropical diseases, and on climate and sanitary conditions all over the globe.
Membership in IAMAT is free to any traveler, but contributions from members are important to continue research into the medical aspects of travel.
"There are 75 to 100,000 members," according to Matia Salesse of IAMAT. Identification cards are issued to members, which entitles them to medical services at fixed rates. Access to the physicians' list in 125 countries with telephone numbers is available to the members on the web at www.iamat.org.
There is also a passport-size "Traveler Clinical Record" to be completed by your physician before departure. It should contain emergency medical data, glasses prescription, diagnostic summary, immunization record, with special instructions for diabetics, cardiovascular patients and allergy sufferers. This information could be invaluable to a foreign doctor.
My next column will deal with information on a suggested time line countdown for a well-planned healthy trip. I will also detail a comprehensive list of useful first aid and health supplies including medications in addition to a prevention and treatment program for travelers.
© Copyright by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com
