Guesthouse:Travel health
From ShunpikerWiki
Please include information here on how to prepare for a healthy stay in India (vaccinations, etc.), how to stay healthy while in India, and what to do if your precautions fail.
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Vaccinations
No vaccinations are required by law for visitors to India from North America. However, most references recommend vaccinations for Hepatitis A and Typhoid. You should also be certain you are up-to-date with Polio and Tetanus boosters.
You may also wish to consider vaccination for Hepatitis B. There is a combined Hepatitis A/B vaccination called "Twinrix".
Vaccinations should be obtained 4-8 weeks before traveling. If there's any chance you will be in Canada in time, you might want to consider visiting a Travel Clinic in that country rather than the United States -- the clinics are less expensive, as are the prescribed drugs.
Malaria
(Please help write this section if you have experience or good information on the topic.)
When I went to India in '98, I went to the Seattle Clinic and got my shots and a bottle of Malaria pills. The pills were very expensive and I was told by the nurse that she had had reports of very bizarre side effects when alcohol was taken during their use. She said one British woman went nuts and was actually having visual hallucinations. I asked her if they were pretty, but she just looked at me funny.
I stayed six months in India that time, and eventually ran out and never got any more. But I didn't go into areas with a heavy mosquito population, and I don't think anyone is planning on staying that long this time. My advice is to ask a health professional at your local clinic (much cheaper than a doctor's visit). They'll tell you what the current situation is. Make sure to do this a couple of months before you leave.
Tim
Hygiene
(Please comment if you can on the range of facilities we can expect in Tamil Nadu.))
"Shitting Pretty" (ISBN 1885211473, by Dr. Jane Wilson-Howarth) touches on the delicate subject of keeping clean in unfamiliar facilities. Advice from that book has been adapted here.
Washing
Keeping clean while traveling is essential for keeping healthy.
- Wash your hands before eating and keep your nails short.
- Malaria-bearing mosquitoes love the smell of sweaty feet: Shower before dusk.
Toilets
Be ready to dispense with western-style flush toilets and toilet paper. It's time to master the "squat toilet" and the attendant rituals.
- Use facilities in hotels, bars and restaurants, etc. when possible. (Public toilets may be hard to find and unpleasant to use.)
- Carry some toilet paper of your own. Wet wipes can also be useful.
- Learn how to squat and clean yourself with water but no paper. Practice at home before you travel.
- Before using a squat toilet, ensure that there is water to flush with.
- Wet the pan of a squat toilet first: This makes it easier to flush.
- Secure the contents of your pockets before you squat!
Diarrhea
See the article on Travelers' Diarrhea.
Chafing
Between the heat and humidity of Singapore and all the walking I have been doing, I experienced chafing on the inside of my thighs. Not only is this painful, but according to some web sites, it can develop into a more aggravating fungal infection. Mamallapuram (or at least Chennai) is not as humid as Singapore in the month of June, but it is more hot.
I've been treating myself with (don't laugh) Johnson & Johnson's Diaper Rash Cream, which seems to help. It contains petrolatum, lanolin and zinc oxide. Another popular remedy is Bag Balm, which also has petrolatum and lanolin, but uses a different antiseptic (hydroxyquinoline sulfate). If I had followed Dr. Howarth's packing advice, I would have hemorrhoid and anti-fungal cream on hand, which also might serve.
Bedbugs
These little shunpikers love the warmer climates, and though they tend to be associated in the popular imagination with lower-end accommodations, they can also make their devious way into a seemingly immaculate hotel room, as I recently discovered. Many guidebooks advised looking for stains on sheets and mattresses. I would add: Check the wall behind the headboard, drapes and windowpanes.
The bites are something like mosquito bites -- small, red spots or bumps -- except that the bite is not usually noticeable while the insect is feeding, and the bites tend to be clustered in linear groups of three ("breakfast, lunch or dinner"). Don't make the mistake I did: Diagnose the problem early. I have 40-50 bites on my shoulders and upper arms to show for my hesitation.
Some people are more sensitive to these bites than others, so there may be more or less swelling and itching. No risk of disease is associated with bedbug bites. An ice pack is said to relieve the swelling. As usual with this kind of thing, scratching can only make it worse.
Medicine kit
See A Minimal Medical Kit under Packing.
