What health precautions should you take?
While it’s best to review your health needs about four to six weeks prior to leaving (to allow for enough time to prepare and get any required vaccinations), there are still many last-minute considerations. By observing the following seven steps, you can help ensure a safe and healthy trip.
Update your vaccines
Depending on where you are travelling in the Dominican Republic, you may be at risk for different infectious diseases. It is always advisable to consult with your doctor, health clinic or pharmacist regarding these.
Here are some resources about vaccinations:
https://www.passporthealthglobal.com/ca/destination-advice/dominican-republic/
Below are two websites that provide information about the Zika virus.
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/ http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/zika/en/
Below are two websites that provide information about hepatitis vaccine and traveller's diarrhea.
Twinrix Website: http://www.twinrix.ca/en/ Dukoral Website: https://www.dukoralcanada.com/
Travel Health: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/Page14155.aspx
Pack a small first aid kit
Minor cuts, scrapes, skin infections and diarrhea are common while on a trip, so bring some supplies. Consider including bandages, antibiotic ointment, pain killers such as Tylenol or Advil, anti-diarrheals and something for nausea. It is also a good idea to take some kind of gel or lotion for sunburn releif.
Sleep and eat well
It may be hard to maintain your regular schedule but eating well, staying hydrated and getting good rest will help combat jetlag, keep your immune system strong and help you stay healthy.
Heat Exhaustion
Mexico is very, very hot in places. If you’re walking around in the sunshine, take bottled water with you and keep hydrated at all times. A sun hat is a good investment—you can buy a good one just about anywhere in Mexico! Salt deficiency is another problem—as you sweat, your body excretes the salt it needs. Tiredness, headaches and muscle cramps can happen through salt deficiency. Add some salt to your food if you don’t normally do this at home; consider taking some salt tablets (you can buy these at any local pharmacy). If you get very dehydrated, go to a pharmacy and buy “Pedialyte”—this is a hydration drink with salt, sugars and electrolytes that help your body to re-hydrate.
Heatstroke
Nasty cousin of the previous ailment; this condition is serious and can be fatal, so watch out! You can get heatstroke if you fail to follow the advice above and spend too long in the sunshine and without drinking anything. The intense heat and lack of liquid can cause your body’s natural heating and cooling system to malfunction, and your body temperature will rise to very dangerous levels, possibly fatal ones. General symptoms are severe headaches and no sweating, coupled with dizziness and vomiting and/or nausea. Hospitalization will be essential; but initially, getting out of the sun, cooled down and hydrated (if not unconscious) is a priority. You can cool a person down by removing their clothing and wrapping them in a wet towel or sheet.
Take precautions with sun exposure
Choose sunblock with at least SPF 15 and avoid prolonged sun exposure to protect yourself against burns. And as the label says, reapply often, especially if you’re outside for long periods of time, exercising or in the water.
Jet Lag
Jet Lag occurs when you travel across several time zones. Your body’s clock is set to sleep and wake naturally at times set in the place where you live. Travel to a significantly different time zone, and your body clock gets all confused! Traveling from east to west (e.g. Europe to Mexico), you should experience very little jet lag, because you are in fact, gaining time. You’ll arrive late afternoon or evening, and should be tired at around 10 pm, just in time for an early night after a long journey. When you wake up, you should feel fine.
Traveling east from Mexico (e.g. Mexico to Europe) will be a different matter because you are losing time. When you get back to Europe, your body will want to sleep, but it’s morning in Europe and time to get up and about. Your body thinks it’s 2 am! If you are traveling east, try to get some sleep on the flight if you can so that you’ll arrive having had some rest already. Try NOT to go to sleep (however much you want to) when you arrive back—doing so could severely upset your biological clock for a couple of days. Resist the temptation to sleep until around 7 pm the evening of your arrival. When you wake up the next day, you should be fine!
Update your vaccines
Depending on where you are travelling in the Dominican Republic, you may be at risk for different infectious diseases. It is always advisable to consult with your doctor, health clinic or pharmacist regarding these.
Here are some resources about vaccinations:
https://www.passporthealthglobal.com/ca/destination-advice/dominican-republic/
Below are two websites that provide information about the Zika virus.
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/ http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/zika/en/
Below are two websites that provide information about hepatitis vaccine and traveller's diarrhea.
Twinrix Website: http://www.twinrix.ca/en/ Dukoral Website: https://www.dukoralcanada.com/
Travel Health: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/info/Page14155.aspx
Pack a small first aid kit
Minor cuts, scrapes, skin infections and diarrhea are common while on a trip, so bring some supplies. Consider including bandages, antibiotic ointment, pain killers such as Tylenol or Advil, anti-diarrheals and something for nausea. It is also a good idea to take some kind of gel or lotion for sunburn releif.
Sleep and eat well
It may be hard to maintain your regular schedule but eating well, staying hydrated and getting good rest will help combat jetlag, keep your immune system strong and help you stay healthy.
Heat Exhaustion
Mexico is very, very hot in places. If you’re walking around in the sunshine, take bottled water with you and keep hydrated at all times. A sun hat is a good investment—you can buy a good one just about anywhere in Mexico! Salt deficiency is another problem—as you sweat, your body excretes the salt it needs. Tiredness, headaches and muscle cramps can happen through salt deficiency. Add some salt to your food if you don’t normally do this at home; consider taking some salt tablets (you can buy these at any local pharmacy). If you get very dehydrated, go to a pharmacy and buy “Pedialyte”—this is a hydration drink with salt, sugars and electrolytes that help your body to re-hydrate.
Heatstroke
Nasty cousin of the previous ailment; this condition is serious and can be fatal, so watch out! You can get heatstroke if you fail to follow the advice above and spend too long in the sunshine and without drinking anything. The intense heat and lack of liquid can cause your body’s natural heating and cooling system to malfunction, and your body temperature will rise to very dangerous levels, possibly fatal ones. General symptoms are severe headaches and no sweating, coupled with dizziness and vomiting and/or nausea. Hospitalization will be essential; but initially, getting out of the sun, cooled down and hydrated (if not unconscious) is a priority. You can cool a person down by removing their clothing and wrapping them in a wet towel or sheet.
Take precautions with sun exposure
Choose sunblock with at least SPF 15 and avoid prolonged sun exposure to protect yourself against burns. And as the label says, reapply often, especially if you’re outside for long periods of time, exercising or in the water.
Jet Lag
Jet Lag occurs when you travel across several time zones. Your body’s clock is set to sleep and wake naturally at times set in the place where you live. Travel to a significantly different time zone, and your body clock gets all confused! Traveling from east to west (e.g. Europe to Mexico), you should experience very little jet lag, because you are in fact, gaining time. You’ll arrive late afternoon or evening, and should be tired at around 10 pm, just in time for an early night after a long journey. When you wake up, you should feel fine.
Traveling east from Mexico (e.g. Mexico to Europe) will be a different matter because you are losing time. When you get back to Europe, your body will want to sleep, but it’s morning in Europe and time to get up and about. Your body thinks it’s 2 am! If you are traveling east, try to get some sleep on the flight if you can so that you’ll arrive having had some rest already. Try NOT to go to sleep (however much you want to) when you arrive back—doing so could severely upset your biological clock for a couple of days. Resist the temptation to sleep until around 7 pm the evening of your arrival. When you wake up the next day, you should be fine!