Health Information for Travelling and Living Overseas
For most of us, living overseas brings unique physical challenges. Our bodies react to new time zones, new foods, new water, new means of transportation and the emotional stresses of cross-cultural living. You want to be as healthy as possible wherever God takes you so you are free to do whatever He gives you to do. To that end you need to be aware of the health-related issues you will face.
Be sure to see a doctor AND a dentist long before hopping on that plane to be sure that any required treatment can be done before you leave your homeland.
Call your physician or the local Public Health Clinic to determine what immunizations you will need for your country of service. Do this far ahead of time. Some immunizations must be given in a series over a 4-6 week period. A few even require 3 months. So think ahead.
For those of you going to remote areas, get your hands on the book Where There Is No Doctor. This excellent reference book helps you self-diagnose and treat everything from hangnail to typhoid. It could save your life!
Be sure the check out The Travel Clinic where you'll find information to help you think through how to prepare yourself physically for traveling and life overseas. Find information on:
shots,
malaria and other diseases and parasites,
diarrhea,
first aid kits,
jet lag,
motion sickness,
traveling while pregnant and
traveling with special medical problems.
Remember that this Travel Clinic information is general, rather than country specific. So some of the issues dealt with will not apply to you or to your particular country.
Adapted from the InterVarsity LINK Handbook, 1999.
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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