In this final part of the Travel Readiness series, we will concentrate on first aid kits and the management of chronic medication.
A few general thoughts:
- The contents of a travel kit ideally need to be tailored to the need, age and destination of the traveller.
- You should always have one or more kits with bandages, etc. with you: one at home, one in the car, a smaller one for your bicycle if you are a cyclist, or for your backpack if you like hiking.
The following is a list of the basic recommended supplies:
- Bandages in various sizes
- Adhesive bandages/plasters in various sizes, including hypoallergenic ones
- Sterile dressings/wound pads
- Hand sanitizer and antiseptic liquid
- Roll of tape in various sizes
- Blunt-ended scissors
- Plastic tweezers
- Triangular bandage
- Foil blankets
- Burn gel
- Disposable gloves, preferably nitrile and NOT latex
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties
What over-the-counter medication should you consider carrying with you?
- Malaria prevention: dependent on the risk of exposure at your destination.
- Diarrhea prevention and treatment: water disinfectant, loperamide or equivalent, oral rehydration and emergency antibiotics.
- To prevent and treat insect and tick bites: insect repellent and tick forceps and tweezers.
- Skin care: sunscreen, disinfectant (iso-Betadine or chlorhexidine) and low dose cortisone ointment.
- Other travel medicines: antifungal agent cream (especially if you are prone to vaginal infections), antihistamine, decongestant nasal spray, motion sickness tablets, painkiller (paracetamol) and something for nausea.
Management of chronic medication while travelling
- Take a large enough supply of your chronic medication (including contraceptives) with you for the duration of the trip and a week or so extra, and distribute them in different places.
- Personal chronic medication as well as contact lenses and glasses should be carried by the traveller in carry-on luggage to avoid loss in case luggage is delayed.
- It is recommended, especially for longer journeys or if you have significant health issues, to have a short summary of your medical history with relevant information regarding current medical conditions, current medication, serious past illnesses (e.g., heart attack) and major surgery, allergies and blood type if known.
- Also, ensure that you have a certificate from your treating physician stating the generic names of the medication that you carry, as well as the dosage of the medication. Take medicines with you in the original packaging.
- Insulin-dependent diabetics: a signed declaration from your treating doctor to carry needles and syringes for air travel will be required.
- Some medicines are considered to be narcotics as described in the YELLOW LIST. This applies, for example, to sleeping pills, some painkillers and ADHD medication. The “List of narcotic drugs under international control” tells you which medicines this applies to. If you take any of these medicines, you will need a specific medical declaration. In the case of Schengen countries, this is a Schengen Declaration, completed and signed by your doctor. For travel beyond the Schengen zone, it is best to contact the embassy of your destination country. Severe punishments apply for the illegal importation of these medicines in some countries, for example, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Counterfeit medication
- Be very mindful when buying over the counter (OTC) medication in some countries. Only buy medication from reliable pharmacies. It is a worldwide problem including in Europe, the US and the UK, and it is estimated that 10–30% of medicines sold in developing countries are counterfeit, and <5% in developed countries. Countries/continents known to sell counterfeit drugs include China, Russia and Africa, especially Nigeria.
Safe travels!
This was part 3 of a 3 part series, the other blogs can be found here:
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