BEND, OR -- If your summer plans include a big bucket-list trip, you may need to schedule a visit with a healthcare professional in advance. Infectious disease expert Dr. Laura Selby suggests meeting with a doctor a few weeks before international travel, to discuss necessary precautions. "There’s COVID, there’s M-Pox - Monkeypox outbreaks, there’s a Marburg outbreak in Tanzania that’s new," she tells KBND News, "And so, when people are thinking about these international trips, you do have to be cognizant of that. But you also want to go and have an amazing time."

Dr. Selby works at the St. Charles travel clinic in Bend. She tells patients to consider differences between home and their destination, "Things like: we can turn on our tap and drink water out of our tap. And that’s not necessarily the case in a lot of countries. You can’t brush your teeth with the tap water." She adds, "The diseases we worry about catching when we go out hiking here are very different than if you’re hiking on safari in Africa. So, educating yourself is really important."

And, if you’re traveling with kids, make sure they’re up to date on immunizations. "Obviously, kids are a lot more likely to put things in their mouths and get bitten by dogs." Dr. Selby says even adults may not realize what shots are needed, "Especially if you’re thinking about one of these big trips, realizing that there are some weird things you might actually be required to have. So, for example, Yellow Fever Vaccine: You can’t even get through customs in some countries without a Yellow Fever Vaccine. So, having some upfront knowledge ahead of time is super important." She also suggests checking CDC and State Department websites for any health or safety travel alerts listed for your destination.

Dr. Selby acknowledges travel patterns have changed since the pandemic, but so has the way people prepare, "People are a lot more in tune with health needs; the importance of vaccinations and taking precautions. And so, I am finding that the folks that come see me in clinic are a lot better educated about how to protect themselves from, especially, respiratory diseases."

Listen to the full conversation with Dr. Laura Selby at our Podcast Page.