Monday, May 23, 2011

Why Passport Health?


First Class Medical Care for Travel Anywhere

Passport Health is the largest provider of travel medical services in the United States with convenient locations nationwide. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure we can prepare you for your trip with destination-specific travel information, immunizations, travel shots, specialty travel products, and international travel health insurance in all our travel clinics.


Good Health. . . Don't Forget to Take It With You!

Exciting destinations, exotic foods, engaging customs. . . International travel, whether for personal or business reasons, can be challenging if you are not prepared. Disease, illness, crime, and injury happen unexpectedly to even the most experienced traveler. Planning for good health on an international trip is as important as buying tickets or obtaining a visa and passport. That is why Passport Health's mission is to provide information, travel vaccines, and travel medications for you, the international traveler.

Passport Health is a leading provider of travel health information and immunizations for international travelers, major corporations, universities and other international organizations. Our nationwide staff is comprised of professionals that include board-certified physicians and registered nurses who have completed rigorous training in the field of travel medicine and immunology. We are a state certified Yellow Fever vaccine provider.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Protect your own health while on your mission trip


As a mission, volunteer or intercountry adoption traveler, you will be exposed to more risks than the average international vacationer. Typically you will be traveling to the more remote areas of underdeveloped countries. The sanitation, food preparations and health care will be sub-standard to what you are familiar with at home. Even the most careful traveler can become ill.
Expert Support for Mission or Volunteer Coordinators,
Team Leaders and Members
When planning a mission trip, it is important to include pre-trip medical preparations in your planning and budgeting. Passport Health's Travel Medicine Specialists will review with you the immunizations required and recommended for the area you will be visiting, based on the time of year, length of stay and your activities while you are there. Passport Health utilizes advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the US Department of State, the world's leaders in all areas of disease, outbreaks, warnings and knowledge of immunizations. Recommendations and requirements are constantly updated. At Passport Health, we monitor these conditions daily to ensure we give the best possible information to our travelers.

Many organizations do not include the upfront costs of immunizations in their planning, or ignore them all together. Team members should be up to date on all routine adult immunizations, such as Tetanus/Diphtheria, Hepatitis A and B, Measles/Mumps/Rubella, to name a few. This is in addition to the destination-specific travel immunizations needed. It is dangerous to ignore the importance of being immunized. Don't be fooled by 'No one got sick last time we traveled there.' The immunization cost is a fraction of what it will cost if just one person becomes sick or injured.

Passport Health can tailor a program and price options that fit your groups' needs and budget. It will include the information, routine and travel immunizations, medications and specialty travel health products.

Travelers receiving immunizations from Passport Health will receive an official immunization record to keep with his or her travel documents.

Passport Health also offers hard to find specialty travel health products. Many mission groups strongly encourage their team members to consider such products as they know they are some of the best on the market and not available once they've reached their destination.

The work performed by mission and volunteer travelers all over the world is so important and the rewards so fulfilling, illness or injury should not hinder a team's or individual member's ability to complete their assignment.

Experienced coordinators know proper planning for small or large groups means working early to get team members prepared. Passport Health is your one stop travel health planning partner.

Call us today for more infromation 215-491-1111 or 800-741-0504
www.passporthealthphilly.com

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Traveler Alert! Malaria Protection


Malaria in humans is caused by one of four protozoan species. All species are transmitted by the bite of an infected female mosquito. Occasionally Malaria transmission occurs by blood transfusion or congenitally from mother to fetus.

Signs and Symptoms of Malaria
Malaria is characterized by fever and flu-like symptoms, including chills, headache, body aches and fatigue; these symptoms may occur at intervals. Malaria may be associated with anemia and jaundice, and may cause kidney failure, coma and death. Deaths due to Malaria are preventable. The estimated risk of a traveler acquiring Malaria varies markedly from area to area. A Passport Health Travel Medicine Specialist will help you to determine your risk and Malaria prevention measures.

Protective Measures Against Malaria
Because no currently available drug regimen guarantees 100\% protection against Malaria, prevention of infection requires taking antimalarial medication as directed in addition to prevention of mosquito bites. Mosquitoes that carry Malaria have nocturnal feeding habits, thus Malaria transmission occurs primarily between dusk and dawn. Measures to reduce mosquito contact during critical hours include:

•Remaining in well-screened or air conditioned areas
•Using mosquito nets treated with Permethrin
•Wearing clothing that covers most of the body and has been treated with Permethrin
•Using insect repellents containing appropriate levels of DEET
•Using insecticides in living and sleeping areas where appropriate
Passport Health carries CDC and WHO recommended insect repellents for purchase.

Antimalarial Drugs
Most antimalarials act in the bloodstream to suppress clinical symptoms by inhibiting parasite development in red blood cells. Regardless of duration of stay in a Malarious area, antimalarials should be taken by all travelers. The regime for all Malaria medications include the need to be taken before arrival, during the visit, and after departure from a Malaria risk area. This approach assures adequate blood levels of the drug, enables the traveler to switch to another drug in the event of side effects and gets the traveler in the habit of taking the drug on a regular basis. Because antimalarials do not actually prevent the disease, continued dosing with antimalarials after departure from an endemic area ensures that the drug will kill any lingering parasites. A Passport Health Travel Medicine Specialist will counsel you on recommended antimalaria medications specific to your travel destination. Antimalaria medications may be prescribed for you by the Travel Medicine Specialist and many locations may have antimalaria medications available for purchase.

Follow-Up
Regardless of the drug regimen used, it is still possible to contract Malaria during travel and to become ill following departure from a malarious area. Travelers should seek medical attention as soon as possible if a fever illness develops during a trip or the first year following exposure. Malaria may be fatal if treatment is delayed.

So, if you are asking yourself, "what travel shots do I need? or where to get the Malaria vaccine", call 215-491-1111 for your appointment today
www.passporthealthpilly.com

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce "Discovering China"







Passport Health is proud to announce our participation in the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce "Discovering China" Program.

"What travel shots do I need to go to China?" This is the most common question we hear when travelers are going to that region.No matter where you are traveling, you should know that you will be exposed to things that could make you ill. As a new or even experienced international traveler you should be educated about the environment you'll be visiting. Ideally, you should schedule your appointment with a Passport Health Travel Medicine Specialist 4-6 weeks prior to your departure date. However, we will always accommodate last minute travelers.
At Passport Health, we don't just vaccinate, we educate.
From the dangers of sunburn at high altitude and parasitic infections; to vaccine preventable diseases and foods to avoid; our Travel Medicine Specialists will give you all the tools you need to be informed and protected on your international trip.



Our consultations typically last about 45 minutes and include a comprehensive itinerary and specific topics about your travels. Our Travel Medicine Specialists will discuss recommendations (from the CDC, WHO and other sources) and requirements based on your destinations, activities, time of year, altitude and medical history. Our consultation rooms are private and comfortable similar to a relaxed corporate environment.



Chamber members who make an appointment at our Center City office at 1500 Walnut St and complete a travel consultation will receive a free Passport Health Travel Kit, normally a $30.00 value.Call for your appointment 215-491-1111 www.passporthealthphilly.com


For details on the Chamber of Commerce Discovering China Trip visit www.greaterphilachamber.com

Monday, May 2, 2011

Protect your newborn, get yourself vaccinated


Parents and family members are the primary source of pertussis transmission to vulnerable infants
It is estimated that up to 3.3 million cases of pertussis occur each year in adults and adolescents in the United States
Studies show that when the source can be identified, family members are the source of transmission in up to 83% of infant cases
With a household attack rate reaching 90% to 100%, pertussis is highly contagious
Despite CDCb recommendations, only 6% of adults reported receiving Tdap vaccine from 2005 through 2008
Immunization with Tdap vaccine may help protect adults and adolescents against pertussis, and help reduce the risk of transmission to vulnerable infants