Planning ahead and using common sense are among the best ways to prevent illnesses abroad. How you can help your on-the-go employees keep fit.

• Preparation for travel
• After employee has arrived
• Internet resources

Sending employees on business trips involves more than booking a flight and arranging accommodations. What about health risks? Is the region safe? Is the water drinkable? Is there any danger of contracting malaria?

As most experts suggest, good preparation can prevent major problems later.

Marc De Vos belongs to the medical team of Tractebel, a major energy and services company based in Belgium. With many of its employees on the road most of the time, Tractebel has an in-house medical centre, staffed with a part-time doctor, two nurses and a secretary.

“Our team advises the company’s employees on how to travel as safely as possible, what preparation they need. We provide support 24 hours a day for all our people abroad. They can always reach us,” he says.

“Food safety is the most important issue, as most problems come from there. Gastro-intestinal ailments and diarrhoea are the most common problems faced by travellers,” adds De Vos.

Another issue they raise with solo travellers: sexually transmitted diseases.

"It is normal that we would talk about that, and it is generally well received by the travellers, male and female," says De Vos. "The management supports us, and everybody knows that the medical secret is kept. This is certainly not taboo inside our company."

The frequent flyer employees themselves often develop their own guidelines for staying healthy.

For instance, Tractabel "nomad" Philippe Delmotte, senior VP distribution and transport, spends about 50 percent of his time on the road. Or rather, on a plane.

His method: “I live a sane life, and I do a lot of sport. My essential motivation is personal, as I practice alpinism. So during my travels, I don’t eat or drink too much. It can be hard, as we are very often eating in restaurants. I have to watch out the quantity of food and especially drink.”

Delmotte also has learned to fight jetlag.

"I try and sleep well when I leave the country. I set my watch at the destination time directly. The only time I really suffered from jetlag was on a trip from Buenos Aires to Bangkok, with a half-day stop in Brussels! I try to sleep whenever I can and give my preference to night flights, when possible.”

If employees do become ill while travelling, they should have proper medical insurance. Dr Annabel Bentley, BUPA International’s Assistant Medical Director, says that private health insurance, if there isn’t any coverage from the company itself, is a must, and it should include repatriation and a 24-hour policy.

While researching the destination is essential, the most important thing is to use common sense, Dr Bentley says.

"In remote locations, avoid sunburn, drink bottled water, even brush your teeth with it if you are not sure of the quality of tap water and wash your food with it too. Hot food is generally safe. Hygiene, too, is very important,” she advises.

Another point to consider is road safety, which might be inexistent in the destination country, or the cars for hire might not be in the best condition. It is advisable to try and make sure one has the safest car available and drives as carefully as possible.

• Pay a visit to your GP at least a month before the planned trip, or make sure to be ready for last-minute trips at all times. If you take prescription medications, bring enough to last the entire trip.
• Be up-to-date with all vaccinations as some require two or more shots at one- or two-week intervals.
• Malaria medications differ depending on the destination, and they have various side effects such as nausea and dizziness. It is better to be aware of these effects before deciding to use them.
• For frequent flyers, venous thrombosis (blood clots) has become a serious issue. While scientists continue to research its causes, it does not hurt to take short walks and do some in-flight exercises to stimulate circulation.

• Be careful about water and food, as they are the most common dangers facing travellers:
  • Avoid raw fruits and vegetables, insufficiently cooked meat, etc. when dining in a restaurant.
  • Wash and peel fruit yourself.
  • Do not eat shellfish or food from street vendors.
  • Eat/drink only pasteurised dairy products.
  • If there is any doubt about the quality of water, use tablets or a filter to disinfect it.
  • Say no to ice cubes because they may be made from unsanitary water
• The best way to avoid malaria is not to be bitten by mosquitoes. Use insect repellent, wear light-coloured, long-legged and long-sleeved clothes, and remain in screened areas if possible.
• Avoid touching cats and dogs, as they can carry all kinds of parasites and illnesses. The same applies to all other animals, domestic or wild.

Those websites give detailed information of travel warnings, current health risks in specific regions, outbreaks of various infections, etc.:

International travel and health from the World Health Organisation (WHO) -
http://www.who.int/ith/

Travel Medicine Program –
http://www.travelhealth.gc.ca

National Center of Infectious Diseases –
http://www.cdc.gov/travel

The Travel Doctor –
http://www.tmvc.com.au

Lonely Planet Guides –
http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/groups.cfm?groupID=16&affil=lpfp-motr

Travel Health Online –
http://www.tripprep.com

Masta –
http://www.masta.org

Antwerp’s Institute of Tropical Medicine –
http://www.itg.be

BUPA’s health information website –
http://www.bupa.co.uk/health_information/

International SOS Country Guides (Brazil, Turkey, Vietnam only for non-members) -
http://www.internationalsos.com/demo/CountryGuides/

September 2002

Christine Scholtes is a freelance journalist based in Brussels.