ARE you looking forward to your summer holiday? And day-dreaming of blue seas and sun-soaked beaches while still drowning under paper at your desk? Or perhaps you are beginning to wonder if the brochure didn’t overstate the delights of Orlando or Benidorm — and if it was an absurdly magnanimous gesture to suggest that Granny came, too. She might not be feeling too gung-ho about braving the hurricanes that will be sweeping in from the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida by the time you are there.
If you had decided that it might be better to stick to Europe, would she be worried about the beach muggers of Lisbon? If her only experience of big cats is the household version, will she be thrown by a face-to-face encounter with a lion in Kenya? Rest assured: only the very occasional safari enthusiast fails to live to tell the story, while few Portuguese beaches are swept by gangs of muggers. The real dangers to your holiday are the host of bacteria, parasites and viruses and the heat and sun.
The armaments you will need on holiday are not so much a high-powered rifle but an effective antibiotic and first-aid treatment against the symptoms produced by alien viruses and bacteria. Anticipate the hazards that might affect your party and prepare for these so that whatever the traveller’s age, he or she has a good chance of remaining relatively healthy and cheerful.
There is no universal medical kit that will suit every family: so the first essential is an adequate supply of all those drugs that you or one of your party are already taking regularly. Don’t allow yourself to run out while abroad. If you are on regular treatment find out by what name the medication is known in Cuba, Thailand or wherever, and if the same preparation can be obtained there.
Never be separated from your supply of essential drugs. Carry them in your hand luggage. Take more than you will use as your stay may be longer than you expect for unforeseen reasons. Just in case disaster strikes, make a note of the drugs’ names; this will help when you are confronted by a doctor whose English is only basic.
One emergency that many have to contend with is asthma. Unexpected heat and humidity frequently trigger attacks. If this has happened before, the asthmatic patient should consider increasing the number of puffs of their preventive steroid inhaler.
Taking drugs with you so as to be prepared for a recurrence of a previous condition, or because your holiday destination is a notorious black spot for some dreaded disease, may raise difficulties with your NHS doctor. The NHS doesn’t provide drugs for overseas visits longer than three months. It would be reluctant to prescribe medication just in case someone needed it.
But the holiday is more likely to be marred by mosquito bites, the spikes of sea anemones, jellyfish stings, grazes, cuts and bruises, cold sores, insomnia, cystitis and the ubiquitous food poisoning than it is by malaria.
Mosquito bites are thought of as a nuisance here but when encountered abroad their number makes them more of a medical problem. The diseases that mosquitoes may carry make it essential that every precaution is taken to avoid being bitten. In malarial areas sleeves and trousers should be long. Insect repellent is a great help when outside and DEET is the best known and probably the most effective. It lasts longer if it is put on to clothing rather than the skin. Only clothes made of natural fibres should be used. The irritation of mosquito bites can be controlled by 1 per cent hydrocortisone cream, and Vallergan tablets or syrup.
Cold sores, or genital herpes type 2, may flare up in hot, sunny weather. Patients vulnerable to attacks of either should take prophylactic Zovirax (aciclovir) or Valtrex (valaciclovir) while away. Cystitis is usually attributed to dehydration as the result of the weather, but a more common cause is increased sexual activity. Plenty of fluids and twice-daily cranberry juice helps, but women plagued by cystitis would be as well to take a supply of the antibiotic Ciproxin (a small dose, 100mg, twice a day for three days will usually do the trick). The hot weather and the antibiotic may trigger an attack of thrush. A persistent attack can be cleared by a dose of Sporanox capsules, two in the morning and two at night. Canestan cream or pessaries may also be used.
Lyme disease is the best known of the tick-borne diseases and is becoming common in Europe. The first objective must to be to prevent being bitten. Appropriate long trousers and long sleeves with adequate shoes should be worn when walking through long grass, or scrub. DEET deters ticks. Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is endemic in Austria and parts of Germany and Southern Europe. It can be disabling, even fatal. If they are not vaccinated against the tick, holidaymakers can be given TBE immuno globulin if they acquire ticks while lying in grass. Ticks should be removed by gripping them between the finger and thumb as close to the skin as possible. The tick is first pushed inwards, given a twist and pulled out.
Try to avoid food-poisoning by steering clear of salads, unpeeled fruit, water, undercooked meat, food bought from stalls, and home-made ice-cream. Simple attacks, usually from the local E. coli, can be controlled by re-hydration fluids, and for all over the age of 4, by Imodium or Lomotil. If the person is ill, is running a temperature and if there is blood in the diarrhoea, seek immediate medical help.
Avoid sunburn by applying high-factor sun screen lotion, remembering to re-apply it frequently in sweaty weather and always after swimming. Long-sleeved shirts should be made of close-woven cotton and hats should have a brim.
WHAT TO PACK
Sunscreen SPF (sun protective factor) over 30, Calomine lotion — for sunburn, Fucidin cream (prescription only) or antiseptic cream such as Savlon — for septic spots, cuts and scratches, Betnovate cream (prescription only) — for any skin irritation, Hydrocortisone cream (1 per cent) — for any skin irritation, including mosquito bites, Vallergan (prescription only) — antihistamine tablets and liquid for skin irritation, Neoclarityn (prescription only) — antihistamine for allergies, Canestan cream or Sporonax capsules (prescription only) — for thrush, Ciproxin (prescription only) — antibiotic for infections including bladder and gut, Augmentin (prescription only) — antibiotic for other infections such as chest infections, tonsillitis, severe boils (watch for penicillin allergy), Paracetamol — pain relief, Aspirin — pain relief (but never for anyone under 16), Stilnoct (prescription only) — for sleeping, Imodium or Lomotil — for diarrhoea (but not for pregnant women or for children under 4), Rehydration fluid — or sugar and salt to make a substitute, a couple of bandages, dressings and plasters — for blisters and cuts, Chloromycetin ointment or drops (prescription only) — for eye infections
