During-flight's Advice

TO LIMIT BAROMETRIC PRESSURE PROBLEMS  

The pressure of air in a plane corresponds to a pressure of 1500 -2000 m altitude when the plane has reached its cruising altitude. This will cause intestinal bloating which could be limited by avoiding :

• Fizzy drinks, including champagne,
• Gas producing food: dry vegetables, milk, cabbage.

If this does not help, then try obstructing both nostrils and ears.

HEARING DISORDERS

Medical kit for the trip

Advice to child's parents

Other vaccinations like anti-meningococcal and anti-hepatitis A are advisable depending on destination and type of stay

Typhoid vaccination is not recommended before age two.

Yellow-fever vaccination is not required for a child less than one year old, but could be done at age of six months if the infant is exposed and as of resumption of birth weight.

A child is sensitive to heat and sun, so dehydration is very frequent. Therefore it is necessary to make him or her drink good quality water, protect him or her from sun and heat. He or she is also much more sensitive to diarrhea.

To rehydrate a child, use rehydration packs of prepare a solution yourself with 6 tsp. of sugar + 1/2 tsp. of salt in 1 liter of drinking water.

Children are easily enticed by animals - domestic, wandering or exotic like monkeys -. These animals can be carrying bacteria, virus like rabies or man pathogenic parasites.

For a journey in areas where malaria prevails, you should plan on taking :

• An adapted chimioprophylaxie, while keeping in mind that « Méfloquine » is not to be used on a child weighing less than 15 kg and that « Doxycycline » is to be avoided by a child of less than 8 years old,
• A mosquito net and repellents.

NB: the use of a mosquito net and repellents will also limit stings of other diseases carrying mosquitoes.

Advice to expecting mothers

 "Alleviating" vaccines by a pregnant woman are not recommended, except the anti-amarilic vaccine – against yellow fever -, if planning to journey into endemic disease areas better wait until the end of pregnancy’s 1st quarter.

Malaria is much serious in pregnant women. Protection against this disease is thus absolutely essential, still the use of Méfloquine or Doxycycline is not advisable during pregnancy.

Moreover, Halofantrine, used for malaria treatment, is also not advisable for a pregnant woman. To avoid mosquitoes stings, repellents are useful. Ask for medical advice.

Advice to the elderly

• A trip is an excellent opportunity to verify conventional vaccines validity, in particular anti-tetanus, anti poliomyelitic and anti-diphtheric.
• In the event of chronic disease, it is desirable that the patient has a medical file written in English, mentioning the disease, its complications and the treatment.
• Patient must carry necessary treatment during entire journey, whatever its duration.
•  Heart patients must watch their salt intake and not to eat shellfish.
• Patients with heart failure must have their Trinitrine medication within reach.
• If a diuretic is to be taken then diarrhea can cause a serious potassium loss, even more dangerous if it associated with an anti-arrhythmic.
• People with poor venous situation must preserve heat and immobility, to avoid phlebitis risk, and wear, under medical advice, support stocking.
• Try doing some walking inside long-haul flight planes.
• Take time to become acclimatized, in particular, to the temperature difference and to the jet lag.
• People suffering from chronic respiratory and\or cardiovascular affections need to be careful with altitude.
• Plan a chimioprophylaxie antipalustre for journeys in endemic disease area.
   

Vaccines

• It is recommended to check if your vaccines are up to date because vaccines can be required from passengers of certain destinations. 
• It should be noted that certain vaccines must be administered in advance and can in fact require a period of time.
  

Influenza A(H1N1)

ONDA has also set up, in various airports of the Kingdom, security gates equipped with infra-red cameras determining body temperature of passing through people, in order to detect the presence of a fever which is a type of influenza’s symptom. However, when a passenger passes through the gate and the indicators are set off, it does not necessarily mean that this passenger is carrying the virus.

“Swine” Flu A/H1N1 human symptoms are, generally, the same as those of seasonal flu: fever, aches, cough and tiredness.

How long is the incubation period of the “swine” influenza?

The incubation period is 7 days maximum.

How to protect oneself from “swine” influenza?

Influenza germs are mainly airborne -by means of cough, sneeze or saliva droplets- but can also be transmission by the contaminated hands and objects. It is thus necessary to avoid any contact with a sick person, to regularly wash hands with soap and/or an antiseptic solution.

Can one catch “swine” influenza by eating pork?

Animal viruses do not survive cooking.

Are antivirals effective? When can they be prescribed?

American experts have carried out tests on isolated strains in the United States. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and Zanamivir (Relenza) are effective on these viruses.  Tests on Mexican strains are ongoing but antiviral should be effective.
Antivirals are prescribed by health professionals after consultation and diagnosis of first flu symptoms appearance.

Are antivirals effective on children?

There exists, of course, an antiviral treatment for children (antiviral in pediatric form) which is prescribed by a health professional where necessary.
The treatment can, however, be only symptomatic on children less than one year old.
If you think that your child is showing “swine” flu A/H1N1 symptoms (aches, cough, tiredness,) you must contact your attending physician or call 15.

Is there a vaccine against “swine" flu A / H1N1? 
 
At the moment, there is no vaccine against this new virus. According to experts, who have studied it, there is no confirmation that the seasonal flu vaccine could be effective against this new virus.
The strain provision for vaccine manufacturing will be carried out under the OMS responsibility. The strain, once ready, will be given to pharmaceutical companies for vaccine manufacturing. A period of several weeks to several months will be necessary for the vaccine to be available.  

Could we / do we have to have Tamiflu prescribed before leaving to Mexico? 

Before leaving, you can contact your regular attending physician or an international vaccination center to optimize your journey’s medical preparation. These health professionals could, if need be and according to official sanitary recommendations, decide whether necessary to prescribe an antiviral or not.  

What are the various types of available protection masks? 

There are two 2 types of masks :

• Surgical mask is intended to avoid, during exhalation, secretions projection - saliva droplets - which can contaminate people standing close by.
• Respiratory protection mask (mask FFP2) is, in fact, a disposable respiratory protection device protecting against inhaling contagious infectious agents. It is mainly intended for the health professionals and people in regular contact and at close distance from patients.

Useful links :

• Health Department
• World Health Organization