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Many of the diseases against which U.S. children are immunized routinely still circulate in developing countries. In non-immune travelers, they can cause severe illnesses with lingering consequences. Therefore, it is recommended that adult travelers confirm they are up-to-date on all routine immunizations. Children should have their immunization schedule reviewed by their pediatrician before travel.

For adult travelers, it is preferable to assemble a vaccination history, with dates of all previous immunizations. If you are a patient in the University of Michigan Health system, and have received immunizations at one of our facilities, this information is likely available to our doctors and nurses in your electronic record. If you have received your immunizations elsewhere, this is a good time to ask for a copy of the record from your physician. This information can be added to your University of Michigan immunization record as well as your Word Health Organization (WHO) vaccination card along with any additional travel-specific vaccines that you will require. Once you have this information in hand, answer the following questions:

If you answered No to any of these questions (or you cannot answer them), then you will need some vaccine updating before traveling. The common vaccines mentioned in these questions can be updated by your family physician. However, if you are planning to be seen in our travel clinic, we can also update these immunizations at the time of your visit.

2. Consider consulting a travel specialty clinic if you are visiting a developing country or countries.

This option is discussed in another section of this site. You can link to this topic here.

Prepared travel medical kits are available for purchase; however, most of the items that you would include in a kit are already available from your home or from a local drug store. Below is a table that lists some categories of items to consider including in your travel kit. Depending on your destination, lodging, and planned activities, you may wish to consider these items individually and decide which are appropriate to include:

Certain of these items should be packed in your checked luggage -- those that will not pass through security (e.g., scissors, tweezers, large volume liquids) and those that will not be needed during travel (e.g., bandages, certain medications). Put only items that you anticipate using or needing during the flight to your destination in your carry-on luggage. The rest can be put into your checked baggage and the full kit reassembled after your arrival.

When crossing international borders, you will want to make sure any prescription medication that you carry can be identified and accounted for. Follow the precautions below for any prescription medications apart from those prescribed through the travel clinic.

Have you received a tetanus vaccine within the past 5 years?	Yes	No.
If you were born after 1957, can you confirm that you received two doses of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (one at 18 months and during adolescence)?	Yes	No.
Have you received a series of three injections against hepatitis B?	Yes	No.
Have you ever been immunized against hepatitis A?	Yes	No.
If you are 60 years or older, have you received Pneumovax (the "pneumonia" vaccine?	Yes	No.
If you are 60 years or older, have you considered having the zoster (shingles) vaccine?	Yes	No.

Categories	Specific options
For pain or fever	acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve)
For gastrointestinal problems	loperamide (Imodium), antacid tablets, a mild laxative, oral rehydration packets
For respiratory problems	an antihistamine +/- decongestant, cough suppressant/expectorant, throat lozenges
For skin problems	- insect repellant - alcohol hand-rub or towelettes - sunscreen (SPF 15 or more) - antifungal/antibacterial ointments or creams - anti-itch gel or cream for insect bites and stings - aloe gel for sunburns
For basic first aid	- an antiseptic solution or gel - cotton swabs (Q-tips) - a variety of Band-Aids, or gauze with adhesive tape - moleskin (for blisters) - scissors - tweezers - digital thermometer - disposable gloves (2 pair) - saline eye drops
Other optional items	- medication for motion sickness - a sleep aid - Epi-Pen for travelers with severe allergy history - extra glasses or contact lenses - latex condoms - water purification tablets
Destination-specific items	- antimalarial medication - antibiotic self-treatment for travelers diarrhea - preventive medication for high-altitude illness - prescription medications (see below)