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• Infectious Diseases

Travel Medicine Clinics Overview

A visit to a Mayo Clinic travel medicine clinic before you depart on an international trip can help ensure a safer, smoother experience.

If you're planning a trip overseas, make one of your first stops a consultation with specialists in the travel medicine clinics at Mayo's campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Availability of services may vary among locations. Please confirm when you request an appointment.

You meet with a travel medicine specialist who is knowledgeable about current health risks worldwide and who will promote safe and healthy travels by offering counseling, recommendations, vaccinations, prescriptions and, if needed, a referral to another expert for complex medical conditions.

Virtual visits

You might be eligible for virtual pretravel consultations. If you're interested in this option, talk with the patient appointment specialist when you contact us to schedule an appointment.

COVID-19 and international travel

International travel has become more complex due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and some countries have exit and entry requirements. Your travel medicine specialist will be able to help you prepare for these requirements so that you have a smoother travel experience.

Before your trip

Schedule an appointment for a pretravel consultation with a Mayo Clinic travel medicine clinic well before you depart so the travel medicine specialist can help you prepare. Ideally, this appointment would occur as soon as travel plans are established and at least two weeks — and preferably 4-8 weeks — before departure. When requesting an appointment for pretravel consultation, be prepared to inform the patient appointment specialist of the following:

• All countries being visited
• Dates and duration of travel
• Any unusual circumstances

At or preferably before the appointment, you will want to provide copies of all available immunization records (including the International Certificate of Vaccination, commonly referred to as the yellow card). Doing so will expedite your clinic visit and may decrease the number of vaccines you are advised to receive.

Your in-depth pre-travel consultation may include:

• A country-by-country assessment of all health risks specific for your travel itinerary, such as exotic infectious agents, altitude sickness and heat exhaustion
• A review of your medical and immunization history profile with advice for health promotion and illness prevention
• Advice for the high-risk traveler
• Immunization recommendations, counseling and administration of vaccines to prevent illnesses
• Vector precautions counseling
• Malaria prevention counseling, with prescriptions if needed
• Traveler's diarrhea counseling for prevention and self-treatment, with antibiotic prescription if needed
• Identification of health resources in the countries you'll be visiting
• Counseling on travel-related risks such as altitude sickness, with preventive prescriptions if needed
• An opportunity to ask questions about the unique health and safety concerns for your travel itinerary

You will leave your travel medicine clinic appointment with much helpful and up-to-date information.

After your trip

• Depending on where you're going and for how long, the travel clinic may recommend a routine follow-up evaluation after your return.
• If you return sick, the travel clinic staff members are Mayo Clinic infectious diseases experts who provide comprehensive post-travel consultations for evaluation and treatment of travel-related illness, including parasitic and other diseases common to tropical regions but uncommon in the United States.
• Mayo Clinic Travel Medicine Clinic
• 5881 E. Mayo Blvd. Phoenix, AZ 85054
• Phone: 480-342-0115
• 4500 San Pablo Road Jacksonville, FL 32224
• Phone: 904-953-0774
• Mayo Clinic Travel and Geographic Medicine Clinic
• 200 First St. SW East 6A, Mayo Building Rochester, MN 55905
• Phone: 507-255-7763 (toll-fee)
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Travel clinics

If you're planning an international trip, contact the travel clinic in your area to make sure you get any vaccines, medications, and information you may need to stay healthy. Call or make an appointment 6 to 8 weeks before you leave.

We especially recommend this step if you’re traveling to a destination where there’s a risk of illnesses not common in the United States.

If there isn't a travel clinic in your area, talk with your doctor or call Member Services.

Colorado District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia Georgia Hawaii Oregon, Washington Northern California Southern California

To make an appointment for a phone consultation, call between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday:

800-888-8540 or 303-283-2650

TTY for the hearing/speech impaired: 711

District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia

Call the Travel Clinic:

800-777-7904 (TTY 711 )

Complete the  international travel immunization E-visit  to consult with a travel health nurse about the required vaccinations for your specific trip.

Call Member Services 7a.m. to 7p.m., Monday through Friday:

888-865-5813 or 404-261-2590

TTY for the hearing/speech impaired: 800-255-0056

Contact our Travel Medicine service between 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays:

855-811-1930

Oregon, Washington

Kaiser Permanente Northwest members call:

844-424-1865 or 503-261-2057 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday

503-261-2057 (TTY 711 ) 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday

Kaiser Permanente Washington members (formerly Group Health Cooperative), call:

206-326-3488 (TTY 711 ) Hours vary depending on location

Northern California

Complete an International Travel E-visit  to see if you need an appointment with a travel nurse or other care before your trip. Also visit International Travel Services    for travel alerts and more information.

Southern California

Call the advice nurse or Travel Advisory department at your facility.

Antelope Valley: 877-554-4404 Baldwin Park and surrounding areas: 800-780-1277 Downey and surrounding areas: 800-823-4040 Fontana, Ontario and surrounding areas: 888-750-0036 Inland Empire and Coachella Valley: 866-984-7483 Kern County: 877-524-7373 Metro Los Angeles: 800-954-8000 Orange County: 888-988-2800 Panorama City and surrounding areas: 888-778-5000 San Diego: 800-290-5000 South Bay: 800-780-1230 Woodland Hills and surrounding areas (including western Ventura): 888-515-3500 After-hours advice available Monday through Friday, 7 PM to 7 AM, Saturday and Sunday, 24 hours a day: 888-576-6225

TTY for the hearing/speech impaired: 800-800-7990 or 711

• Travel alert: Protect yourself against Measles before traveling 
• Getting care in Kaiser Permanente service areas (PDF) 
• Emergency and urgent care while away from home (PDF) 
• Travel information for Medicare members (PDF) 
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Away from Home Travel Line

Call 951-268-3900 (TTY 711 ) for travel support anytime, anywhere. (Closed major holidays.)*

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Raj Palraj, M.B.B.S., M.D.

• Infectious Diseases

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Stay healthy abroad: Why you should see a travel medicine specialist before your trip

As you get ready to travel to another country, you probably have many details to coordinate and plan. One essential task, depending on where those travels take you, may be to make an appointment to see a travel medicine specialist.

A travel medicine specialist assesses travel-related risks and provides information to ensure your health and safety while minimizing the potential for health-related situations during on your trip.

Adding a consultation to your travel to-do list

A consultation with a travel medicine specialist includes discussing travel-related illnesses, risk factors for infectious and noninfectious diseases, required immunizations , health regulations and drug-resistant organisms you may encounter.

It's crucial to schedule a pretravel consultation at least two weeks or preferably, four to eight weeks, before your trip to ensure you get complete protection from any needed vaccinations.

When requesting a travel medicine consultation, be prepared to provide information about your trip, including:

• All countries you're visiting
• Any transportation, accommodation or other unusual circumstances
• Dates and duration of travel

A travel medicine specialist will review your itinerary before your consultation to identify country-by-country health risks, such as exotic infectious agents, the potential for altitude sickness or heat exhaustion, as well as appropriate vaccinations and possible need for malaria prevention medications.

Your opportunity to learn about staying healthy abroad

A consultation gives you the opportunity to learn about health risks you may face while you're traveling and once you reach your destinations.

Based on your itinerary, the travel medicine specialist may:

• Explain the risks of infection from mosquito-borne illnesses and the steps for protecting yourself. This includes reviewing medications to prevent malaria , which is a potentially life-threatening illness.
• Ensure you receive protection against vaccine-preventable illnesses, such as hepatitis A or typhoid fever , and verify that other routine vaccinations are current.
• Evaluate your overall health for travel and discuss with you how to manage preexisting conditions.
• Give tips for preventing jet lag, motion sickness, altitude illness and blood clots .
• Review how to prevent and treat traveler's diarrhea , the most common travel-related illness.
• Help you reduce the chance of becoming ill during travel.
• Provide a yellow fever vaccination and an International Certificate of Vaccination , also known as a yellow card, if you travel to a country where the vaccine is recommended or required.
• Review food and water precautions. Contaminated food and water can pose disease risk for travelers, many of which are transmitted via swallowing or coming in contact with impure water, such as fresh or sea water and swimming pools.

Be sure to ask the specialist any questions you may have about your personal health, and raise any safety concerns about your travel itinerary.

What to do if you got sick on your trip

Once you return home, a travel medicine specialist also can conduct a comprehensive post-travel evaluation of any illnesses you may have picked up while away, including parasitic infections and other tropical diseases that are rare in the U.S.

No matter the reason for travel — vacation, business, studying abroad, visiting friends or relatives or medical tourism — always be prepared, and take steps to ensure your health and safety.

Raj Palraj, M.B.B.S., M.D. , is an infectious diseases specialist in La Crosse , Wisconsin.

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