It is very important to be well organised when going abroad. Students often get so excited about their time away from the family, the rules, and the routine, that they forget about their health.

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Here are a number of medical tips that will come in handy before, during, and after your stay abroad.

Cover yourself
Get medical insurance. It is vital to have medical insurance whilst abroad, especially if you are travelling in a country where particular diseases are prevalent. A travel agent can arrange your medical insurance for you on request and there are dedicated insurance plans tailor-made for students. For a year, it can cost you anything between R1 500 and R3 000.

Find out, in advance, which hospitals are covered by your medical insurance.

Know what you’re letting yourself in for
Before you depart, it is a good idea to check for any travel warnings or public announcements regarding the country you plan to visit. For all you know, there may be political unrest, or disease outbreaks that you may want to avoid.

Make sure your routine vaccinations are up to date and that you are safe from any potential diseases. You can contact the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention for various updates on health risks. Make sure you know what the symptoms are of diseases like yellow fever and malaria, if you are travelling to countries where these are prevalent.

Generally, altitude sickness can set in anywhere from about 2000 metres above sea level. But the good news is that there is medication available that can assist with altitude sickness. Contact your pharmacist for more information.

It is always a good idea to go for a full dental and health check-up at least a month before your trip. As unthinkable as it might sound, it is advised to postpone travel if you are feeling ill. This could avoid many medical emergencies.

Stock up on standbys
If you are on daily medication such as asthma inhalers or insulin injections, ensure that you take extra supplies with you. Take all prescriptions with you. Also, in the case of an emergency, ask your doctor for a letter that describes your medical condition. Take an emergency supply of medication and carry it on your person, as you should do with your moneybag and your passport. Even if your luggage goes missing, you'll still have a day or two of your medication on standby, giving you a chance to get replacements.

First-aid kit
This doesn't have to be the kind of first-aid kit kept by a large primary school. A small container with plasters, antiseptic, a few painkillers, a short course of antibiotics (speak to your doctor before you go and get a prescription), a few antihistamines, anti-diarrhoeal medication and antacids should do the trick.

Keep everything in its original containers, and discard all tablets before you go into countries like Indonesia, where the anti-drugging laws are very strict. You don't want to spend a week in prison while the authorities identify your headache tablets.

Coming up in hives
Protect yourself from any insect or animal bites. In the case of insect bites, use reputable insect repellents or creams.

It is always good to have antihistamines with you in the case of an allergic reaction. Antihistamines act as an anti-inflammatory and can help with certain insect and animal bites. Or, in the case of cuisine, many curious students may want to try out a new meal and to their surprise, once finished chomping, they break out in a rash.

Slap on the sunscreen
Sunscreen is essential. In European countries, one might think it is not necessary, but you can burn quite easily if UV levels are high in overcast conditions. Remember that the damage the sun can do to your skin is cumulative. Every severe sunburn is simply one too many. In the southern hemisphere, the sun can be especially vicious. Watch out for it.

Wrap up
For students who aim to get lucky, condoms are vital to protect you from those STIs and an HIV infection. Even if you do not aim at being slightly promiscuous, you never know what might happen, so take them with you anyway.

Avoid the blues
Although the thought of being away from the law of your parents may be appealing, being away from home for a long period can be very depressing. This could lead to stress and insomnia. Make sure you take a good multivitamin whilst you are away from home, and look out for signs of depression. Make some new friends and phone home regularly.

Water, water everywhere
Always ensure that you wash food thoroughly with clean water before cooking it. In many countries abroad, it is not safe to drink tap water. Bottled water is often the best solution. If you don't have that option, remember to boil all drinking water, including water for ice cubes.

On the trots
Few people go through an entire trip abroad without having at least one serious bout of diarrhoea. Many of the foodstuffs you will be eating will be new to your stomach, and buying food from roadside stalls could be risky. You could get a lot more than diarrhoea from them.

Take anti-diarrhoeal medication with you, and remember that dehydration is the biggest potential problem when your stomach starts playing up. Get to a doctor if things don't improve in a day or two.

(Matthew Louw, Health24, November 2005)

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