Vaccines or prophylactic drugs are available to protect against some vectorborne diseases such as yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria; however, travel health practitioners should advise travelers to use repellents and other general protective measures against biting arthropods. The effectiveness of malaria prophylaxis is variable, depending on patterns of drug resistance, bioavailability, and compliance with medication, and no similar preventive measures exist for other mosquitoborne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and West Nile encephalitis, or tickborne diseases such as Lyme borreliosis, tickborne encephalitis, and relapsing fever.
CDC recommends that consumers use repellent products that have been registered by EPA. EPA registration indicates the materials have been reviewed and approved for both efficacy and human safety when applied according to the instructions on the label. Click here for additional information from the yellow book.
Services that the Medina County Health Department can offer your patients who are traveling:
- The Health Center has a travel clinic. Encourage your patients to call us well in advance of their travel time at 330-723-9688, option 1.
- Our Vital Statics office can provide a birth certificate to anyone born in Ohio – a much needed document for traveling abroad. Call 330-723-9688, option 6.
