Health experts have raised the alarm after research revealed that the majority of Aussies are unprepared when it comes to travel health and could be at risk of contracting infectious diseases such as measles, hepatitis, typhoid and polio.
The warning comes as a nationwide survey reveals that only 15 per cent of people who plan to travel overseas this year have fully researched and understood the health recommendations relevant to their destination.
Global healthcare company Sanofi conducted a survey of more than 1,000 Australians who intend to travel overseas and found one in three (31 per cent) would either not see a doctor to discuss travel health and vaccination requirements or would leave a consultation too close to their departure to receive full protection.
Dr Deb Mills, medical director of the Travel Medicine Alliance group of Travel health clinics warned that many Australians are “tempting fate”.
“Enthusiasm to head overseas mustn’t overshadow the health risks,” Dr Mills said.
“A consultation with a doctor at least six weeks before travelling could be the difference between lying on a beach or lying on a hospital bed in a foreign country.
“Last-minute vaccinations do not give the immune system long enough to do its job. Timing is an incredibly important factor for good travel health.”
Dr Mills said the poll indicates many people do not realise the dangers from infectious diseases other than COVID-19, “many of which have serious health consequences, including hospitalisation and long-term illness”.
Survey respondents indicated they were more likely to investigate COVID-19 vaccination requirements (56 per cent) than other travel vaccination recommendations (36 per cent).
“Australians need to look beyond COVID and understand other health risks and prevention strategies before they travel,” Dr Mills said.
“There are many other travel-related diseases that have not gone away.
“Preventable illness can turn a long-awaited and expensive trip into a holiday from hell, where not only time is lost but financial losses are significant as well.”
UNICEF and the World Health Organization recently warned of a “perfect storm” of conditions for measles outbreaks, with recent trends showing a surge in global cases.
“Many people are surprised to discover that some of the vaccines they received as a child do not provide lifelong protection and that many infectious diseases that have disappeared from Australia are still very much present overseas,” Dr Mills said.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were nearly a million monthly overseas departures in July and August 2022, the highest since mid-2020.
This figure is expected to increase, with the poll indicating that 43 per cent of adult Australians intend to travel overseas in the remainder of 2022 or 2023.
Dr Mills advises international travellers, to follow government recommendations on www.smartraveller.gov.au or visit www.vaccinehub.com.au/travel.
Image: iStock/nodramallama
