Tuberculosis is a disease that primarily affects the lungs, causing symptoms like a bad cough, fever, coughing up blood and more. There are two types of tuberculosis infections, latent and active. If an infection is latent, it is not contagious to anyone else, and the patient shows no symptoms. In an active tuberculosis infection, they are very contagious and symptoms begin to show up quickly.

TB testing is often required for working in various jobs, especially in healthcare. A negative TB test is required. There are two types of tests to see if you have been infected with tuberculosis.

[Read more…]

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria that spread from person to person through the air. While TB usually affects the lungs, it can target other body parts (brain, kidneys, or the spine). TB is treatable and curable in most cases, but people can die without proper treatment. Sometimes, drug-resistant TB occurs when bacteria are no longer affected by the drugs used to eliminate them.

[Read more…]

Adopting a health conscious lifestyle doesn’t mean missing out on all the delicious street food your next vacation spot has to offer. The streets of many sought-after travel destinations offer healthy and cheap delicacies that won’t leave you sick or sluggish. These delicacies don’t fall short of authenticity, giving you a true taste of your travel. Here are 5 destinations with some of the healthiest street foods.

1. Izmir, Turkey

Bustling bazaars ignited with lively locals and passionate fruit and vegetable sellers is a staple in the colorful neighborhoods of Izmir. Situated on the coast of the country, just across from Greece, Izmir is one of Turkey’s most loved cities. While there are many things to love about Izmir, their street food is worth mentioning.

Izmir offers authentic street food that you may not see in other parts of Turkey. For example, wide-eyed tourists will often see carts with layers of filled oysters known as “Midye”. Filled with seasoned-rice and served with lemon, Midye isn’t your typical oyster. It also packs a nutritional punch. Loaded with energy giving carbohydrates from the added rice as well as Vitamin B-12 that naturally comes in oysters, Midye is one of the healthiest street foods around. Make sure not to buy Midye during the summer though, since the heat can facilitate growth of bacteria and lead to food poisoning. It’s best to feast on Midye during the cooler months of the year.

2. São Paulo, Brazil

In São Paulo, acai bowls aren’t momentary trends of the millennial generation. They’re a street food constant and depending on how they’re topped, they are one of the healthiest street delicacies on the globe. In this southern Brazilian coastal city, you can treat yourself to a fresh bowl of acai palm fruit mixed with other fruits, topped with guarana syrup and sprinkled with granola or slices of banana. Besides the high antioxidant value of acai, the guarana syrup that sweetens this fun street dessert is low on the glycemic index. This means that it won’t cause spikes in your blood sugar, you won’t crash soon after enjoying your colorful acai bowl and you’ll remain fuller longer.

3. Tokyo, Japan

Topping many editorial lists as one of the healthiest countries in the world, it’s no surprise that its capital would boast of some of the healthiest street foods. An example of the nutritious value the Tokyo streets have to offer is Yaki Imo. Yaki Imo is a simple Japanese street food of roasted sweet potato. Yaki Imo isn’t topped or slathered with anything. It’s also not dipped in anything. It’s just a really tasty sweet potato roasted over hot, black stones. Mainly found in the winter, these highly nutritious sweet potatoes are loaded with Vitamin B6 and suitable for both vegans and health-conscious carnivores.

4. Bangkok, Thailand

The streets of Bangkok are calling all those looking for a healthy, gluten-free sweet treat. The classic Khanom Buang is both the king and queen of Thai street food. This authentic Thai dessert is best described as a crispy pancake or a crepe and is made from simple, fresh ingredients. Rice flour, mung bean flour, eggs, a little bit of sugar and water come together to make this traditional Thai crepe. Mung bean flour is packed with protein, fiber, B Vitamins and other nutrients, putting Khanom Buang among some of the healthiest street foods around.

5. Marrakech, Morocco

Marrakech is one of the few places where you can grab a bowl of soup during a walk around the town. This street soup, known as Harira, isn’t your regular run of the mill soup. It’s an impressively healthy soup of tomatoes, lentils and chickpeas. Meat can sometimes be added depending on the vendor. Lentils and chickpeas are filled with protein. Tomatoes are packed with vitamin C. It’s safe to say that putting these all together makes something we might as well call a “super soup”.

Staying Safe While Eating on the Streets

No trip is complete without diving into the local cuisine. The streets of Izmir, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Bangkok and Marrakech make it quite easy to experience authentic street food while making healthy choices. Despite how healthy a specific street food might be, it’s still important to choose to eat from clean carts in areas with less crowds. It’s also important to choose vendors that prepare their food away from garbage, stray animals or still water as these could contribute to spread of disease. By making sure that the vendors you buy street food from adhere to proper hand hygiene and social distancing guidelines, you can enjoy the best an exotic city street has to offer while staying healthy and safe.

Travelers’ diarrhea kits are a must for any kind of street food exploring. Make sure you stay protected with a visit to your local Passport Health. Call or book online to schedule your appointment today.

Ese Agboh is a student nurse who wants to specialize in pediatric nursing and wound care. In her free time, she enjoys reading and writing articles related to medicine and the pathophysiology of communicable diseases. Ese currently lives and studies on the east coast of the United States.

It was an unsuspecting day back in February 1992, nothing seemed off or wrong. People were boarding their flights onto Aerolíneas Argentinas flight 386 as normal. It was a Valentine’s Day flight, leaving from Buenos Aires, with a stopover in Lima, Peru, and finally arriving at Los Angeles Airport. There were a total of 336 travelers onboard, as well as 20 fight staff members.

After landing, one person, Anibal Cufre, age 70, became ill with cholera and died shortly after arriving within the United States. It was on February 19, 1992, that the Los Angeles County Health Department and the California Department of Health Services had begun to receive the reports of stool samples collected from others on that same flight. It was confirmed that they had also been infected with cholera.

As it turns out, one person had died as a result of the illness, and by February 26, the cases had mounted. There were 31 other people that had been on the same flight that had contracted cholera. They included ten in Los Angeles County, California, eight in other parts of California, nine in Nevada, three in Japan, and one in Argentina. While approximately 54 other passengers had a form of diarrheal illness. Four of them had to be hospitalized.

Cholera is not like other illnesses, where it spread in droplets or in the air. It is spread through contact with contaminated water or under-cooked food. It is a disease of the gastrointestinal tract that can cause severe, watery diarrhea and nausea. If not taken care of properly, one can get severely dehydrated, suffer greater symptoms and even die without treatment.

After a thorough investigation, the cholera outbreak was likely from a shrimp dish or a shrimp salad that had possibly been contaminated since shrimp live in the water. It’s likely that the water they lived in was unsanitary.

Dr. Patricia Griffin, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when she spoke to the New York Times in 1992, explained that there had not been an outbreak of cholera in the United States for the prior 19 years. That is until flight 386 landed in Los Angeles that day. She said, “Cholera is no longer a problem in the United States.”

Dr. Griffin also stated that prior to that outbreak, there were only 65 cholera cases that had originated in the United States for those 19 years. Those cases of which were believed to be contracted from eating under-cooked seafood that originated from the Gulf of Mexico.

Today, cholera is endemic to approximately 50 countries, most of them in Southeast Asia and Africa. For those who plan on traveling to these countries, it is recommended that they receive the cholera vaccination.

If you are looking to get vaccinated against cholera, contact us at Passport Health. Call or book online to schedule your appointment today.

Jennifer Passmore is a stay-at-home mom, writer and beader. She loves creating art with her words and through her jewelry. She is also a passionate mental health advocate. You can find more writing at her website Positivity In Pain.

When one is pregnant, it is absolutely one of the most thrilling and exciting journeys that a mom and their unborn child share together. Whether you are a seasoned traveler, or just beginning with your first vacation, traveling while you are pregnant can be an incredible experience. Both mom – and baby gets to take in the sights, sounds, and foods from an amazing destination. Here are some tips to travel safely during pregnancy.

Is It Safe To Travel During Pregnancy?

If you are at risk of having a preterm delivery, your practitioner may advise you not to travel. The best time to travel is between 14-28 weeks, around the second trimester, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Most airlines will allow pregnant women to fly up to 36 weeks pregnant.

Talk To Your Doctor

One of the first things that you should do when you have made your plans is to speak to your obstetrician and let them know that you are going on a trip. They will be sure to examine you to make sure that both you and your baby are in tip-top shape and ready to travel. For the most part, it is safe for pregnant women to travel, unless there are pregnancy complications.

Travel Insurance

You will want to make sure that everything is in place before you leave. This includes checking to see what your insurance policy covers and if your medical insurance covers anything. If they do not, it is a wise choice to acquire travel insurance, which will usually cover things like visits to a hospital if need be, and medications that a doctor may write for you. Do make sure that you know your delivery date as your obstetrician has stated it, so if you’re abroad, you’ll know what to tell a doctor if need be.

Walk Around On The Plane

When sitting in one spot for too long can increase the risk of a serious blood clot. Make sure that you try to get up and walk around when you can. You can ask your doctor how often you should get up. If you book an aisle seat, you will be able to easily get in and out of your chair to move, without having to climb over anyone else’s seat. In addition to that, you can also ask your doctor if wearing compression stockings will work as well.

Assure You Have The Proper Vaccinations

At your visit with your obstetrician before you leave, you will want to speak to them about any vaccines that you may need before you leave. This includes vaccines that are needed in order to enter the country you are visiting.

Passport Health also offers travel medicine services and can help you get where you’re headed. Call or book online to schedule your appointment today.

Jennifer Passmore is a stay-at-home mom, writer and beader. She loves creating art with her words and through her jewelry. She is also a passionate mental health advocate. You can find more writing at her website Positivity In Pain.

If that were the case, it would not only eliminate those pesky itchy bites, but all of the diseases transmitted to humans through mosquito bites as well. It may sound too good to be true, but scientists have actually found a way to make humans invisible to mosquitoes by using technology called Crispr-Cas9, according to The New York Times.

“Nobody has studied this before,” Neha Thakre, a researcher at the University of California, San Diego, told The New York Times. But what Thakre and other researchers found was that Crispr-Cas9, a gene-editing tool, can help to make humans invisible to Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

[Read more…]

Tours can be an integral part of our vacations. They help us learn more about the country that we are visiting. Plus, they allow us to interact with other tourists, too. Now, while there are your standard tours, where you walk or ride around an area in order to find out more about where you are staying. But these tours are something, well, totally different. When we say different, we mean these are some really out-there tours that you are going to want you having to book your next trip.

[Read more…]

Vacations are all about fun, and enjoying yourself. You cruise from one destination to another, having a blast while you are doing it. However, one thing that you should always stay during a vacation is to be hydrated. You need to drink water so that your body does not get dehydrated during your trip.

[Read more…]

Mosquitoes are no one’s friend. Their bites leave angry red welts that are itching and downright annoying. And worse than that, they are the carriers of many diseases like malaria and dengue, as well as viruses including Chikungunya, West Nile, and Zika. No matter where you travel, it’s a good idea to pack a mosquito-repelling lotion in your bag. Here are our five favorite lotions that really do keep mosquitoes from ruining your vacation.

Sawyer Products 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent

Sawyer Products 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent is one of the best mosquito-repelling lotions we’ve ever tried. This completely unscented lotion comes in a 4 oz bottle — a great size for stashing into your luggage or overnight bag. The lotion uses Picaridin instead of DEET as its main repelling ingredient. When applied, it offers up to 14 hours of protection from mosquitoes and flies, and up to eight hours of protection from gnats, flies, and chiggers. This non-greasy lotion also comes in larger sizes, as well as in a spray bottle and single-use lotion packets.

3M Ultrathon Insect Repellent Lotion

Another top-selling mosquito repellent lotion is Ultrathon Insect Repellent Lotion from 3M. This lotion contains about 34% DEET to repel not only mosquitoes, but biting flies, chiggers, deer flies, ticks, gnats, and fleas. 3M uses a specially-designed controlled release technology to keep protection going for up to 12 hours. And because the tube is only 2 ounces, it meets TSA requirements for fitting in your carry-on luggage.

Avon Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus IR3535® Insect Repellent Moisturizing Lotion

Why not repel mosquitoes while also moisturizing skin and protecting it from UV rays? Avon Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus IR3535® Insect Repellent Moisturizing Lotion not only protects against a wide range of bugs, but also offers 30 SPF protection to keep sunburn away. The lotion uses insect repellent IR3535 to repel mosquitoes, deer ticks, black flies, sand flies, gnats, and biting midges. It comes in a non-greasy formula that helps moisturize and soothe skin. And the lotion is water resistant for up to 80 minutes.

Greenerways Organic 2-in-1 Natural Sunscreen Bug Repellent Lotion in One

If you like the idea of a greener product that does not contain DEET, try Greenerways Organic 2-in-1 Natural Sunscreen Bug Repellent Lotion in One. This is another mosquito-repelling lotion that doubles as sun protection. This DEET-free insect repellent keeps mosquitoes and other flying insects away through the use of natural oils like cedar wood and peppermint. The lotion protects skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays with 30 SPF broad spectrum. It is also reef-safe and water resistant for up to 40 minutes.

Proven Mosquito Repellent Insect Protection Lotion

And for even the youngest travelers, Proven Mosquito Repellent Insect Protection Lotion uses 20% Picaridin to provide up to 14 hours of protection from mosquitoes and ticks. The lotion also keeps wearers safe from gnats, flies, chiggers, and no-see-ums for up to eight hours. The lotion features a light fresh scent, it is not greasy, and dries to a clean feel.

Passport Health offers a wide variety of mosquito repellents and immunizations to help you travel safely. Call or book online to schedule your appointment today.

Written for Passport Health by Corrie Pelc. Corrie Pelc is a freelance writer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She has a passion for health and wellness, having written for publications including Exceptional Parent, DAYSPA, INVISION, Eyecare Professional, and Hepatitis Magazine.

Herd immunity is the idea that if enough people become immune to a virus, via vaccination or natural immunity, the immune population can protect people who do not have immunity. For example, the majority of US born children are vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) by the age of two.

This level of vaccination provides protection to the population as a whole—even to those who aren’t vaccinated—by decreasing viral circulation and the chance someone who is unvaccinated will encounter the virus. If a person with measles were to come to the U.S., for example, nine out of every 10 people that person could infect would be immune, making it very hard for measles to spread in the population.

[Read more…]