The CDC Says...

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
~ Benjamin Franklin

If the sad events in Spain recently have taught us anything, it's that it's a big scary world out there. But there are things that can be done to make travel safer. At least from threats on a microscopic level.

There's a rather ominous warning on the Princess website that says:

Because governmental and medical vaccination requirements and recommendations change periodically you must check with your travel agent, government authorities for the countries you will visit and/or medical professionals to determine or verify the actual requirements and recommendations at the time of sailing. Princess assumes no liability for the passenger's failure to do so. Failure to present required travel documents, visas, or vaccination certificates at cruise check-in will result in denial of boarding without refund of the cruise or cruise tour fare. 

Well, wouldn't that just ruin our whole day?

So I found the Center for Disease Control website and went through each of our ports of call to discover which nasty bugs we need vaccination for.  As it turns out, there are no countries on our itinerary which require a vaccination certificate.That seems to be limited to ports where yellow fever is a risk. However, Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccines were recommended for almost all our ports of call.

So yesterday, the DH and I went to our local Health Department and were vaccinated for both diseases. Next Wednesday, I'll go back to have a tetanus shot. I was due for one anyway, but the nurse didn't want to give me three inoculations at once. The DH had his blood drawn to see if he needs to be vaccinated against MMR. Unlike me, he didn't have measles, mumps or rubella as a child.

The jury is still out whether any of these vaccines will work for me. Because of my lung condition, I take a couple of medications which suppress my immune system, so I may not build up many antibodies.

That means I need to travel safely in other ways. This involves:

1. Taking precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
2. Avoiding eating or drinking anything when in port. That means no culinary adventures beyond the ones offered on board the Pacific Princess. I plan to make an exception in the few cases when a ship-sponsored excursion includes a meal. I'm counting on Princess to have vetted their partners thoroughly.
3. Scrupulous hand washing whenever possible. 
4. Carrying hand sanitizer with me off the ship.

Sometimes people become ill when they travel because of their own poor choices. I read on another traveler's blog that she felt she became ill because she had her hands full with bags and such and held her ship card between her teeth while she returned up the gangway to the ship. Once she thought about it, she realized that her ship card would be germy in the extreme since it passed through several pairs of hands and into many different card readers that also might be infected from other cards being inserted into it.

So at the risk of seeming a little paranoid, I plan to be as germophobic as Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. (Love my geeky boys!) He goes to great lengths to avoid touching door handles and rails. I have been known to pull my sleeve down over my hands to open a door.

If the general air quality is poor at any of our ports of call, as I've heard it may be in Mumbai, I'll wear a disposable mask to protect my lungs from particulates. 

This is a common practice in Tokyo. I always wondered if the person wearing the mask was being considerate of others because they were ill or if they were trying to avoid catching something themselves. Either way, I'll be prepared to do likewise.

So I won't be eating anything from a street vendor. I'll steer clear of door handles. If there are mosquitoes in the area, I'll slather myself with repellent. And I'll always have a small bottle of hand sanitizer with me. It's the best plan for me.

Any other suggestions for traveling in good health?