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Planning a trip? Check in with the NUMC Travel Clinic before you goThe world has become smaller, or so it seems. Travel to foreign countries has become more available with each generation. Along with those opportunities has come the necessity for travelers to protect themselves against disease during their travels. At the beginning of November, the New Ulm Medical Center became a Certified Travel Clinic. In the past, medical center Infection Control Nurse Sue Gluth, RN, would develop an immunization plan for travelers specific to the country they were traveling to based on the Centers for Disease Control’s advisory web site. As a Certified Travel Clinic, the medical center will now offer travelers a more thorough physician-based exam, immunizations and travel counseling. “We’ve always offered a comprehensive travel clinic, but this will provide even better patient care by immunizing travelers against disease and providing a physical exam that will help ensure that they are healthy enough to be traveling,” said Brenda Nielsen, RN, Clinic Manager. “By upgrading to a certified Minnesota Department of Health travel clinic, we are following the recommended best of practice for our patients,” Gluth said. There are currently 16 International Travel Health Clinics in Minnesota. In fact, on the Minnesota Department of Health web site, it states “If you are going to Europe, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia or New Zealand, your healthcare provider should be able to give you the travel vaccines you need. If you are going to any other country than those just listed, a travel health clinic is your best resource.” With the addition of physician involvement and patient counseling as part of the travel clinic, the medical center has met the criteria to provide yellow fever immunizations – the one immunization that it was not able to offer before. “The Department of Health has very stringent guidelines in order for us to be able to provide that vaccine. There are some countries that require the yellow fever immunization before a person can be admitted to that country,” Nielsen said. A patient can make a travel appointment with their own physician, however there are a few physicians who have a particular interest and expertise in travel care and immunization: Sanjay Mishra, MD, Shanna Bunce, MD, Chris Miller, MD, Ellen Vancura, MD, Charles Stephens, MD and Roger Lindholm, MD. All of those physicians specialize in family practice or internal medicine except Dr. Bunce, who is a pediatrician. When making an appointment for travel immunizations, Nielsen said, the patient should request an appointment with the travel clinic. They will be transferred to a message center nurse who has travel clinic training. They will be asked specific questions about their travel plans. The nurse can then develop the immunization plan and the orders will be ready the day of the appointment so immunizations can be started in a timely manner. “Many immunizations we give require specific timing and involve a series of shots,” Nielsen explained. “Six months ahead of the travel date is the ideal time frame in which to start the immunizations. But, six weeks is the minimum amount of time to be partially immunized.” Counseling can help keep the travel experience a positive one, said Gluth. “We talk about safety while traveling, avoiding mosquito bites, what foods to avoid eating and we can refer travelers to the CDC web site where they get specific information about the area where they will be traveling,” Gluth said. “Essentially we talk about how to keep healthy while you’re traveling and making good choices.” The CDC web site also provides vital information about infectious diseases and outbreaks in specific countries. “There are diseases that have been pretty much eradicated in the United States that still exist in other countries,” Nielsen said. “For instance, polio is still very much a problem in Africa. We are immunized against polio, but it is one of those immunizations that can diminish over time and if traveling to a country where polio is a threat, the CDC recommends a booster.” It is always a good idea to have your basic immunizations up to date, Gluth said, such as measles, mumps and tetanus. “Spending a few minutes updating immunizations or getting the appropriate immunizations could prevent an illness that could spoil a great vacation,” Gluth said.  Back to Health Edition |
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New Ulm Medical Center
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