Destination: Healthy Travel
Nine-year-old Holden Miller is the proverbial picture of good health
when he meets with John Christenson, MD, at Riley Hospital for Children.
And that’s exactly how his parents, Judith and Mark, intend
to keep their son during an upcoming overseas trip.
The family is making an important first stop at the Pediatric Travel
Medicine Clinic before they venture to Central America. The multidisciplinary
clinic, which opened a year ago, is geared specifically to prevent
potential medical problems in youngsters. Though travel clinics
have become standard fare at many medical centers, Riley physicians
felt there was a need for a specialized service for children.
Youngsters travel abroad for many reasons. They accompany parents
for business trips, family reunions, and humanitarian or mission-based
activities, for brief or prolonged periods. Teens frequently travel
independently with organized groups or as exchange students for
extended stays. But while travel abroad offers a wealth of positive
new experiences for young people, it can also provide some unpleasant
ones if certain precautions are not taken, particularly in poor
countries.
“Children and teens increasingly are traveling to international
destinations, and there’s always the potential for them to
be exposed to germs endemic to regions that are relatively unfamiliar
to most Indiana physicians,” says clinic director John C.
Christenson, MD, IUSM professor of clinical pediatrics. “Services
are provided to children of all ages and, if needed, to the adult
family members who will accompany them.”
The most common risks are malaria, typhoid fever, yellow fever,
tuberculosis, hepatitis A, diarrheal disease and a plethora of parasitic
infections that can invade a youngster’s intestinal tract.
Such illnesses are transmitted from person to person or through
water and food.
Healthy Bon Voyage
Indeed, information may be the best “vaccination” at
the Pediatric Travel Medicine Clinic. Dr. Christenson and staff
carefully scrutinize immunization records of children to ensure
they are updated; vaccinations are administered if necessary. He
eases parents’ minds about using mosquito repellants with
their children, and he warns them about the importance of sanitation,
keeping their bodies hydrated and how best to avoid “traveler
tummy.”
Many illnesses traveling youngsters face can be prevented by specialized
vaccines, many of which are not readily available in some Indiana
communities. The clinic, for example, offers the yellow fever vaccine
and the International Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate required
in African and South American countries.
The Miller family is taking no chances before their trip to a remote,
rugged area of Guatemala where they will finalize the adoption of
an infant. They’ve taken a detour to Dr. Christenson’s
clinic. He rolls out a small cart that holds insect repellants,
immunization cards, medications and a stack of atlases, maps and
brochures providing detailed information about Guatemala.
In advance of meeting with the Zionsville, Indiana, family, Dr.
Christenson has researched the Central American country and the
environmental conditions they’re likely to encounter. He explains
the medications they will take, offers a variety of in-country travel
and health tips, and answers their questions.
“I like Dr. Christenson’s proactive approach. It eased
our concerns about traveling to Guatemala with Holden,” Judith
Miller says, following her family’s visit to the clinic. “They
even provided us with names of doctors to contact in Guatemala in
case we encountered problems there.”
The Pediatric Travel Medicine Clinic doesn’t just prescribe
medication and health advice. It also assists travelers with information
about passport and visa topics, safety tips and possible legal issues
of which parents should be aware when accompanied by their children
on overseas trips.
To make appointments or for more information about the Pediatric
Travel Medicine Clinic, call (317) 274-7260.
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