CDC Releases Updated Health Information for International Travel

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released the online version of the 2014 edition of CDC Health Information for International Travel, commonly known as the Yellow Book. Nicknamed for its yellow cover, this is the ultimate guide for healthy international travel. The most recent version includes special guidance for people who will be living long-term in areas with malaria. The 2014 edition also expanded its chapter on select destinations, providing insiders knowledge and specific health risks about popular tourist destinations.

A team of almost 200 experts update this health guide every two years. The Yellow Book provides the latest official CDC recommendations to keep international travelers safe and healthy. It includes a complete catalog of travel-related diseases and up-to-date vaccine and booster recommendations. The information in the book does not just stop with infectious diseases; it also includes advice about preventing and treating common travel-related ailments such as altitude illness, motion sickness, and jet lag. The book offers useful tips on topics such as traveling with pets, packing a travel health kit, avoiding counterfeit medications in foreign countries, and getting travel health and evacuation insurance for emergencies. In addition, the Yellow Book provides advice for people traveling with young children, individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses, and those traveling for humanitarian aid work or study abroad.

International travel can be an incredible experience, but it has its risks and the hazards are ever-changing. The Yellow Book clearly and comprehensively gives the most updated health-related precautions and information for traveling internationally, says Dr. Gary Brunette, chief of CDCs Travelers Health Branch. By following CDC recommendations, international travelers can stay healthy and safe so they can take full advantage of their traveling experiences.

The 2014 edition also includes the following new features:
 An expanded destination-specific list of vaccine requirements and recommendations to help travelers prepare for their next trip
 Updated malaria risk and prevention information, along with ten new country-specific malaria maps, showing travelers if they will be in an area with malaria and how best to prevent it
 New sections on infectious diseases related to travel: Escherichia coli, Salmonellosis, Fascioliasis, and Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
 New select destinations: Jamaica, Thailand, Vietnam, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia
 Updated disease risk maps to help travelers understand where important diseases occur

Popular features from previous editions remain in the 2014 edition, including information on cruise ship travel, food and water precautions, international adoptions, and recent immigrants returning home to visit family and friends.

For travelers who want to easily take the Yellow Book with them on the road, a new mobile app with the complete 2014 edition will be available for iOS and Android tablets and phones.

The Yellow Book is published in hard copy by Oxford University Press, and is available at bookstores, through Internet book sellers or by contacting Oxford. The content is also available at CDCs Travelers Health website, www.cdc.gov/travel. The website lets travelers search by destination and find information about basic travel health preparations and what to do if they get sick or injured while traveling. It is updated as travel health threats emerge and new information becomes available.

Source: CDC