It's an experience of a lifetime to travel with your kids. The benefits to you both are immense. They have the opportunity to see and experience things that would have never been possible back home. Indeed, it can equip them in ways that will pay off for the rest of their lives. The old line about travel being the best school of all has a lot of wisdom in it.
Likewise for parents, only once you've done it can you appreciate how much more magical travel is when you can see this exotic world through the wondrous eyes of your children. Parents, though, do worry; it's hard not to also think about the harms that could befall your beloved little ones while off in some distant land. While some of those feelings may be exaggerated worry that should be resisted for the sake of your children's growth and experience, the fact is that parents do have a responsibility to protect their children.
So, while the tendency to over-shelter your children is a counterproductive one to which you should not surrender, your parental responsibilities do require the optimum preparation for the healthiest and happiest trip abroad possible. CDC travel vaccines advice should be part of that preparation.
At the website for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention some fascinating statistics are provided about the travel of American children. It turns out that approximately 1.9 million of them travel abroad annually. And the tendency has been on the rise. This concern for the safety of traveling children is not only a pressing personal concern; it has as well larger social implications.
Children are confronted by the identical illnesses that face traveling adults. However, in the case of children, these same risks are given an additional wrinkle or two that requires forethought on your part. Understandably, children of a young age will be less dependable reporters of emerging symptoms. They will less reliably recognize and express the onset of the signs of illness. This increases the difficulty in identifying illness in early stages, when some treatments will have the best effect. Additionally, of course, kids have a way of getting into stuff (as well as getting stuff into their mouths) which tends to heighten their illness contracting risks.
There are many considerations for addressing the good health of children about to travel internationally and in general parents should research the health risks of their intended location. A core part of such a protection plan should be a well thought out vaccination strategy.
Preferably, children should have completed routine vaccinations, related to conventional childhood illnesses, prior to their departure. It is better that these follow the recommended vaccine schedule. It is important to realize that today in the developed world even kids without fully up to date vaccination still benefit from both the herd immunization and generally higher hygienic standards. Such protection though does not carry over when traveling in many parts of the developing world, where such diseases can be both more prevalent and virulent.
If circumstances prevent the full completion of routine childhood vaccines before travel, there are accelerated schedules available for many of those vaccines. Consult on this with your family physician.
In addition, of course, consideration has to be given to vaccines specifically targeted to potential illness risks unique to a given location. Lots of valuable info on these matters is available on the CDC website. Take note, though, that in some cases the preferred vaccines are counter-indicated for very young children. Consulting with a travel medicine specialist will be extremely important in evaluating relative risks to your children. Be sure to put your travel medicine specialist in contact with your children's pediatrician. This should be done early in the process, so that a sound strategy may be developed that addresses the unique needs of your kids.
We all know how much better prevention is than cure. The source of all successful prevention is education and preparation. And nothing reduces anxiety like knowing and being ready. Parental anxiety need not deprive your children of the remarkable experience of international travel. And if you take these steps, you'll be able to travel with your children with them enjoying good health and you peace of mind.
Likewise for parents, only once you've done it can you appreciate how much more magical travel is when you can see this exotic world through the wondrous eyes of your children. Parents, though, do worry; it's hard not to also think about the harms that could befall your beloved little ones while off in some distant land. While some of those feelings may be exaggerated worry that should be resisted for the sake of your children's growth and experience, the fact is that parents do have a responsibility to protect their children.
So, while the tendency to over-shelter your children is a counterproductive one to which you should not surrender, your parental responsibilities do require the optimum preparation for the healthiest and happiest trip abroad possible. CDC travel vaccines advice should be part of that preparation.
At the website for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention some fascinating statistics are provided about the travel of American children. It turns out that approximately 1.9 million of them travel abroad annually. And the tendency has been on the rise. This concern for the safety of traveling children is not only a pressing personal concern; it has as well larger social implications.
Children are confronted by the identical illnesses that face traveling adults. However, in the case of children, these same risks are given an additional wrinkle or two that requires forethought on your part. Understandably, children of a young age will be less dependable reporters of emerging symptoms. They will less reliably recognize and express the onset of the signs of illness. This increases the difficulty in identifying illness in early stages, when some treatments will have the best effect. Additionally, of course, kids have a way of getting into stuff (as well as getting stuff into their mouths) which tends to heighten their illness contracting risks.
There are many considerations for addressing the good health of children about to travel internationally and in general parents should research the health risks of their intended location. A core part of such a protection plan should be a well thought out vaccination strategy.
Preferably, children should have completed routine vaccinations, related to conventional childhood illnesses, prior to their departure. It is better that these follow the recommended vaccine schedule. It is important to realize that today in the developed world even kids without fully up to date vaccination still benefit from both the herd immunization and generally higher hygienic standards. Such protection though does not carry over when traveling in many parts of the developing world, where such diseases can be both more prevalent and virulent.
If circumstances prevent the full completion of routine childhood vaccines before travel, there are accelerated schedules available for many of those vaccines. Consult on this with your family physician.
In addition, of course, consideration has to be given to vaccines specifically targeted to potential illness risks unique to a given location. Lots of valuable info on these matters is available on the CDC website. Take note, though, that in some cases the preferred vaccines are counter-indicated for very young children. Consulting with a travel medicine specialist will be extremely important in evaluating relative risks to your children. Be sure to put your travel medicine specialist in contact with your children's pediatrician. This should be done early in the process, so that a sound strategy may be developed that addresses the unique needs of your kids.
We all know how much better prevention is than cure. The source of all successful prevention is education and preparation. And nothing reduces anxiety like knowing and being ready. Parental anxiety need not deprive your children of the remarkable experience of international travel. And if you take these steps, you'll be able to travel with your children with them enjoying good health and you peace of mind.
About the Author:
India has become a major destination for U.S. travelers. If you're thinking of going, you need to read Mitchell Jones' great article on CDC travel vaccines for India . See also his rankings of the best zoos in America .
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