The Travel Doctor
Traveller's medical & vaccination centre
Holiday Traveller
| Individuals | Families | Adventurers | Groups |
Services for Trekkers
An increasing number of people are enjoying trekking every year, & a range of exciting new & interesting trekking regions have become accessible in recent years. In addition the range of people, including older, younger & those with medical issues, who are going trekking is getting broader.
The Travel Doctor-TMVC has over 20 years experience of helping prospective trekkers get prepared & be ready for the challenge.
Getting ready:
These days there are treks aimed at various degrees of difficulty to cater for all comers. While many introductory level treks are not so difficult, longer & more challenging treks still offer a range of potential problems. All trekkers should consider their health, & try to start with a reasonable level of health & fitness. Prospective trekkers should prepare for the arduous treks with a fitness program starting several months before departure, preferably with 40 minute walks involving steep climbs carrying a 15-20kg back pack at least 3 times a week. A fitness for travel assessment should be conducted prior to booking the holiday, particularly if the traveller is over 40 years of age or has risk factors for heart disease such as diabetes, hypertension or a family history of coronary artery disease.
Vaccinations are usually required, & a medical kit is absolutely essential.
Getting the right clothes, boots & pack are all essential considerations.
Some points to consider:
• Health issues need attending, including dental check
• Fitness & training
• Equipment, Boots, clothes, packs
• Travel Insurance
Medical issues:
Our experience indicates that most trekkers acquire minor nuisance medical problems.
The commonest problems that trekkers encounter (apart from blisters!) are diarrhoea illness, respiratory illness, & depending on the trek, forms of altitude related illness.
Travellers diarrhoea can affect as many as 40% of some treks, & conditions for dealing with illness are very limited. It is essential that trekkers have access to treatment medication, contained in their Travel Doctor medical kit.
Respiratory illnesses are very common, from nuisance cough to influenza & pneumonia. Access to early treatment from a medical kit is also very important.
Acute mountain sickness (AMS), the commonest & benign form of altitude-related illness, affects an increasing proportion of trekkers as ascent above 2500m occurs. While rest, paracetamol, & fluids are generally enough, sometimes decent is required. Travel Doctor-can provide some prevention against AMS. Higher altitude can produce the dangerous conditions of high-altitude pulmonary or cerebral oedema, & these are medical emergencies requiring special treatment & decent.
Other environmental conditions to be considered include, heat, cold, windburn, sunburn, frostbite.
The most serious infectious disease encountered by trekkers is malaria, often of the severe falciparum variety. It is recommended that all travellers should be taking medication to reduce the likelihood of developing this disease, as well as mosquito avoidance measures, such has using DEET containing repellents & permethrin soaked mosquito nets & clothing. It is vital for the medication to be continued on return home for the recommended period to minimise the risk of illness.
Other notable health risks include hook worm (the larvae penetrate intact skin from mud contaminated with dog faeces), other intestinal worms & parasites, skin infections (bacterial & fungal), dengue fever & trauma from falls & other injuries. Sunburn is always an issue.
Cycling tours:
Cycling tours are a special form of trekking, & injuries & accidents are of concern due to poor road & driving conditions. Helmets are important. Blisters & muscle tiredness can be prevented by good preparation.
Beware of dogs in developing countries, some of whom particularly like to chase foreigners on bikes. Dogbites need to be managed carefully, & rabies vaccines must be considered. (see our section on rabies)
Special medical considerations
Tiredness & psychological stresses can also be a real problem for trekkers, & it is important to trek with understanding & sensible colleagues. Always choose an easy trek to begin with, & work-up to more demanding treks as your own experience grows.
Vaccination against hepatitis A, B, & typhoid are often advised, as is checking the status of routine childhood vaccinations such as tetanus, measles & chicken pox. Other vaccines may be indicated for certain individuals or for certain locations.
A comprehensive first aid & medical kit is recommended. The medical kit ideally will contain medication for the rapid treatment of traveller’s diarrhoea & other common ailments. Water purification tablets +/- filters are also advised.
The Travel Doctor-TMVC Services for Treks:
The Travel Doctor-TMVC clinics throughout Australia have had more than 20 years experience in preparing trekkers for all types of trek, & encourage prospective trekkers to organise an initial consultation well before the planned departure date.
Special arrangements for groups are available, & medical kits can be tailored to groups or individuals.
Click on the links below for more information specific to adventure travellers: Trekking Surfing Altitude Kokoda Trail SCUBA Diving |
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Learn about the medical requirements for your destination by checking out the Destination fact sheets
Other useful information can be found in the Travel health fact sheets
Work out your vaccine requirements by looking at the My Travel Health Planner
