Archive for August, 2009

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H1N1 Flu Prevention – Fun from the HHS and YouTube

Monday, August 31st, 2009 by Andy Orr

usgovhhs2Q: What do you get when you run a contest on YouTube to create a new public service announcement (PSA) to help get the message out on how to prevent the spread of H1N1?

A: Ten finalists, all worth watching. 

Eight are 30 seconds.  Two are a full minute.  Total investment of six (6) minutes which should yield, to quote President Obama, “a learning moment.”  If you are a glutton for punishment, you can even slog through the other entries, although I wouldn’t recommend it.

Which one is your favorite and do you think governments should do more things like this?

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H1N1 Activity Worldwide: A Geography Lesson

Monday, August 31st, 2009 by Mike Hartung

h1n1japanThe World Health Organization (WHO) has published an H1N1 flu alert that summarizes activity around the globe:

In the southern hemisphere where flu season is waning, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia appear to have passed their peak influenza activity and are returning to baseline levels. South Africa and Bolivia continue to experience high levels of influenza activity.

In the tropical regions of Central America and Asia, H1N1 activity is increasing or remaining at high levels with some countries reporting moderate strains on the healthcare system.

In temperate areas of the northern hemisphere, North America, Europe, and Central Asia, H1N1 activity remains low overall, with some countries experiencing localized outbreaks. In Japan, the level of flu activity has passed the seasonal epidemic threshold, signaling a very early beginning to the annual influenza season.

Will the Japanese experience translate to the rest of the northern hemisphere? We will find out shortly.

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Is it Safe to Take That Taxi? Tips for Travelers

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 by Emily Moran

taxisAs summer draws to a close and travelers are scrambling to squeeze in one more trip, it’s a good time to revisit the WHO Study of Global Road Safety. 

It’s great to know the dangers of the road when driving, but what about those times when you’re not the person at the wheel? Many travelers choose taxis as a primary method of getting around. Taxis are generally safer than many forms of public transportation, especially if buses and trains are overcrowded, poorly run or unregulated. According to the WHO report, in Kenya where public transportation consists of boda bodas, tuk-tuk’s, mataus (small vans with sliding doors, blasted reggae or R&B music and the strong smell of BO- window seats are best) and taxis, 38% of the road deaths were passengers in buses and mataus. Still, hailing a cab has its own potential perils.

When traveling in Panama City, an HTH Worldwide frequent business traveler was told not to trust the taxis there.  A security consultant advised him to have the hotel send a car for him and provide him with a password that he could request from the driver to verify that it was in fact the correct car.  So in addition to asking the hotel in advance to recommend a safe taxi service for you, here are a few steps you can take to minimize the risks.

Before You Get In

  • Use authorized taxis only. Not sure how to spot one? Go to a taxi stand, ask at the hotel, or ask a local. Legal taxis should have common characteristics such as similar makes/colors, radios and meters in the cab, phone numbers on the car, identification for the driver — so look for these indicators if you are on the street. Better yet, use a phone to call a cab and wait for it to arrive.
  • Be sure the car seems safe. Are there seatbelts in the back? Are there door handles on the inside?
  • Does your driver know how to get where you’re going? Have the address and phone number of your destination written down and mention local landmarks the cab should pass.
  • Use common sense. You don’t need to share a cab, and shouldn’t. If there’s no meter, settle on a price beforehand.

  Inside the Cab

  • Don’t try to fit more people into a cab than it can safely accommodate. Sit still and try not to distract the driver.
  • Know the local traffic patterns and rules of the road. Is the driver following the speed limit? Is he following posted signs?
  • If the driving is poor, ask the driver to stop; then get out and switch to another cab.

If you find a cab and driver you like, give him a nice tip and get a phone number. You may want to ride together again. Any other advice you would like to share?

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Swimming Safely at the Seaside

Monday, August 24th, 2009 by Emily Moran

ripcurrentNow that Bill has passed (the storm, not health care reform), we should remind ourselves of the dangers of ocean swimming.  Just this weekend in Acadia National Park in Maine, onlookers watching the huge crashing waves were overwhelmed by them.  Three people were swept into the ocean, and, tragically, one of them died.  Many others were injured.

The ocean is the perfect spot to cool off from the heat of the summer. If you’re traveling in the northern hemisphere at this time of year, chances are you’ll encounter and explore some tempting beach or bay.  These fun distractions are a great way to spend a day as long as you exercise care.

Of course, drowning is the biggest danger… In Texas this year alone, 30 children swimming in the surf died from drowning in June-a record month for the state.

Ocean swimmers have to contend with heavy surf, rip currents, and marine pests (like jellyfish).  This time of year, the dangers of ocean swimming are exacerbated by the arrival of hurricanes and tropical storms.   Do you know the international language of beach safety flags? They can be extremely helpful for you to understand surf conditions, especially if you are in a country where you don’t speak the language. The International Life Saving Federation helped create them, and has published background information and pictures here (scroll down for images). If you do get caught in a rip current, remember to swim parallel to shore until you’ve escaped the pull and then swim in to shore. The national weather service offers additional rip current safety tips on their website.  Be aware of lingering turbulence; after a hurricane or storm, the ocean needs time to settle back down. Don’t assume that the water is safe just because the storm has moved through the area.

And don’t leave your common sense on the beach house veranda. Experts agree that constant supervision is the best way to keep children safe while swimming, even for strong swimmers or in shallow water. For all swimmers, it’s important to know the depth of the water, fellow swimmers’ abilities, and that lifeguards are present. Avoid dangerous spots such as sharp reefs and sudden drop-offs. Plenty of adult supervision is key. Of course, grown-ups who have been drinking may have lost their adult judgment. Keep those beach parties under control to keep the lifeguards out of the water.  Make the most out of the rest of the summer: swim safely and enjoy yourself.

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Dive right in! The water’s fine?

Friday, August 21st, 2009 by Moira Bishop
swimmingpool

It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, the temps are high and you are diving into a crisp, clean pool. And as the water washes over you, so do millions of dirty microorganisms.  Not so refreshing anymore, is it?

Recently a good friend of mine was on vacation at a very nice resort in Florida. As she and her three children arrived at the pool, she overheard this exchange between a four year old and her father: “Daddy, I have to go potty.” To which dad responded, “Can’t you just go in the pool?” Needless to say, my friend and her family chose an alternate recreational activity that day.

The trouble with community pools, whether in a small neighborhood or a five star resort, is that you can’t see everything that goes on in them.  Obviously if the water in the pool looks cloudy or murky, you’d be wise to stay out.  However, the water can appear clean, but really isn’t.  Another source of a false sense of security can be the smell of chlorine – a well maintained pool should not produce a strong chlorine smell, which usually indicates that there is an underlying problem.

So, what are the risks of diving into these deceptively un-murky waters?  A whole litany of problems categorized as recreational water illnesses (RWIs) such as gastrointestinal, respiratory, ear and skin infections.   Ominously, in a recent poll conducted by the Water Quality and Health Council, 1 in 5 Americans admitted to peeing in a swimming pool. 

WebMD provides a list of things you can do to minimize your exposure to the risks of RWIs including the following:

  • Ask the management how often the pool is cleaned and tested.
  • Tell your kids to avoid getting pool water in their mouths.
  • Listen to make sure that the filtering equipment is on.

And while you can’t control what other people do, you can choose to be a conscientious citizen of a clean pool by following these CDC  recommendations:

  • Shower before you go in the pool
  • Make your kids take frequent bathroom breaks
  • And please, don’t swim if you are having stomach issues

Bacteria and the potential for infection are unavoidable, so we’re not recommending you get fanatical about avoiding all pools, just be aware of the risks And for everyone’s sake, don’t advise your children to pee in the pool!

We’ll cover the risks of swimming in fresh water lakes and streams, especially in developing countries, in an upcoming post.

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The Safe and Healthy Traveler’s Guide to Packing: Part Five – Travel Clothing

Thursday, August 20th, 2009 by Andy Orr

packingclothesUnless you are heading to one of those “natural” destinations like Sunny Sands Resort in Florida, you probably need to pack some clothes for your trip.  What does this have to do with staying safe and healthy during your travels?  It may be a stretch (no, I won’t be mentioning Lycra®* here), but there are some points to consider.

First of all, as a follow up to our last post in this series about packing sunscreens and sunglasses, if you are heading to a sunny destination, one closer to the equator or one at high altitudes and planning to be outside, you should consider clothes that are specifically designed to block those dangerous UV rays.  Originally popularized in Australia (remember Crocodile Dundee’s crocodile-like skin?  He must not have heard about this concept), sun protective clothing can now be found from many sources.  Think of any brand of outdoor clothing, and they will undoubtedly carry sun protective clothing – REI, L.L.Bean (they don’t put a space between the second “L.” and the “Bean – don’t ask me why), Eddie Bauer and more.  Or you could shop directly at a company focused in this area – Coolibar.  The rating now most commonly used is UPF, or ultraviolet protection factor, which, unlike the SPF, measures both UVA and UVB rays.  Obviously, these clothes don’t protect skin that is uncovered, so think about long-sleeved shirts, long pants and hats.  Most products are designed to be lightweight and good for warmer climates.

This leads directly to the next topic – bringing clothing that is well-suited to the climate of your destination and to the activities you will be doing.  If you are headed to Alaska in the middle of the summer, don’t forget that the nights get cold and a trip to a glacier means you are standing on a huge block of ice.  Bring appropriate clothes.  Layering makes a lot of sense for flexibility and whites and light colors also help on bright, sunny days.

Finally, there is a whole new world of wrinkle-free clothing out there, even some that are 100% cotton which helps in the heat.  The right packing gear can also help to keep clothes free of wrinkles.  Eagle Creek has a great line of Pack-It® folders designed specifically to prevent wrinkles.  How does this keep me safe?  Irons can be deadly, and who wants to iron when traveling.  On the other hand, one may be less susceptible to crime while wearing wrinkled, shabby clothes.

As always, we would love to hear your travel clothing tips.

* Lycra is a registered trademark of Invista (formerly part of DuPont) and is the most common brand name of spandex.  Of course, everyone knows that spandex is an anagram of the word “expands,” but did you know that outside of North America it is known as elastane and was invented in Germany in 1937, the same year that Hitler was planning to expand into Austria.  Coincidence?  I think not.

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Enjoy the Paella, but know the risks of eating shellfish

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 by Emily Moran

paellaSitting down to a steaming bowl of paella–rice, broth, chorizo, clams and mussels–with a pitcher of Sangria is a fiesta for the tastebuds. It’s also a gastronomic adventure that can lead to serious illness caused by allergies, bacteria or Hepatitis A.

If you have a food allergy and are planning a trip abroad, you may have checked out our previous post.  But if you think you’re allergy-free, think again. Did you know that allergies often develop for the first time during your adult years? In fact, a shellfish allergy is the most common type to develop at a later age. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, seafood allergies affect only 0.6 percent of children but 2.8 percent of adults. So if it’s been a while since you sat down to crunch some crustaceans (crab, lobster, shrimp) or munch some mollusks (clams, oysters mussels, snails, squid, conch), consider the following:

  • If you have family history of allergies (including hay fever or asthma), your chances of being allergic to shellfish increase.
  • Most shellfish allergies are relatively mild and sometimes resemble food poisoning (which, as we all know, isn’t any fun).  
  • Rarely, a shellfish allergy can trigger anaphylactic shock. Anaphylasis is a medical emergency that requires treatment with an epinephrine (adrenaline) injection (experienced travelers often carry an “epi” pen) and a trip to the emergency room.

If you have any symptoms after eating shellfish, even if mild, you should see a doctor — quick treatment helps avoid more or prolonged problems. It’s also important to consider the proximity of competent medical care. If you’re going to be far from reliable emergency services, don’t eat the escargot.  Yes, escargot, or land snails, are mollusks too and bear the same risks as their sea-dwelling brethren (not really brethren — all land snails are hermaphrodites, but that is a whole other story). 

If you decide that strong risk factors and poor medical options warrant avoiding shellfish, remember that you won’t be using menus replete with allergy warnings. Be aware of the potential for cross-contamination, and the sneaky places shellfish can pop up — like in condiments of East Asian food. Check out this listing of shellfish risks by world cuisines.

Some notes of caution: In some areas the favorite local dish can get you into some serious health problems, like the one recounted in a recent Wall Street Journal article.  In Santiago, Chile a bowl of mariscal contaminated with E coli had near tragic results for a young college student.  Also, be aware that mollusks harvested from waters polluted by sewage often carry the Hepatitis A virus, which they ingest when they feed. No amount of washing can remove the contagion.  So eat raw clams and oysters at your own risk. Even high-end restaurants in cities like Venice have served up “Hep A on the half shell.” We’ll cover hepatitis, its various strains and the immunization that is available in an upcoming post.

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Advice from a business traveler: Managing the stress of connecting flights

Monday, August 17th, 2009 by John Wargo

chicagoohare

On my left there is a rather large business man yelling in Dutch on his Blackberry and beginning to perspire. To my right, sits a lady looking slightly claustrophobic. We have been sitting on the tarmac for almost two hours in Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), just outside Paris, France, waiting to disembark.  Unfortunately, CGD is so massive that there are not nearly enough gates for the amount of traffic they see each day. So unless you are on an Air France flight (Air France gets preference) you can expect a long wait when landing there.  As I sit watching other planes heading towards the runway, I realize that one of them is undoubtedly my connecting flight home to Boston.  Oh yeah, did I mention it is my birthday?  

Years ago, I was traveling between Lucerne, Switzerland and Boston, MA quite often for work. We were required to book our own flights, sometimes with two connections. Catching a connecting flight is like walking into a casino. It is always a crapshoot, and the house usually wins.  Finding ways to control the stress of dealing with situations outside of your control will help you enjoy a more successful business trip and a more relaxing stay at home.  Here are some tips to ease the frustration of connecting flights and cool your jets (pun intended).  

Always allow at least two hours between connections. Your first reaction may be to complain about sitting around the Frankfurt, Germany airport for couple of hours with nothing to do. Now think about missing your connection in Frankfurt and having six hours to visit the airport’s main attraction: the restrooms.

  • Use the internet to find a map of an unfamiliar connecting airport. A day or two before your flight, access the terminal floor plans to chart the shortest route between connections to save time. It will also ease the anxiety caused by navigating through a maze of signs, escalators and language barriers.  Of course, you will need to know your arrival and departure gates, but bring the chart with you just in case there are last minute changes.
  •  If possible, avoid airports that have a bad reputation: 
    • United States: ORD (Chicago), JFK (New York City), LAX (Los Angeles), SFO (San Francisco), IAD (Washington DC), ATL (Atlanta), PHL (Philadelphia), BOS (Boston), LGA (New York City)
    • Europe: FRA (Frankfurt, Germany) , CDG (Paris, France) , LHR (London, England), FCO (near Rome, Italy), ATH (Athens, Greece)

This above list is compiled mainly from personal experiences. (If you want some other informed opinions, look at Travel and Leisure, Yahoo, Flightline and even Wikipedia.)  The above airports are both old and inefficient or under constant construction. Airports are always updating their facilities but rarely improving services.

Do you have any advice you’d like to share?

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An alternative method for eliminating H1N1

Thursday, August 13th, 2009 by Andy Orr

While not endorsed by the WHO or the CDC, some ‘experts’ are fighting the swine flu in their own special way.

Any other suggestions?

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The Safe and Healthy Traveler’s Guide to Packing: Part Four

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 by Moira Bishop

Packing for Fun in the Sun

sunprotectionChances are good that you will be spending some time in the sun on your summer vacation.  So whether you are packing for a trip on a sunny beach in the Greek Isles or at a campground in the backwoods, don’t forget to pack sunscreen and sunglasses.  These two items will help protect you from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays.

UVB rays have been the focus of sunscreens for many years. The SPF (sun protection factor) is based on a product’s ability to block the UVB rays that are generally recognized as the rays that cause sunburn.  While there is no product that blocks 100% of these rays, an SPF of 30 (if applied adequately) will protect you from 96.7% of these rays as highlighted on a recent edition of The Early Show. 

What is adequate coverage? Apply one ounce of water resistant sunscreen every couple of hours OR after swimming or perspiring. If you are having trouble visualizing an ounce, picture a shot glass.

UVA rays are less likely to cause sunburn, but are more likely to cause long term damage such as skin cancer.  University Health Services at Berkeley did a great job of making the distinction between UVA and UVB rays. 

Currently there are no UVA ratings for sunscreen, but Henry Lim, chairman of the department of dermatology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit recommends using products containing avobenzone (also called Parsol 1789), titanium dioxide or zinc oxide in order to protect your skin from these rays.

Pack some aloe and some anti-inflammatory drugs, in case you have the misfortune of getting burned.  The aloe will help soothe the burning and repair the damage.   Anti-inflammatory drugs including Motrin, Advil and aspirin  will help relieve the pain of the burn. (Note- aspirin is NOT safe for children.)  For additional sunburn remedies, click here.   

In addition to protecting your skin, you need to protect your eyes which are just as vulnerable to long term damage from the sun.   As indicated in this article from U.S. News & World Report, sun exposure is the number one preventable factor in the development of macular degeneration.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology has several tips on protecting your eyes from sun damage (especially during peak sun times):  wear sunglasses that block 100 percent of UVA and UVB rays, choose glasses that block sun rays from entering from the side as well as the front, and don’t forget to protect your children’s eyes, too. 

Avoid short term pain from sunburn and long term complications from skin damage by staying out of the sun during peak hours (you may want to ask advice from the locals when visiting areas in the tropics or in high altitudes), wearing sunscreen, a hat, a lip balm with an SPF in it and sunglasses.

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