Each year millions of Americans travel abroad for vacation or business, or to visit friends and family. Unfortunately, about half of these international travelers get sick or injured during their trips.

However, most travel-related illnesses and injuries can be prevented by following these recommendations.

1. Wash your hands often with soap and clean water. If soap and water aren’t available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer (with at least 60 percent alcohol).
2. Drink only bottled or boiled water or carbonated drinks from sources you trust. Avoid tap water (even to brush your teeth), fountain drinks, and ice cubes, which may be made with contaminated water.
3. Eat only food that has been fully cooked or fruits and vegetables that you’ve washed and peeled. Remember: Boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it.
4. Take malaria prevention medication before, during, and after your trip, as directed if you’re visiting an area where you’re at risk. If you might be bitten by insects, such as mosquitoes or ticks, use insect repellent with 30 to 50 percent DEET.
5. Take extra steps to protect yourself from injury while you travel. Motor vehicle and swimming accidents are leading causes of injury deaths for travelers.
6. Avoid poultry farms, bird markets, and other places where live poultry is raised or kept to reduce your risk for bird flu.
7. Don’t handle stray animals, especially monkeys, dogs, and cats, to avoid bites and serious diseases, including rabies and plague.

Be Informed
Knowing how to stay safe at your destination is as important as booking the right hotel room.

To learn how to stay healthy in the country where you’re traveling, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov/travel and click on “Destinations.”

You can access country specific information, travel warnings, and alerts on the Consular Affairs Web site at www.travel.state.gov. Click on “Registration with Embassies” to register your travel with the State Department so you can be contacted if necessary—because of a family emergency in the U.S., for example, or a crisis in the area in which you’re traveling.

Learn if your health insurance covers you abroad. Since most U.S. insurers don’t pay for medical evacuation from a remote area or from a country where medical facilities are inadequate, consider purchasing travel insurance that includes medical coverage and emergency travel costs.

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