I’m a wanderer. As a little girl, I nearly wore out a 45 RPM recording of “The Happy Wanderer” by Frank Weir, with its chorus of “Val-de-ri, val-de-ra, val-de-ra, val-de-ra-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha … .”
On that note, I recently registered for an exciting excursion — I’m going to Antarctica. I will step on the White Continent on Feb. 4 as part of a 112-day worldwide cruise.
But first, let me take you back to the beginning.
“A Grand World Voyage.” That is how the cruise line markets the adventure of a lifetime: 112 days planned aboard ship; 50 days scheduled in ports and 52 scheduled at sea; visits to all continents: North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe.
But there is so much more to beginning such a trip than simply packing and boarding; I refer to health and immunizations. After an extensive search online for yellow fever immunizations, I located Mary Carrington of Columbia Medical Practice Travel.
I sent her my itinerary and she prepared a folder for me with information about general illnesses travelers could expect and information about each country I plan to visit. She uses a proprietary web site devoted to health care professionals called Travax.
Here are some basics I learned from her reference materials.
• Typhoid is a serious disease, caused by bacteria, and produces high fever, weakness, stomach pains, headache, loss of appetite and sometimes a rash. If not treated, it can kill up to 30% of the people who get it. Some people become “carriers.”
• Yellow fever is serious caused by the Yellow fever virus and is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. People with this disease usually have to be hospitalized because of fever and flu-like symptoms; jaundice; bleeding from multiple body sites; liver, kidney, respiratory and other organ failure; death occurs in 20% to 50% of serious cases.
• Meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial illness and is an infection in the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. About one in 10 sufferers die from this disease, and many others are affected for life.
• Hepatitis A is a serious liver disease caused by the hepatitis A (HAV) virus. It is usually spread by close personal contact and sometimes by eating food or drinking water containing HAV. It can cause mild flu-like symptoms, jaundice, severe stomach pains and diarrhea. About 3 to 5 persons per 1,000 cases die from this disease.
• Polio is a disease caused by a virus. It enters the body through the mouth and ranges from mild to serious when it can cause limb paralysis and paralyze breathing muscles.
• Malaria is caused by the bite of an infected mosquito and causes moderate to high shaking chills, high fever and profuse sweating. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headache and diarrhea.
• Dengue fever is a viral infection spread to humans by the bite of a mosquito (female Aedes). Symptoms include sudden high fever; severe muscle, joint and low back pain (hence the term “bone break fever”); nausea; vomiting; headache; and generalized weakness and sometimes a subtle rash, although some rashes are bright red with clear spots. Rare but severe forms of dengue fever include dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome.
Fortunately, vaccinations are available for most of these illnesses, except for malaria and dengue fever. With Mary’s administration, I became a human pin cushion and received a total of nine immunizations including H1N1 (flu), pneumonia and booster to prevent Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.
