A visit to your physician before your trip can help protect you and your children at your destination, leading to less worry and stress while you travel abroad. Ideally, your family should see a health care provider at least one month before your international trip for needed vaccines and medicines. This will ensure that any necessary precautions have enough time to go into effect in your body. We will also counsel you on other ways to reduce your family’s risk of illness or injury during travel, such as potential food, water, or insect precautions in addition to relevant epidemic or pandemic precautions.

Vaccines

If possible, children should complete their routine childhood vaccines on the normal schedule before travelling overseas. However, some vaccines can also be given on an “accelerated” schedule, meaning that doses are spaced out over a shorter period of time. This prepares children for travel early. Some travel vaccines cannot be given to very young children, so check with your child’s pediatrician as early as possible before travel. Based on your destination, some children may receive vaccinations relevant to their destination.