|
Introduction
The University of Virginia Student Health Travel Clinic was created to accommodate the increasing number of UVA students who travel internationally. Travel Clinic is a service provided by the Department of General Medicine for all students who need travel-related immunizations or prescriptions. So that the General Medicine clinic is not overwhelmed with non-urgent individual travel appointments and is able to accommodate sick patients who need urgent care, students who need travel counseling are grouped together in the travel clinic.
For this reason, appointments are made in travel clinic even if students have attended in the past for previous trips or even if prescriptions only are needed.
There is no charge for travel counseling (there is a fee for immunizations), but there is a time commitment. Travel Clinic may last for up to three hours, depending on how many students are present.
The student’s itinerary is reviewed by a physician prior to the appointment to determine recommended prescriptions and immunizations. General and region specific travel advice and handouts are provided to the student based on the itinerary provided. Appropriate prescriptions and immunizations will then be provided based on current CDC recommendations.
The goals of this webpage are:
- To explain about how the travel clinic functions
- To facilitate your travel appointment
- To provide health advice about your trip
Top of page
Getting Started
- 3-6 months before your trip is a great time to start. You can get the full benefits of your vaccines and even avoid shortages of vaccines and medications. And you can be assured that if a series of vaccines is required you will finish the series before your departure date.
- Download the Travel Questionnaire, which is available as a PDF document. Print it out, complete the form (instructions are below), and fax it to 434-243-9669, or bring it to General Medicine, at least 2 weeks prior to your appointment. You will not be able to make a travel appointment until we have received the questionnaire.
- Browse our General Travel Health Advice Sheet (available as a PDF document) for more details about specific health topics, based on information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Topics include information about food and water illnesses, insect related illnesses, altitude illness, avian influenza, and tuberculosis. Information regarding medications (side effects and average costs) and vaccines should be helpful for all students traveling internationally.
- Browse our Region Specific Travel Sheets (available as PDF documents) for more details about health recommendations for your region of travel. Topics include region specific recommendations for traveler’s diarrhea, malaria prophylaxis, yellow fever vaccine, avian influenza and other concerns in your destination.
- Students traveling to Western Europe and Australia/New Zealand generally do not need travel clinic. Please review Region Specific Travel Sheets for recommended health precautions for travel to these areas. Students who have a health/physical form that needs to be filled out, please call 982-3915 for an appointment.
- Check to see if your insurance provider covers routine and travel related immunizations as well as travel related prescriptions provided at Elson Student Health. Check with your insurance carrier to ask if more than one month supply of a prescription at a time is allowed. This is especially important for prescriptions for anti-malaria medications.
- Travel clinic appointments are in high demand during the 3-4 weeks before a vacation (especially before Spring Break) and clinics may be filled to capacity (10-12 students). Travel clinics at other times of the year are less busy and may require less of a time commitment. Make your appointment as soon as possible!
- Attention ASB Group Leaders: Group leaders for alternative spring/summer break are encouraged to consult with Student Health regarding recommended immunizations and medications. These recommendations can be passed onto students who are participating in the trip. Students can then make individual appointments in Travel Clinic or with their own health care provider (See Alternatives to the UVA Student Health Travel Clinic). Call 982-3915 for more information.
Top of page
Travel Questionnaire Instructions
Complete parts 1-8, including studying the CDC Traveler’s Health web site.
- If you need a form completed for a physical or need to talk about a health issue before your travel, call 434-982-3915 to schedule an individual appointment in General Medicine.
- If you are providing medical or nursing care while abroad, call 434-982-3915 to schedule an appointment in General Medicine for planning for post-exposure prophylaxis after blood/body fluid or needlestick exposure while abroad.
- List ALL the countries you will visit in order by the date you will enter each country. List the cities or regions you will visit and length of stay in days. This is very important for areas with malaria. If your itinerary is too long for the space provided, please write it out clearly on the back of the questionnaire. Make sure to send both pages if you are faxing. List the date you will return to the USA. List types of activities involved in your travel, such as rural travel, contact with animals, or going to high altitudes.
- List allergies to medications, vaccines or food. Include severe insect allergies.
- List all the medications you take.
- Check off the medical problems you have had.
- You will need to decide which vaccines and prescriptions you need for travel BEFORE scheduling your appointment. There are hotlinks to the CDC website within our online Travel Questionnaire to allow you to quickly review REQUIRED reading on pertinent health topics that apply to each geographic region of your trip. Pay particular attention to the risk area for malaria.
- Indicate which vaccines and prescriptions you think you need after reading the CDC travel recommendations for your destination. Elson Student Health has a record of your vaccines you provided to enroll at UVA as well as other vaccines that you have received at Elson Student Health. If you have received immunizations elsewhere, please make a note of these on the questionnaire. Sign your form, verifying you read the required topics on the CDC website.
Top of page
Scheduling an appointment
- Fax Travel Questionnaire to 434-243-9669 or bring the completed form to General Medicine. Incomplete forms will delay your appointment. We need your completed form to schedule your appointment.
- Please note that the structure of travel clinic has changed. Students will now be given three appointment times: one for a required group meeting with a physician, one for an individual meeting with a physician to discuss prescriptions and vaccines, and one with a nurse to actually receive the vaccines. Students are required to meet with the physician before receiving vaccines from the nurse.
- Call 434-982-3915 to schedule your three part travel appointment at least 3 or more weeks before the desired appointment date. Travel clinics are scheduled with 10-12 other students on Mondays or Tuesdays usually from 9:00AM-12:00PM or 12:30-3:30PM. Additional travel clinics are held before Spring Break to accommodate the high volume of students traveling internationally. Please schedule your appointment on a day when you know you will have enough time.
- Please note our MISSED APPOINTMENT POLICY:
- If you cannot come to your scheduled appointment, please call to cancel or reschedule. If you miss your scheduled appointment, you may not be able to reschedule another travel appointment before your trip, due to the high demand for travel clinic.
- Students who miss TWO travel clinic appointments will not be given any further appointments for their proposed itinerary.
- Travel clinic appointments are in high demand during the 3-4 weeks before a vacation (especially Spring Break) and clinics may be filled to capacity (10-12 fellow students). Travel clinics at other times of the year are less busy and may require less of a time commitment. Make your appointment when you buy your tickets!
Top of page
Your travel appointment
- Again, please note that the structure of travel clinic has changed. You will be given three appointment times.
- First appointment time (required group meeting):
- General and region specific travel advice/handouts will be provided to students based on the itinerary provided.
- Brief discussion (10-15 minutes) with group regarding the essentials of international travel; this introduction usually answers most questions students may have, and helps to facilitate individual appointments
- Students who arrive late for the group meeting and miss the introductory talk are generally seen last. These students may also have to reschedule their immunization appointment as well.
- Second appointment time(with physician):
- Brief individual appointment with a physician for prescriptions and vaccine orders. Students are generally seen in the order that they signed up for the travel clinic.
- Third appointment time (with nurse):
- Actual immunizations will be provided by a nurse.
- Appointments for immunizations are scheduled after the physician appointment. Travel immunizations will not be given without a physician appointment.
- Prescriptions and vaccines that are not travel related are not provided in travel clinic.
Top of page
Immunizations
- For full immunity, vaccinations should be administered at least 4-6 weeks before travel. However, students will still benefit from vaccination even 1-2 weeks before travel.
- Student Health has all the recommended vaccinations here at the clinic. In times of vaccine shortage, the student may need to return at a time other than the scheduled travel clinic visit to receive the vaccine.
- During vaccine shortages, students may not get a second chance to receive a vaccine if their scheduled appointment is missed.
- Yellow Fever Vaccine is never given on a walk-in basis at Student Health. Students must be seen in Travel Clinic in order to receive the vaccine. Yellow Fever Vaccine cannot always be guaranteed at the time of your visit, especially if many other students need it at the same time and your appointment is at the last minute. Therefore, it is important to make your travel appointment as soon as possible, especially if your destination requires it for entry.
- Please check our Region Specific Travel Advice Sheets or the CDC website (Yellow Fever Vaccine Requirements by Country) to determine if yellow fever vaccine is required for your destination, or is even recommended. Remember, often the vaccine may be recommended for only some parts of the country you are visiting, but not required for entry.
- If you cannot receive yellow fever vaccine at Student Health, please refer to the following link for national and local Yellow Fever Vaccination Clinics.
Top of page
- Rabies Vaccine Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis:
- Rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis is not recommended for routine tourist travel. By current recommendations, pre-exposure vaccination should be considered for persons whose activities bring them into frequent contact with rabies virus or potentially rabid animals, such as veterinarians and their staff, animal handlers, rabies researchers, and certain laboratory workers. In addition, some international travelers may be candidates for pre-exposure vaccination if they are likely to come in contact with animals in areas where dog or other animal rabies is enzootic, and immediate access to appropriate medical care, including rabies vaccine and immune globulin, could be limited.
- Travelers are advised to take precautions while traveling in rabies endemic areas, such as avoiding wildlife, including dogs.
- Also, please note, that pre-exposure prophylaxis does not eliminate the need for shots after an exposure (fewer shots are needed however).
Top of page
- Japanese Encepalitis Vaccine:
- There is currently a limitation in the supply of Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine by the manufacturer.
- JE vaccine is currently recommended for travelers who plan to spend one month or longer in endemic areas. Vaccine may also be considered for shorter-term travelers whose itineraries may put them at increased risk for JE virus exposure (e.g., spending significant time in rural areas or participating in outdoor activities).
- Most routine travel does not require this vaccine. Travelers should avoid insect bites to protect themselves from JE as well as other insect borne-diseases such as malaria and dengue.
- JE vaccine is a 3 dose series with a serious risk of adverse reaction. Vaccine recipients should be observed for a minimum of 30 minutes after immunization and there is a possibility of delayed allergic reactions. The full course of immunization should be completed at least 10 days before departure, and vaccinees should be advised to remain in areas with access to medical care. An epipen may be prescribed.
Top of page
Prescriptions
- If immunizations are up to date, and only travel related prescriptions are needed, appointments still must be made through travel clinic.
- Prescriptions may be taken to the Elson Student Health pharmacy and will be available on the 2nd business day following your travel appointment. Prescriptions should be picked up within 2 weeks or they are returned to stock. Prescriptions can also be taken to any pharmacy of your choice.
Top of page
Alternatives to the UVA Student Health Travel Clinic in Charlottesville
If the UVA Student Health Travel Clinic is not an option for you, the following are alternatives. However, please feel free to consult our General Travel Health Advice Sheet and our Region Specific Travel Sheets for appropriate recommendations for travel based on CDC guidelines.
Top of page
Maintained
by: studenthealth@virginia.edu
Last Modified:
Monday, 05-Oct-2009 14:31:42 EDT
© 2002 by the Rector
and Visitors of the University of Virginia
|
|
