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The health risks of travel to certain areas of the world, such as Asia, Africa and Latin America have grown increasingly complex.Drug-resistant malaria (and other parasitic diseases), as well as traveler's diarrhea and serious viral diseases (such as Hepatitis A, Dengue fever and Yellow fever), are among the special infection risks relevant to certain international travelers in the 21st Century. Our faculty have first-hand experience working in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and the Traveler's Clinic at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center offers itinerary-specific medical consultation for the departing traveler.In addition to physician counsel, we provide our patients with up-dated computer-generated summaries of disease risks for their specific itinerary and travel plans.Complete immunization and medication services are included for every trip. Our clinic is open 1 to 5 every Tuesday afternoon (appointments scheduled 1 to 4); pretravel appointments should be made 6 to 8 weeks before departure to allow time for immunizations. A discount on charges is provided for payment at time of service. No referral is necessary to be seen in the clinic, but we welcome patients referred from physicians or health departments. Our clinic operates within the Center for Global Health.Our faculty are specialists in the care of patients with infectious diseases, and, additionally, also have experience in evaluation and care of the special health risks of the international traveler. The Division of Geographic and International Medicine was established by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1978.Over this period we have developed a model program of international collaboration with the Federal University of Ceara in Fortaleza, a state capital of 2 million people in Brazil's tropical developing Northeast.Our medical research has focused on highly endemic major gastrointestinal, parasitic and nutritional diseases that plague the poor in this area.Over 100 students, fellows and faculty have contributed to this exchange program, published widely and are becoming leaders in international medicine around the world.We are presently extending our collaborative programs to include other medical schools in Ghana, China, Philippines, and South Africa. Among the most important products of our Program is what we are learning about the key features of sustained productive international collaboration, education and development.Our experience suggests that two major ingredients are critical to having a lasting impact.The first is a cadre of deeply committed individuals whose personal and institutional goals include the success of the collaborator.That is, both sides must benefit and appreciate the benefit of the collaboration.The second key ingredient is the long term support and institutional backing of the collaborative program.We find that committed individuals and sustained support are crucial to a highly productive collaboration, that strengthens the institutions and has a lasting impact. On our shrinking planet, we increasingly appreciate our dependence on the resources and markets of the growing majority of the global population who live in tropical developing areas of Asia, Africa and Latin America.Health, a universal human value, transcends geo-political boundaries and provides an unassailable basis for improving international relationships. For more information write or telephone: Traveler's Clinic |