Why is it important to check the CDC website before travel?

It is early March 2020, and the Coronavirus is going around the world. Over 3,000 people have died and over 89,000 are infected from Coronavirus. Therefore, so many people are looking at cancelling, changing travel plans, and/or not traveling any time soon.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regularly issues “Travel Health Notices” for every country. All U.S. travelers should review their website well in advance before traveling outside the United States.

The CDC is a great resource to find out where outbreaks are taking place, recommend for vaccines, and general health items for the country that you are traveling too. Some of these are common sense but others are things that you would not know if you where not a local.

For example, the Bahamas have bats that carry rabies. Therefore, the CDC recommends travelers who might be going caving to get the rabies vaccine. I would never had thought about that before a trip.

The CDC has three levels:

• Warning Level 3, Avoid Nonessential Travel
• Alert Level 2, Practice Enhanced Precautions
• Watch Level 1, Practice Usual Precautions

So, Level 3 is basically don’t go to this country. Level 2 is take these steps to be safe. Level 1 is basically, wash your hands and don’t get by people that are ill.

But any trip that you are looking at making outside the United States should start here. Because each country has risk and educated risk are the best. Be prepared with knowledge because knowledge is power. Some places are just not worth the risk.