CDC Offers Health Tips for China-Bound Travelers
Federal Agency Has Suggestions for Shots, Etc., for Visitors to Asia
Mar 31, 2009
The Center for Disease Control maintains a website with the latest health information for travelers to China as well as the rest of the world.
CDC Recommends Being Current on Routine Shots
The average traveler to big cities in China such as Beijing and Shanghai don’t need any immunizations, though the CDC recommends that all people, whether they travel or not, keep up-to-date on routine immunizations. Routine vaccinations include those for measles, polio, mumps and tetanus.
Depending on where they’ve been prior to entering China, travelers may be required to present proof of vaccination for yellow fever. If travelers have been to countries which have an outbreak of yellow fever, the government will ask for their proof of vaccination.
CDC Says Long-Term Travelers Should Get Hepatitis Protection
The CDC also recommends vaccinations for Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, as China is on their list of high-risk countries for these diseases. They especially recommend these immunizations for those who will be living in China as well as long-term travelers to the Middle Kingdom.
Travelers who will be spending a lot of time in rural areas may want to consider a typhoid vaccination, according to the CDC. The CDC also says those will be bicycling or hiking in China, will be in contact with animals, especially bats, should consider rabies vaccinations.
The CDC says should visit a travel health clinic for immunizations and other health tips.
CDC Says Travelers to South China May Be at Risk for Malaria
The CDC recommends that travelers in rural areas of South China with elevations below 5,000 feet in warm weather take precautions against malaria. The CDC identifies at-risk provinces as Anhui, Hunan, Hainan, Yunnan, Fuijan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Shandong, Hubei, Guizhou, Sichuan, Tibet (in the Zangbo River valley only), Jiangsu, and Jiangxi.
The CDC recommends buying antimalarial drugs before leaving the United States, as drugs purchased abroad may not meet the same high U.S. standards.
The CDC recommends the anti-malaria drugs atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine or choroquilne depending on where in China the traveler is going.
Travelers should avoid being bitten by mosquitos in at-risk areas, the CDC says, and offers tips on how to do this on its website.
The Center for Disease Control says medications that travelers take every day should be kept in their original containers and placed in carry-on luggage. Travelers also should take an over-the-counter medication for diarrhea, the CDC says. The website also has a list of items to put in a travel health kit.
The CDC's website also has tips on how to stay healthy while traveling as well as what travelers who get sick after returning home should do.
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