Travel Medicine

A travel medicine physician is a doctor who specialises in diseases encountered by travellers. They are involved in preventive medicine, seeing, advising and immunising patients before travel, but also in care of ill patients who have returned from overseas.

Find the right Travel Medicine Physician for you

Medical Conditions

All aspects of travel health.
Infectious diseases encountered often include:

Malaria
Typhoid
Dengue fever
Diarrhoeal diseases
Hepatitis
Sexually transmitted diseases
Fever of unknown origin
Parasitic infections

Specialty Areas of Interest

Tropical diseases
Preventive health
Public health

Associated Tests

Blood tests for infections
Urine tests
Stool tests
Imaging tests may include X-Rays, ultrasound and CT scans

Procedures

Most infectious diseases are treated with medications including antibiotics. Occassionally a surgical procedure is required as part of treatment however patients are usually referred to a specialist surgeon for this. Preventive measures include travel advice, immunisations and disease prophylaxis.

What to expect

History

You travel medicine specialist will take a long history enquiring about your proposed or actual travel, the health measures you took and exposures you had, your immunisation history and past medical history. They will then concentrate on your symptoms and develop a likely differential diagnosis to further investigate if it is indicated.

Examination

A general physical examination is an important part of your assessment. Your doctor will take your temperature, pulse and blood pressure. The exact examination will depend a little on your symptoms. The doctor is likely to inspect your skin, lymph nodes (glands), hands, mouth and eyes, then examine your cardiovascular system (heart), respiratory system (lungs) and gastrointestinal systems (abdomen). An examination of your genitals may be important if you have had symptoms in this region.