Travel Unravelled

For the first episode of Travel Unravelled season 2, our team of experts—Dr. Anne McCarthy, Dr. Albie de Frey, Dr. Sarah McGuinness and Dr. Aisha Khatib—encourage us to reframe the way we think about vaccines and travel health.  Getting vaccinated before travel shouldn't be just for "exotic" trips or the wealthy—it's essential for everyone. In our connected world, travel health is global health.  The topic has never been more relevant. Right now, measles is resurging in the U.S., Canada and Europe, polio is being detected in wastewater in multiple countries, and mpox cases are re-emerging with new variants. Influenza is spreading year-round in the tropics, and outbreaks are following international travellers. Whether you're heading to Bali, Barcelona, or Boston, the diseases of the world don't respect borders—and vaccines can build the protection you need. So what if we saw all vaccines as travel vaccines? And used any healthcare visit by a traveller as a chance for public health interventions?  No matter how "safe" your home country feels, vaccinations are crucial in protecting the health of our global community. Tune in to learn more. LINKS Measles is becoming an issue in the United States, Canada, Europe and the world. Polio cases continue to emerge worldwide Mpox cases are increasing globally Data suggest that flu is at its highest level since the 2009 swine flu pandemic Watch this informational video: What is Herd Immunity? Watch how easily measles spread Visit the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT), which provides extensive resources, like the Guide to Healthy Travel, and Guide to Travel Health Insurance. IAMAT also sponsors ISTM's Travel Unravelled podcast. To follow us on your favourite podcast platform, go to our show feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Please remember to rate the show! Produced by Ghost Bureau, the Toronto content agency.   DISCUSSION POINTS00:00 Introduction 02:31 Every vaccine is a travel vaccine 03:15 The four major preventable diseases 03:31 Why vaccinate before travelling? 06:27 How necessary is a measles vaccine? 06:52 Measles symptoms 07:50 Recent measles outbreaks 10:51 Measles early signs and symptoms 12:10 Why are there measles outbreaks? 12:36 Is a Measles booster shot necessary? 16:54 - Solving outbreaks with herd immunity 21:46 - Mpox 27:24 - Mpox vs. Measles 31:22 - Flu/Influenza 34:34 - Why am I still getting sick after being vaccinated? 39:36 - Polio 44:42 - Types of polio vaccines 49:00 - Final remarks  

Arboviruses are a category of viral disease spread by mosquitoes, sandflies or ticks. They include dengue and chikungunya, both of which are surging globally — appearing not just in tropical areas, but also in places like Europe and North America. This is a serious concern for everyone, including travellers visiting at-risk areas and the communities that could face outbreaks if these diseases are brought home. In this episode, our guests and the ISTM podcast team discuss what's driving these changes, including climate change and the role travellers play in spreading these viruses. Our guests also share vital information about new vaccines, like Qdenga and Ixchiq, and how they might benefit travellers as their availability increases. Guests in this episode include Dr. Ralph Huits and Dr. Susan Hills. Dr. Huits is an infectious disease physician and senior researcher at the Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital in Negrar, Italy, as well as a Co-Principal Investigator of GeoSentinel (Research lead), the emerging infectious diseases network of the International Society of Travel Medicine and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Dr. Susan Hills is a medical epidemiologist in the Arboviral Diseases Branch at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Fort Collins, Colorado. She currently leads the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Work Group drafting recommendations for use of new chikungunya vaccines in the United States. This episode of the ISTM podcast was directed by digital communications lead Dr. Sarah McGuinness with support from ISTM president-elect Dr. Anne McCarthy, ISTM podcast director Dr. Aisha Khatib and Dr. Albie de Frey, CEO of Travel Doctor Corporate.   With practical tips for staying safe during your travels and insights into efforts to control these diseases, the episode is a must-listen for anyone planning to travel or interested in travel health. LINKS WHO Dengue Dashboard: https://worldhealthorg.shinyapps.io/dengue_global/ CDC Areas at risk of dengue: https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/areas-with-risk/index.html  ECDC Dengue worldwide overview: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/dengue-monthly CDC Areas at risk for chikungunya: https://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/data-maps/index.html ECDC Chikungunya worldwide overview: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/chikungunya-monthly CDC information on chikungunya vaccine: https://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/prevention/chikungunya-vaccine.html For more on the impact of Wolbachia on dengue control in Australia, check out this study: https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taae014  To follow us on your favourite podcast platform, go to our show feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Please remember to rate the show! Travel Unravelled is sponsored by IAMAT, the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. Each episode is produced by Ghost Bureau, the Toronto content agency.  

Recent history has taught us that travellers can spread diseases without knowing it—but what if these travellers can help to prevent outbreaks before they spread? In fact, public health authorities and the ISTM have formed networks, such as the CDC-affiliated GeoSentinel and the UK's National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC), that use information from travellers to track the spread of disease around the world.  In this episode, GeoSentinel cofounder Dr. David O. Freedman, and NaTHNaC director Dr. Dipti Patel, OBE, join Dr. Anne McCarthy, President-Elect of the ISTM, and Dr. Albie de Frey, CEO of Travel Doctor Corporate, along with ISTM podcast director Dr. Aisha Khatib. The group looks back at tales of significant health outbreaks and discusses what measures could have been taken to prevent worldwide domino effects. They also provide tips for travellers preparing for trips, and advice on what to do if a traveller returns from a trip with symptoms of illness. It's an episode full of practical steps designed to prevent further public health outbreaks, one traveller at a time. LINKS Learn about GeoSentinel Learn about the UK's National Travel Health Network and Centre The UK's TravelHealthPro is here Read Dr. David O. Freedman's bio. Read Dr. Dipti Patel's bio. Travel Unravelled is sponsored by IAMAT, the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. Read Travel Medicine, the book to which Dr. David O. Freedman contributed two chapters, for detailed accounts of the science and practice of travel medicine.   KEY MOMENTS 00:00 Introduction of guests Dr. David O. Freedman, Dr. Dipti Patel, Dr. Albie De Frey, and Dr. Anne McCarthy, and overview of travellers as sentinels for disease prevention. 01:12 Dr. Dipti Patel explains NaTHNaC's role in providing travel health advice to UK travellers, including using surveillance data to inform vaccination recommendations. 04:30 Discussion of how NaTHNaC uses enhanced surveillance to identify trends and risks for UK travellers, and how they responded to the 2014 chikungunya outbreak in the Caribbean. 09:27 Dr. Albie De Frey and others discuss the importance of networking and personal connections in the travel medicine community to share information and support travellers. 13:19 Dr. David O. explains the origins and purpose of the GeoSentinel network, which uses travellers as "sentinels" to detect emerging diseases. 17:36 Dr. David O. Freedman describes a 2000 incident where GeoSentinel quickly identified an outbreak of leptospirosis in travellers returning from Borneo. 24:32 Dr. Dipti Patel and Dr. Albie De Frey provide additional examples of how surveillance data can identify disease trends and emerging threats, like African sleeping sickness and Zika. 29:51 Discussion of the importance of travellers disclosing their travel history to healthcare providers, and the role of travel medicine practitioners in aiding public health. 34:06 Take home messages for listeners, including both travellers and clinicians, from Dr. David O. Freedman, Dr. Dipti Patel and our hosts.  40:59 Wrap up, concluding remarks, resources, and disclaimers. Travel Unravelled is produced by Ghost Bureau.

What are the benefits of travel? Can a trip to a distant destination really improve your health? And how is it possible to engage in responsible travel? In this episode sponsored by IAMAT, the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers, we delve into the myriad benefits of travelling. For example, few people know that those who travel experience lower risk of many issues, including heart disease and burnout. Travel also creates economic and cultural benefits. Join Dr. Anne McCarthy, Dr. Aisha Khatib, and new Travel Unravelled voices Dr. Sarah McGuinness, the ISTM digital communications lead, and ISTM president Dr. Gerard Flaherty as they describe the argument for travel — and how it can positively impact your life and the world around you.     LINKS See the ISTM infographics and other Responsible Travel resources on our website. Learn more about the upcoming CISTM19 in New Orleans, May 2025, which will discuss dark tourism among other topics.  Read the research discussed in this episode:  Vacation at Moderate and Low Altitude Improves Perceived Health in Individuals with Metabolic Syndrome in the Journal of Travel Medicine Effect of forest bathing ('Shinrin Yoku'') trips on human immune function in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine   Read Dr. Gerard Flaherty's research on the benefits of travel: "Towards travel therapy: addressing the health benefits of international travel" in the Journal of Travel Medicine "To travel is to live: embracing the emerging field of travel psychiatry" in BJPsych Bulletin Travel Unravelled is an ISTM podcast sponsored by IAMAT, the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers.  

Thought to be the inspiration behind legends like the vampire and the werewolf, the rabies virus poses a serious risk for travellers around the world. In the second episode of Travel Unravelled, hosts Dr. Anne McCarthy and Dr. Albie de Frey sink their teeth into all things rabies with podcast director Dr. Aisha Khatib. Discover the insidious nature of rabies, why it's considered one of the most fatal diseases in existence, how you can protect yourself before travelling to rabies-prone regions — and what to do if you get exposed to the virus from an animal bite. Featuring interviews with such rabies experts as the deputy director of South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Dr. Lucille Blumberg, and the medical director of Belgium's Institute of Tropical Medicine, Dr. Patrick Soentjens, our second episode chronicles the evolution of rabies prevention recommendations, from vaccine developer Louis Pasteur to the state of the art today. LINKS Travel Unravelled is sponsored by IAMAT, the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. Learn more about the upcoming CISTM19 in New Orleans this May 2025. Planning a trip? Consult with this CDC Rabies Assessment to see the risk level of your destination. See CDC's 2024 Rabies Yellow Book Read the WHO Guide for Rabies Pre and Post Exposure Prophylaxis in Humans, which guest Dr. Patrick Soentjens helped to develop. Learn more about the fascinating ancient history of rabies in this Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease article. Read Dr. Lucille Blumberg's bio. Read Dr. Patrick Soentjens's bio. See the travel medicine website and app that Dr. Patrick Soentjens mentions, Wanda.be. CLINICAL PEARL Read the article that Dr. Olivier Aoun discussed in this episode's pearl: Multi-drug resistant gluteal abscesses due to Mycobacterium abscessus following medical tourism for cosmetic purposes to Mexico in the Journal of Travel Medicine  

The most dangerous animal in the world is not the shark or the tiger. It won't stalk you on safari or attack you as you surf. Tiny but mighty, the mosquito kills more people than any other animal in the world. Why? Because it transmits deadly diseases to humans, such as malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever. Malaria causes more than 600,000 deaths every year—all of which are preventable. In the first episode of Travel Unravelled, Dr. Anne McCarthy and Dr. Albie de Frey dive into the essential facts about malaria. On the agenda: How to avoid getting malaria, how to prepare before a trip, and what to do if you feel sick in a malaria area. Plus: Why malaria is so tough to diagnose. It's the Battle of the Buzz, and listening to this podcast is your best repellent! Links & Mentions Access the ISTM Malaria fact sheet, and more information for travellers at the ISTM website. Check out the WHO Malaria Fact Sheet for more important information. See if your next travel destination is in a Malaria area with this CDC guide. And see the Canadian resource: CATMAT Malaria areas  Watch the TEDTalk about mosquitoes and malaria, in which Bill Gates releases mosquitoes on the audience. Read a BBC article about singer Cheryl Cole's malaria diagnosis Make a mean gin and tonic with this recipe (and remember it will not prevent or treat malaria!)

Travel Unravelled: an ISTM Podcast explores the latest developments, challenges and innovations in travel health and medicine. Join ISTM President-Elect Dr. Anne McCarthy, Travel Doctor Corporate CEO Dr. Albie De Frey and ISTM podcast director Dr. Aisha Khatib as they chat with experts around the world and give you practical tips for your next adventure. Whether you're a seasoned traveller or just starting to plan your first international trip, Travel Unravelled is your personal guide to staying healthy while exploring the world—without taking up any room in your suitcase.

Travel insurance is often an afterthought in trip planning. Some travellers skip it altogether. Others buy it without really knowing what they're covered for — or how it works when things go wrong. But when the unexpected happens — like a scooter crash in Bali, a flare-up of a chronic condition in Peru, or an illness in a remote location — travel insurance can be the key to accessing timely medical care and support. In this episode of Travel Unravelled, we take a closer look at travel health insurance through the lens of clinicians who advise travellers before departure and care for them when things don't go to plan. Whether you're a frequent flyer, a first-time traveller, or a clinician advising patients before departure, this episode offers practical, evidence-informed insights to help everyone travel smarter and safer. We'll unpack: What travel insurance actually covers Common exclusions that catch travellers off guard. What medical assistance companies can and can't do for a traveller. Real-world case studies of denied claims and costly outcomes. Travel insurance tips for travellers on how to prepare, what to check, and how to avoid common pitfalls.   GUEST BIOS Dr. Gareth Richards has extensive experience in medical retrievals and repatriation across Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, and Asia. He also consults for First Assistance, an international medical assistance company, where he advises on everything from minor ailments to evacuating critically ill patients from remote, resource-limited settings. Dr. Kamolthip Atsawawaranunt is a Thai physician with training in Family, Travel, and Occupational Medicine. She currently works as the Medical Advisor for Thailand and Laos at International SOS, where she provides professional medical assistance services. Her role includes conducting medical assessments and consultations, offering telephone advice, coordinating complex medical evacuations and repatriations, and supporting clinical governance.   LINKS  First Assistance, an international medical assistance company, is here. International SOS provides professional medical assistance services in locations around the world. Find it here.  Watch our episode on altitude sickness. Traffic accident statistics for Thailand.  CDC Yellow book chapter on travel health and medical evacuation insurance. Tips on choosing travel insurance for your trip (Australia). Travel Unravelled is sponsored by the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT). IAMAT is the exclusive sponsor of season 2 of ISTM's Travel Unravelled podcast. To follow us on your favourite podcast platform, go to our show feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Please remember to rate the show! The ISTM's Travel Unravelled podcast is produced by Ghost Bureau, the Toronto content agency. DISCUSSION POINTS 00:00 Welcome back to Travel Unravelled! 00:40 Catching up with Travel Unravelled hosts 01:46 Guest introduction 03:18 Basics of travel health insurance 05:13 Common illnesses abroad 08:15 Evacuation vs. repatriation 15:28 Cost of care without travel insurance 18:49 Common travel insurance claims 24:02 Injured or ill abroad tips 29:26 Read the fine print 32:27 Standard travel insurance policy 39:08 Case examples 46:59 Travel insurance use 56:29 Lightning round: travel insurance tips 59:11 Final comments  

Family travel is on an upward trend. A 2023 study from the Family Travel Association found that 81% of parents are "very likely" to explore the world with their children over the next 12 months. So what does it take to plan a safe and healthy trip with kids? Expert pediatricians Dr. Mike Starr and Dr. Sheila Mackell join the Travel Unravelled podcast to provide guidance. Dr. Starr is a general pediatrician and infectious diseases specialist in Melbourne with more than 30 years of experience, while Dr. Mackell is a pediatrician in Flagstaff, Arizona, with more than 35 years of experience in general pediatrics and travel medicine. Together, they discuss a wide variety of tips and tricks that every parent should know before booking a trip with little ones.   From vaccinations and common illnesses to environmental risks, medications, and even sport and activity precautions, there's a lot more to travelling with young people than booking flights — and once you listen to this episode, you'll be a lot better prepared to handle it.    GUEST BIOS Dr. Mike Starr is a general pediatrician, infectious diseases physician and emergency physician at The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne. He's been working in travel medicine for over 30 years, specialising in the care of children, families and pregnant women. He's authored many papers, guidelines and textbook chapters on paediatric travel medicine topics.  He's one of the authors/editors of the Australian Manual of Travel Medicine.   Dr. Sheila Mackell is a pediatrician based in Flagstaff, Arizona, with over 35 years of experience in general pediatrics and travel medicine. She trained at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Virginia, and UCSF, and holds a certificate in tropical medicine from the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. She now teaches travel medicine and public health, and travels with surgical teams to provide pediatric care for children undergoing cleft lip and palate surgery.   LINKS The Family Travel Association 2023 study showed that 81% of families are very likely to travel with their children in the next 12 months Take out the Australian Manual of Travel Medicine Check out your destination's road safety rules with the World Health Organization's app WHO declares July 25 as World Drowning Prevention Day  Boil it, cook it, peel it or leave it! Tips on eating and drinking safely abroad Listen to The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne podcast episode on how to help children take medicine To follow us on your favourite podcast platform, go to our show feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Please remember to rate the show! Travel Unravelled is sponsored by the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT), which provides extensive resources, like the Guide to Healthy Travel, and Guide to Travel Health Insurance. IAMAT is the exclusive sponsor of season 2 of ISTM's Travel Unravelled podcast. The ISTM's Travel Unravelled podcast is produced by Ghost Bureau, the Toronto content agency.   DISCUSSION POINTS 00:00 Welcome back to Travel Unravelled! 00:40 Catching up with Travel Unravelled hosts 01:52 Guest introduction 03:30 Understanding pediatric travel 04:25 The best age groups to travel with 08:04 The most common accidents during travel 10:05 Tips for travelling with teens or school-age children 15:07 Vaccinations you should know about 24:32 Food, water, and diarrheal illness prevention in children 31:06 Flying with children 38:52 How to approach malaria risk conversations 43:21 Types of medications for children 47:44 Protection against insects 51:42 Activity and sport precautions abroad 55:24: Lightning round: three essential travel tips for parents 01:01:05 Final comments  

Approximately 50,000 people attempt to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro every year, making Africa's highest peak one of the most popular climbing destinations in the world. But despite the many ambitious climbers, only 60% actually make it to the top. That's likely because many climbers, regardless of age, experience, and fitness level, will face something far more elusive: altitude sickness. And it's not just the climbers who feel it; millions of tourists at high-altitude destinations ranging from the Andes to the Himalayas are equally at risk. Headaches, nausea, and gastrointestinal issues are just some of the common symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), a near-universal part of the climbing experience at 3,000 metres above sea level. And unlike other travel illnesses, there's no vaccine for this one. So what's actually helpful to alleviate symptoms? Are preventive medicines like acetazolamide reliable? What about Peru's coca tea or Nepali Pilgrim's black pepper, ginger, and garlic remedy–are any of those effective at all? And is there any value to having oxygen piped into your room? In this episode, the Travel Unravelled hosts are joined by topic experts Dr. Steven Roy (Canada), Dr. Suman Acharya (Nepal), and Professor Ross Hofmeyr (South Africa) to explore the risk of altitude sickness in travellers: how to prepare for it, and how different cultures and climbers around the world try to prevent or treat it.   GUEST BIOS Dr. Steven Roy is an intensive care physician and a consultant in high altitude and wilderness medicine. He is the program director of the Diploma in Wilderness & Expedition Medicine and co-program director of the Resident Physician Elective in Wilderness Medicine. Dr. Roy has high-altitude experience in the Himalayas, the Alps, the Rockies, and the Andes. Dr. Suman Acharya is a consultant physician at Lumbini Provincial Hospital, located on the Southern border of Nepal. He did his Diploma in Mountain Medicine in 2017 and frequently goes to the Himalayas as an expedition doctor, trains and educates mountain guides and climbers about altitude illness. Dr. Acharya is currently serving as the secretary of the Mountain Medicine Society of Nepal and as a Board member at the Himalayan Rescue Association.   Professor Ross Hofmeyr is a cardiothoracic anaesthesiologist at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and co-founder and medical director for Wild Medix. With a special interest in extreme physiology, he has led expeditions in environments ranging from the Antarctic to the tropics, including running mountain medicine training on many of Africa's highest peaks, such as Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.   LINKS Download ISTM's Altitude Illness Fact Sheet. Check out the UIAA's Summit Series featuring medical guidance for those seeking to summit some of the world's highest peaks. HACE occurs in about 0.5–1% of individuals ascending between 4,000–5,000 m. Take the Lake Louise Scale to assess adults with AMS. Watch IUAA's guide on high-altitude illness treatment and prevention. Acetazolamide is a great tool to combat symptoms of AMS—unless you get adverse reactions to "sulfa" antibiotics. Dexamethasone is effective for preventing and treating AMS and HACE and might prevent HAPE as well. Nifedipine both prevents and ameliorates HAPE. A study on the use of sildenafil citrate (aka Viagra) to treat HAPE is here. To follow us on your favourite podcast platform, go to our show feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Please remember to rate the show! Visit the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT), which provides extensive resources, like the Guide to Healthy Travel, and Guide to Travel Health Insurance. IAMAT is the exclusive sponsor of season 2 of ISTM's Travel Unravelled podcast. The ISTM's Travel Unravelled podcast is produced by Ghost Bureau, the Toronto content agency.   DISCUSSION POINTS 00:00 Welcome back to Travel Unravelled! 00:42 Catching up with Travel Unravelled hosts 03:15 Guest introduction 09:33 What is altitude illness? 17:13 Why do many mistake altitude sickness for a bad meal? 22:40 How can we be better prepared for high-altitude? 28:28 Why do people speedrun Kilimanjaro? 39:33 Does being fit help avoid altitude illness? 41:12 Is ibuprofen a good preventative for altitude illness? 51:20 Why are people having trouble sleeping at altitude? 56:46 Does coca tea actually help with altitude illness? 1:01:14 What to add to a first-aid climbing kit? 1:12:57 How do you get rescued from high altitude? 1:23:36 Final comments  

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 5 million snakebites occur each year, with between 81,000 and 138,000 deaths. A fear of snakes is common. It doesn't help that snakes have long been cast as villains: In Raiders of the Lost Ark, a deadly cobra lurks in an ancient Egyptian temple. In Greek mythology, Medusa's snake mane is her ultimate weapon. And in real life, White Lotus star Walton Goggins recently revealed he was bitten by a snake while filming in Thailand.  It's no surprise that travellers worry about snakebite. So in the 10th episode of Travel Unravelled, we're exploring how to minimize the risk of envenomation—and providing some tips for travellers and clinicians in the event that they do encounter a bite from a venomous serpent. Here, the Travel Unravelled team of Dr. Albie de Frey, Dr. Sarah McGuinness and Dr. Aisha Khatib benefit from the perspectives of renowned experts Professor David Warrell, the founding director of the Centre for Tropical Medicine at Oxford University, UK and Dr. Bart Currie, leader of the Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases team at the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, Australia.  How do you determine snakebite risk at your travel destination? What can you do to minimize snakebite risk? What should you do if you get bitten by a snake? Takeaways that our experts explore include: The importance of immobilization and getting to medical care quickly The value of a photo of the snake, if safe to obtain The fact that not all snakebite victims require antivenom And that clinical assessment and observation are crucial in early hospital management   LINKS Watch the World Health Organization's Science in 5 - Snakebites: Life saving facts This GeoSentinel analysis provides lots of information about travellers' exposures to animals around the world—including snakes.  The WHO Factsheet on snakebite envenoming. Snake identification in Africa Guidelines on snake antivenom production Map showing snake species, data, and information Prevention and clinical management of snakebite in Africa Prevention and clinical management of snakebite in South and South East Asia Bandage types for snakebite first aid  Global mapping of snakebite envenoming hotspots To follow us on your favourite podcast platform, go to our show feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Please remember to rate the show! Visit the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT), which provides extensive resources, like the Guide to Healthy Travel, and Guide to Travel Health Insurance. IAMAT is the exclusive sponsor of season 2 of ISTM's Travel Unravelled podcast. The ISTM's Travel Unravelled podcast is produced by Ghost Bureau, the Toronto content agency.   DISCUSSION POINTS00:00 Introduction 01:42 Catching up with Travel Unravelled hosts 03:50 Introducing our guests​ 08:30 Is the fear of snakes an unreasonable concern for travellers? 12:50 Types of snakes: Cytotoxic, Neurotoxic, Hemotoxic 21:07 What to do if you've been bitten by a snake 34:23 Snakebite first aid: Everything you need to know 50:10 Signs and symptoms of snakebite 1:00:02 How to effectively treat a snakebite  1:08:00 Final remarks  

Today, IAMAT, the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers, is a great resource, providing up-to-date information and guidance for globetrotters. But pre-internet, how did healthcare providers warn neighbouring countries about infectious disease? How did travellers properly educate themselves on the necessary precautions before visiting high-risk areas? What did travellers do if the doctor in the destination country didn't speak the same language?  As one of the founders of travel medicine, Dr. Vincenzo Marcolongo established IAMAT in 1960, and dedicated the organization to helping both healthcare providers and travellers access the best possible care, wherever they may be in the world. When Dr. Marcolongo died in 1988, his wife, Assunta Uffer-Marcolongo, took over and continued the work of protecting travellers from infectious disease. In this special episode of the ISTM podcast, our team visits Assunta Uffer-Marcolongo in Toronto to provide our audience with an exclusive look at the evolution of travel medicine from a key participant in its early years, including rare looks at some of the first infectious disease maps, drawings, and questionnaires that shaped how we treat infectious disease today.  LINKS Visit the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT), which provides extensive resources, like the Guide to Healthy Travel, and Guide to Travel Health Insurance. IAMAT also sponsors ISTM's Travel Unravelled podcast. Check out IAMAT's short biography of Dr. Vincenzo Marcolongo. Travel medicine history buffs also may be interested to check out Dr. Robert Steffen's "History of ISTM," featuring both a video seminar and PDFs of Dr. Steffen's slides.  To follow us on your favourite podcast platform, go to our show feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Please remember to rate the show! Produced by Ghost Bureau, the Toronto content agency.

In a mini episode meant to complement our previous "travellers as sentinels for disease" show, ISTM podcast director Dr. Aisha Khatib interviews Prof. Patricia Schlagenhauf, the GeoSentinel Site Director in Zürich, the director of EuroTravNet as well as the Head of the World Health Organization's Collaborating Centre for Travellers' Health. As a professor at the University of Zürich, Prof. Schlagenhauf has led the development of the free ITIT app, an illness tracking platform meant for travellers available on both iOS and Android phones. The effort is meant to provide grass-roots, bottom-up support from travellers themselves to inform illness tracking efforts by public health authorities around the world.    LINKS Learn about the ITIT app, and download it for your iOS or Android phone. Find a video version of this podcast on the episode web page at the ISTM website. Prof. Schlagenhauf is a lead author of an academic paper about the ITIT app and illness tracking among travellers: Surveillance of global, travel-related illness using a novel app: a multivariable, cross-sectional study Travel Unravelled is sponsored by IAMAT, the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. KEY MOMENTS 00:09 Show introduction 00:15 Dr. Aisha Khatib introduces the podcast and the guest, Professor Schlagenhauf 00:57 Professor Schlagenhauf explains the purpose of the ITIT app 01:46 Dr. Aisha Khatib asks about the ITIT app, including where to find it and how to sign up 02:26 Professor Schlagenhauf discusses the ITIT app as a public health asset 02:34 Dr. Aisha Khatib highlights the ITIT app as a way for travellers to contribute to research and surveillance 02:53 Dr. Aisha Khatib emphasizes the app's benefits for travellers 02:59 Dr. Aisha Khatib asks what incentives travellers may have to use the ITIT app 03:48 Professor Schlagenhauf discusses the various features and incentives of the ITIT app 03:58 Dr. Aisha Khatib asks about the availability of the ITIT app for download 04:54 Professor Schlagenhauf highlights the "my ITIT health diary" feature of the app 05:21 Dr. Aisha Khatib asks Professor Schlagenhauf about her favorite area of interest in travel medicine 05:56 Professor Schlagenhauf discusses her interest in malaria and travelers 06:11 Professor Schlagenhauf mentions the potential for data collection and analysis using the ITIT app 06:41 Dr. Aisha Khatib encourages listeners to download and use the ITIT app

ISTM podcast director Dr. Aisha Khatib and digital communications lead Dr. Sarah McGuinness discuss a strange medical case drawn from the pages of the Journal of Travel Medicine. Approximately two billion people around the world are afflicted with toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that typically results from exposure to cat feces. Most of those infected don't have any symptoms, but in some cases, the disease can cause muscle aches, fever and swollen glands. So is it possible that the Brazilian traveller contracted toxoplasmosis from the pink dolphins of the Amazon river? (A mini episode.) LINKS The Journal of Travel Medicine article: "Human toxoplasmosis as a result of swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon river?" By Sylvia Lemos Hinrichsen, PhD, Tatiana Aguiar Santos Vilella, MSc, Reginaldo Gonçalves Lima Neto, PhD The episode web page at ISTM features supplementary pics of Drs. Aisha Khatib and Sarah McGuiness in the Amazon.  Travel Unravelled is sponsored by IAMAT, the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. KEY MOMENTS 00:00 Introduction 00:10 Dr. Aisha Khatib and Dr. Sarah McGuinness introduce the topic of toxoplasmosis. 02:01 Dr. Aisha Khatib and Dr. Sarah McGuinness discuss their own experiences swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon River. 03:10 Explanation of what toxoplasmosis is—a zoonotic disease caused by a parasite that can infect warm-blooded animals, including humans. 04:31 Discussion of how toxoplasmosis is typically transmitted, including through contact with cat feces and eating undercooked meat. 05:57 Uncertainty around how the traveller in the case report contracted toxoplasmosis from swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon. 08:04 Overview of the main transmission routes for toxoplasmosis that travellers should be aware of, including contact with cat feces, eating undercooked meat, and swimming in contaminated water. 11:21 Advice on testing and treatment for toxoplasmosis, particularly for pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems. 13:04 Key takeaways on the importance of good hygiene practices and being aware of potential disease risks when travelling.