Prevention

Prevention is better than cure. All travellers need to be aware of the key strategies for minimising the risk of acquiring influenza of any type.

The human influenza virus is transmitted by airborne droplets from coughs and sneezes, which are then either inhaled by another person, or picked up on hands from touching surfaces upon which the droplets have settled and wiped into mouth, eyes or nose accidentally.

So travellers should avoid close proximity to people coughing and sneezing where possible, and move out of the way where an individual is sneezing and creating airborne droplets.

Wearing a mask can be useful if close contact with symptomatic people is unavoidable, however ordinary surgical masks are not very effective in this capacity, although do have some effect. They are more use for the person sneezing, where they reduce the airborne droplets. Full protection requires the use of an N95 mask, which is more expensive, and more uncomfortable to wear.

Frequent hand-washing is helpful, and where ordinary soap and water are not easily available, the use of antiseptic self-drying hand gel is recommended. This is widely available and cheap. Washing hands before eating is important, and generally hands should be kept away from eyes, nose and mouth. Washing hands after frequent hand-shaking is also recommended.

Being vaccinated with annual influenza vaccine is useful. The current vaccine will prevent infection with the influenza strains contained in the vaccine, and cannot transmit the disease. While any pandemic strain is unknown, it is also unknown if the current vaccine will offer any immunity. It does not appear to offer immunity against the current avian strains, but a pandemic strain may have human virus elements in it, against which the vaccine may have some benefit. We simply do not know.

What we do know is that by avoiding human influenza, that traveller will not be the person who gets co-infected with an avian strain to produce the novel (or new) pandemic strain.

Prevention using antiviral drugs is a special topic that needs specific medical oversight. There may be individual travellers who have unavoidable exposure to avian influenza risk who may well be best managed with direct access to specific antivirals, but these need to be carefully and thoughtfully managed. Generally it is inappropriate for routine travellers to be carrying antiviral agents.

Travel Doctor-TMVC clinics provide expert advice and Travellers Flu kits, which contain gloves, masks, handgel and tamiflu, for assisting international travellers manage their risk.