Traveling to the east or southeast

 Traveling after serving in the army is very common amongst Israelis. They usually travel to eastern countries such as India, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. These countries are third-world countries that have different diseases than Israel and lower the quality of healthcare. Due to the climate and local hygiene standards, the risks of illness are generally higher than in more developed parts of the world.  Therefore, it is essential to be prepared and make sure you have updated standard vaccines.

Recommended vaccines

• Typhoid – this is a very infectious disease that is spread through water and food. It gives a high and slowly progressive fever and headache. A dry cough and stomach pain may accompany it. The Typhoid vaccine isn't 100% effective. Therefore, we recommend that you boil bottled water and only then drink from it. Boiling the water will get rid of any extra bacteria.

• Hepatitis A - Hepatitis A is a virus affecting the liver. It usually spreads through contaminated food or water. Therefore, we recommend that you boil bottled water and only then drink from it. Boiling the water will get rid of any extra bacteria. We also recommend not to eat food that is made in an area with poor hygiene. Eat hot, cooked food and pasteurized dairy products. Canned goods are okay to eat, with clean utensils.

• Malaria – before you travel, you must get medication against Malaria. These pills must be taken before, during, and after your trip.

Diseases like malaria are easily spread through mosquito bites. The mosquitos in Israel are less aggressive than the mosquitoes in the east and southeast. Therefore, once you get to your destination, it is important to buy local mosquito spray (the mosquito spray from Israel won't be effective). It is important to apply the mosquito spray daily to exposed skin and sleep with a mosquito net around your bed.

Elephant rides are an adventure that most tourists wish to experience. What most people don't know is that elephants carry a lot of diseases. Elephants can carry human tuberculosis (TB), a bacterial disease that is the leading infectious cause of human deaths worldwide. It is contagious through skin contact. Therefore, we recommend wearing long pants with socks while riding elephants.

We recommend when you travel to take this medical advice seriously. Otherwise, you can harm yourself and others, even when you return home!! For more information, you can visit https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/.

FROM EVERYONE AT EMA CARE- WE WISH YOU SAFE TRAVELS!