As a health-care provider, you will play a key role in helping travelers have a safe and healthy experience at the 2008 Olympic Games.
The following checklist provides general recommendations based on current disease risks associated with travel to China, which may help you advise your patients during pre-travel clinical consultations. This checklist is meant only as a tool. Because recommendations for vaccines and medications depend on many factors specific to each traveler’s health status and planned itinerary, your own assessment will determine the extent to which these general recommendations apply to each traveler.
Vaccines recommended for most travelers to China
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis A vaccination is recommended for all unvaccinated individuals traveling throughout China where exposure might occur through food or water. Cases of travel-related hepatitis A can also occur in travelers to developing countries with “standard” tourist itineraries, accommodations, and food consumption behaviors. Detailed information about vaccine and immune globulin alternatives and their recommended schedules is available in the Hepatitis, Viral, Type A section of the Yellow Book (CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008).
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all unvaccinated individuals traveling to China, especially those who might be exposed to blood or body fluids, have sexual contact with the local population, or be exposed through medical treatment (e.g., for an accident). Detailed information about vaccine alternatives and their recommended schedules is available in the Hepatitis, Viral, Type B section of the Yellow Book (CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008).
- Typhoid fever
- Typhoid fever vaccination is recommended for all unvaccinated individuals traveling to China, especially if visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas and staying with friends or relatives in areas where exposure might occur through food or water. Detailed information about vaccine alternatives and their recommended schedules is available in the Typhoid Fever section of the Yellow Book (CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008).
- Influenza
- Yearly influenza vaccination is recommended for all unvaccinated individuals traveling to China. Caution travelers to avoid poultry farms, contact with all poultry, as well as surfaces that may have been contaminated by poultry feces or secretions, and animals in live-food markets. Detailed information about vaccine alternatives and their recommended schedules is available in the Influenza section of the Yellow Book (CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008).
- Routine vaccinations
- All routine vaccinations are recommended for individuals who are not up-to-date with the recommended routine vaccinations for their age group or are unable to confirm their immune status by official records or laboratory testing. These routine vaccinations may include measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, poliovirus vaccine, etc. Detailed information about vaccine alternatives and their recommended schedules is available on the Immunization Schedules webpage.
Vaccines recommended for some travelers
- Japanese encephalitis
- Japanese encephalitis vaccination is recommended for individuals who plan to have extensive outdoor, evening and nighttime exposures in rural farming areas of China or who plan to spend more than 30 days in China. Detailed information about the vaccine and recommended schedules is available in the Japanese Encephalitis section of the Yellow Book (CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008).
- Rabies
- Rabies vaccination is recommended for individuals traveling to China who plan to spend a lot of time outdoors, especially in rural areas, involved in activities such as bicycling, camping, hiking, or work, as well as for those who plan to spend more than 30 days in China. Also, children are considered at higher risk because they tend to play with animals, may receive more severe bites, or may not report bites. Detailed information about rabies vaccination and recommended schedules is available in the Rabies section of the Yellow Book (CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008).
Note: Rabies vaccine is temporarily in limited supply. For updates on the rabies vaccine supply, please check the Rabies News and Highlights page regularly. (Updated June 18, 2008)
Additional prescriptions travelers may need
- Malaria prophylaxis
- Travelers to cities and popular tourist areas, including Yangtze River cruises, are not at risk and do not need to take chemoprophylaxis. Antimalarials are only recommended for individuals traveling to rural areas in the following provinces: Hainan, Yunnan, Fuijan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Tibet (in the Zangbo River valley only), Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Shandong. In provinces with risk, transmission exists in rural communities below 1,500 meters only during warm weather: north of latitude 33°N, July-November; between latitude 25°N and 33°N, May-December. South of latitude 25°N, transmission occurs year-round.
An interactive Malaria Risk Map that provides location-specific information on current CDC assessments of malaria risk regions and recommendations for preventive malaria treatment is available through the CDC Malaria branch website.
Detailed information about antimalarial drugs and recommended schedules is available in the Malaria section of the Yellow Book (CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008).
For additional clinical assistance, please phone the CDC Malaria Hotline (770-488-7788) from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern standard time. - Antibiotic for travelers’ diarrhea
- China is a high-risk destination for travelers’ diarrhea, affecting an average of 30%–50% of individuals traveling for a period of at least 1- to 2-weeks. Detailed information about prevention and treatment options is available in the Travelers’ Diarrhea section of the Yellow Book (CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008).
- Prescriptions travelers normally take
- Be sure that individuals who need to take other prescription or over-the-counter medicines during their trip to China have a more than adequate supply. Advise them to carry all medications as well as copies of their prescriptions in their carry-on luggage.
- Prescription for breathing problems
- Due to air pollution in urban areas, individuals with asthma or other breathing problems may need additional medication to control their symptoms.
Additional recommendations
Vaccination does not replace the need for practicing general health and safety habits in China. Following safe food and water practices, wearing seatbelts, using insect repellent, and avoiding contact with animals are among the many healthy behaviors that can help ensure a safe and healthy trip to China.
For additional resources regarding pre-travel consultations, please visit the Presentations for Health Professionals webpage.
For additional travel health and vaccine information, visit the CDC Travelers’ Health website.
Booster schedules
Many travelers may have received some or all of the recommended vaccines for travel to China in the past. Revaccination (booster) schedules for common travel-related vaccinations are available in the General Recommendations for Vaccination and Immunoprophylaxis section of the Yellow Book (CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008).
For primary-care physicians
Feeling a little lost with all the issues to consider for your patients?
Many travelers choose to visit their primary-care physician for pre-travel consultation and vaccination. Travelers with special medical conditions or concerns that may impact vaccine and travel recommendations may need a referral to a travel medicine specialist. These travelers may include:
To locate a travel medicine specialist in your area, consult the directories located at: http://www.istm.org (International Society of Travel Medicine—ISTM) or http://www.astmh.org (American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene—ASTMH). CDC provides these directories as a courtesy to the public but does not endorse any one health-care provider over the other.
