You may get infected during travel but not have symptoms until you get home. If you recently traveled and feel sick, particularly if you have a fever, talk to your healthcare provider, and tell them about your travel.

Contact your healthcare provider if you feel sick

Contact your healthcare provider if you feel sick after your trip. Sharing the following information may help your healthcare provider identify possible diseases or infections:

• Your vaccination history.
• Where you traveled.
• Your reasons for traveling.
• Your travel activities, including swimming, hiking, etc.
• The timeframe of your vacation.
• Where you stayed, such as hotels, family or friends’ homes, hostels, or tents.
• What you ate and drank.
• Animals you had close contact with or touched.
• If you have any injuries, scratches, or bug bites.
• Health care or medications you received during your trip.
• Close contact with other people, including sexual encounters.
• If you got any tattoos or piercings.

If your healthcare provider has trouble determining why you are feeling sick, you may want to ask to speak with an infectious disease doctor or travel medicine specialist. Find a clinic for a travel medicine specialist.

Long-term Travelers

Long-term travelers, such as expatriate workers, Peace Corps volunteers, or missionaries, have a greater risk of getting infected, sometimes without symptoms, during travel. If you are a long-term traveler, consider having a thorough medical exam or interview with your healthcare provider after you return to the United States.

More Information:

• The Post Travel Evaluation in CDC Yellow Book
• Long-Term Travelers & Expatriates in CDC Yellow Book
• Screening Asymptomatic Returned Travelers in CDC Yellow Book