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 POINTS

00:00 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