b"EXPERT TIPS FOR TRAVELING ABROAD WITH CHILDRENDr Natalie Prevatt: The Children's Travel DocQ: Ive never traveled internationally with children and my new work family is planning a bigWhat to Pack trip overseas. What should we pack to deal with typical childhood illnesses and how do weprevent travel-related illness abroad?Over-the-counter travelsickness medication A: The risks of specific travel-related illnesses, As a nanny, it is wise to have something to offerrangingfromMalariatoDengueandmany those in your care once you are abroad, with theSuntan lotion and hats for more, are really related to where families visit parents' permission of course. Some conditions arechildren (always above abroad,sooncetheyhavedecidedtheir commonwhereveryouaretravelingforholiday,SPF 15) destination, it is essential to have a pre-travel andsoyoucanpackwelltoprepareforthese.assessment at a travel medicine clinic. At the These ailments include issues like traveler's diarrheaSun-pods and sun pre-travel assessment, the clinician will advise anddehydration,sunburn,heatrash,andinsectprotective clothing for whichmedicationsandvaccinesareneeded bites.babies for the travel destination. The disease risks varyby age group, but most risks are more common Its also wise to test any suntan lotion and repellentInsect repellent andmoresevereinchildren,sofamilieswith sprayinadvanceoftheholidayforsensitivityinyoung children should make it a priority to have young children, since if their skin is sensitive to itOver-the-counter apre-travelassessmentatleastsixweeks you won't be able to use it on the holiday.antihistamines before traveling. For children with existing health conditions, such asHand-sanitizing gel Themostcommoninfectiousdiseaseinall asthmaandallergies,thepre-travelclinictravelers, would you believe, is influenza, or the assessment is essential. In addition to always takingAntibacterial cream or common flu. So no matter where families go, if spares of inhalers and other medicine, if childrenspray for cuts they are travelling through crowds in airports, have diabetes or epilepsy, for example, then theirtrains, and ships, or visiting touristy places with doses need to be carefully considered due to timePlasters/ band-aids lots of people, then a flu vaccination is always zone changes. Pediatric advice should be soughtagoodidea.It'salsoimportanttonotethat prior to travel.Thermometer although the flu is a winter disease in the UKandUS,itisprevalentatdifferenttimesof Finally, I think it is important to realize that some ofParacetamol and year in different climates.the most common travel problems for children areIbuprofen for pain or notinfectious!Theyareinfactroadtrafficfever Ofcourse,nowtheworldiswatchingand accidents, drowning, and getting lost, so be surewaiting to see what will happen with another yoursafetyplansarecurrentandfollowbestOral rehydration solution flu-like illness, the COVID-19 virus. This virus is practices for safe travel.spreading internationally, and so it is possibleDrPrevattrecommendsthese thattravelingwithamaskforallfamilyitems and others found in her membersmaybeagoodplan,incaseachild-specific travel kits, which memberofyourpartyisstuckseatednearshehasavailableforsale. someonewithflu-likesymptoms.ItisalsoaCheck out Dr Prevatt's website good idea to check your government's foreignatChildrensTravelDoc.com for travel website for updates to see if the countymoreofhertrustedtravel you'll be visiting has any recent warnings aboutadvice and to purchase a kit. disease outbreaks.ChildrensTravelDoc.com DR NATALIE PREVATTDr Prevatt is a leading travel medicine professional and an infectious diseases pediatrician from London, England. She runs a national clinic forchildren travelling with complex health problems and a private website advising on all travel health issues for children, either going on holidays ormoving to live abroad. The website also sells travel medicine kits for children by age group. Dr Prevatt is a committee member of the British GlobalTravel Health Association and sits on the board of International Society for Travel Medicine Paediatric special Interest group.NannyMag.com35"