Windsor Essex County Health Unit
What not to do on your next tropical vacation...
Vacations are a time for recreation,
relaxation and enjoyment. Often, though, a
vacation may also be a source of illness and
injury for travellers. In an attempt to
encourage caution for those travelling to a
developing country, the following are
recommendations of “what not to do” on
your tropical vacation.
Don’t eat from street vendors. Many
travellers want to eat authentic food from
the countries they are visiting. Sit-down
restaurants have hygiene and food storage
facilities that are superior to a street vendor
that would reduce your chances of getting
sick with a food-borne illness.
Don’t drink beverages or water
unless it’s from your resort or in a
commercially-sealed can or bottle.
Unopened and commercially sealed
beverages in cans or bottles (pop or beer),
and drinks made with boiled water and
served steaming hot, such as coffee and tea,
are generally safe. Bring bottled water with
you for day trips.
Don’t get a tattoo. A tattoo may seem
like the perfect souvenir to take home.
However, it may be dangerous to your
health. The risks include exposure to
blood-borne infections such as HIV,
Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
Don’t touch the animals. Cats, dogs,
monkeys, etc. all carry a risk of rabies. Don’t
interact with any animals on your vacation.
Travellers in areas where rabies is constantly
present and where there is limited access to
adequate and safe treatment may want to
have a rabies vaccine before travelling.
Consult a local travel clinic at least six weeks
Click below to
find out more!
Public Health
Agency of Canada
Travel Health
Know someone
travelling to the
tropics? Share this
advice with them!
before you travel.
Don’t get medical or dental work
done. Unless it is a life-threatening
emergency, avoid getting medical care or
dental work done in a developing country.
Don’t swim with marine animals.
The water may look clean but could be
polluted with animal feces. You can get sick
if you swallow contaminated water.
Don’t drink too much alcohol. Use
alcohol responsibly and drink in
moderation. To avoid injuries, stay hydrated
with water and stay in control of your
actions.
Don’t forget to apply sunscreen.
Getting a sunburn will put a damper on
your trip and put you at risk for
dehydration, skin infections and future skin
cancers. Try to apply your first layer of
sunscreen before you leave your room in the
morning and reapply as directed on the
bottle.
Don’t have sex with someone you’ve
just met on vacation. It’s just not a good
idea to have sex with someone you have just
met on vacation because of the risk of
sexually transmitted infections. Condoms
will help reduce your risk, but will not
eliminate all the risk.
As you begin planning your vacation,
visit the Public Health Agency of Canada’s
Travel Health section of their website to
research any travel-related
recommendations for your destination and
great travel tools. Exercise more caution
when travelling with children as they are
even more vulnerable if they becom