Four to six weeks before your departure is best. It is important to complete your immunizations this far in advance to allow good levels of antibodies to be built up in your system by the time you leave.

At the International Travel Clinic, our providers individualize travel medicine recommendations to your specific medical history, itinerary and planned activities abroad to help minimize your risk of exposure to infection. This individual assessment is especially important as vaccine recommendations can change rapidly.

The infectious disease specialists at the International Travel Clinic will conduct a complete evaluation and provide you with:

• a thorough assessment of your medical history as it pertains to the risks of travel and prevention of infection
• general information on how to minimize exposure to insect and water-borne infections, sexually transmitted diseases and other travel tips
• immunizations appropriate to your destination(s), your planned activities while there and your current medical condition
• medications to take with you for treatment of "traveler's diarrhea" and other common ailments
• medication to prevent malaria where appropriate
• educational materials regarding the countries you will be visiting including infectious disease risks
• information on how to access English speaking physicians all over the world who see travelers for fees negotiated by the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT)
• follow-up care on your return if needed

International travelers can contract illnesses from eating certain foods, drinking water and event from an insect bite. Therefore, it is still important to learn about all aspects of travel medicine before you travel. The infectious disease specialists at the International Travel Clinic will help you prevent any bothersome or dangerous illnesses during your trip.

Yes, the Minnesota Department of Health has given us approval to provide clinic as a yellow fever immunization. To provide yellow fever immunization, clinics are required to demonstrate the ability to safely handle and store the yellow fever vaccine because this particular vaccine has extremely stringent environmental control requirements.

It is just as important for you to visit the International Travel Clinic. There may be travel medicine recommendations that are specifically for urban areas. For example, Hepatitis A, Malaria, traveler’s diarrhea and other ailments can be acquired in urban areas.

While many services are covered by insurance, it is important for you to check with your insurance provider to determine whether these travel medicine services are covered by your plan.

If in doubt, put your liquids in checked luggage. Refer to the the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website at www.tsa.gov to determine how to pack medications. They also have special guidelines for travelers with disabilities and medical conditions.

The International Travel Clinic is located in Suite 200 of the Medical Office Building on the Abbott Northwestern Hospital campus in Minneapolis, at 2545 Chicago Avenue. See map for more information.