Pre-travel vaccination and medical prophylaxis in the pregnant traveler.
BACKGROUND
Practitioners are often fearful of giving vaccinations and prophylactic medications to pregnant travelers. And yet pregnancy is often a time of heightened danger from travel-related infections and illnesses.


METHODS
Literature search and communication with researchers.


RESULTS
With a few exceptions, there is little systematic research regarding the use of prophylactic medications and vaccines during pregnancy. Case reports and small studies do, however, indicate an increased risk in pregnancy from many of the preventable illnesses, and there is some data to support the use of preventive measures.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors present some non-medical interventions that may be used to limit exposure to a number of disease processes. They then review the available information regarding the safety and efficacy of routine and travel-related vaccines as well as prophylactic medications for malaria, diarrhea, motion sickness and altitude sickness. When there are no obstetrical or medical contraindications, travel-related illness can usually be safely prevented during pregnancy in much the same ways as in the non-pregnant state.
Carroll
I Dale
ID
The Pregnant Traveler, 18691 Pinecrest Lane, Spring Lake, MI 49456 USA. travdoc@travdoc.com
Williams
Damian C
DC