Travel Health

Post-Travel Care

Most travellers return home in good health with a few souvenirs and lasting memories. But if you've been ill, especially while travelling to regions where disease is prevalent, or if you develop symptoms after you return, you may have brought more than just handicrafts home with you.

Many diseases do not show up immediately. Some take weeks to months to develop. For example, 90% of travellers who get malaria do not become ill until after they return home.² If you become ill with a fever or flu-like illness while travelling or up to 1 year after returning home, see your doctor. Tell your doctor the regions you visited and about any exposure to disease.

In addition to a fever, the returned traveller should be aware of other symptoms. You should see your doctor if you have persistent or intermittent diarrhea, a skin rash or sores, jaundice (typically most noticeable when the whites of the eyes appear yellow), unexplained weight loss, shortness of breath, or fatigue.

If you have been healthy during your trip and feel well when you return home, you probably don't need to see a doctor.

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Author:	Douglas Dana Monica Rhodes	Last Updated: July 9, 2007
Medical Review:	Wajeeh E. Nasser, MD - Family Medicine Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine W. David Colby IV, MSc, MD, FRCPC - Infectious Disease
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