These include the usual ones you would get at home, colds, sore throats, and other infections. Take proper medications, or try to get access to good medical care whilst abroad.
Jet lag
Cause – crossing many time zones in a short space of time.
Symptoms – disorientation, tiredness, and irritability for several days after a long journey.
Treatment – take time to become oriented to the local time and climate when you arrive. Outdoor activity and exercise can help. Some take Melatonin or a short-acting sleeping pill. Afternoon naps can help also.
Prevention – rest well before leaving home. Sleep on the aeroplane on long journeys. Drink plenty of water.
Motion sickness
Prevention – if you are susceptible to motion sickness, Dramamine pills work better if taken before symptoms develop. Scopolamine ear patches may also help. While at sea or riding a bus get as much fresh air as possible, and focus vision towards the horizon. Think pleasant thoughts. Avoid greasy or spicy foods.
Altitude sickness
Found – occurs at altitudes above 8000 feet (2500 meters). About twenty-five percent of travellers to high altitudes will be affected, but younger people are more susceptible.
Cause – ascending to altitude before the body has time to adjust to the lower air pressure and lower oxygen content of the air.
Symptoms – mild and flu-like, such as headache, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue. Insomnia often results due to shortness of breath. Usually these symptoms last only a short time as the body adjusts. Many travellers have trouble sleeping their first night or two in high-altitude cities.
Severe cases result in fluid buildup in the lungs. This leads to intense breathlessness, coughing and wheezing. Fluid may also build-up in the brain, leading to severe headache, seizures, vomiting, hallucinations, and even coma.
Treatment for mild cases – is usually just rest. Plan for an easy day or two upon landing in a high-altitude city. Aspirin may help. Avoid alcohol and drink plenty of fluids.
Treatment for severe cases – requires immediate action. Don’t wait until morning or the victim may die or suffer brain damage. They should be brought down at least two or three thousand feet and have oxygen administered. They should also be brought to a hospital as soon as possible where diuretic drugs may be given.
Prevention – best by slowly gaining altitude. If you walk to gain altitude you can go back down a few thousand feet if you begin feeling symptoms. One rule of thumb is to always sleep below the highest altitude achieved that day.
