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Monday, 10th March 2008

Resource of the Week: CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008 (The Yellow Book)

Resource of the Week: CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008 (The Yellow Book)
By Shirl Kennedy, Senior Editor

The venerable Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy has long been informally acknowledged as the hypochondriac's bible. However, the traveling hypochondriac may be much more interested in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Yellow Book.

The Yellow Book is published every two years by CDC as a reference for those who advise international travelers of health risks. The Yellow Book is written primarily for health care providers, although others might find it useful.

And not just the mainstream hypochondriac who, having exhausted the possibilities in the Merck Manual, is looking for more exotic diseases about which to obsess. This resource has attracted a diverse clientele in the 25 or so years since it was first published as a pamphlet that advised travelers on how to prevent such diseases as smallpox. The Yellow Book has proven to be a useful reference for the travel industry, international businesses, missionary and humanitarian aid organizations, and just plain regular folks who are planning a vacation abroad.

You can get a quick idea as to the scope of this resource by browsing what's new in the 2008 edition, including updated yellow fever requirements and recommendations, updated malaria information, and a variety of new sections:


The 2008 edition also includes new maps:

Maps updated from previous editions include:

While you can order a hard copy of the Yellow Book for $24.95 from Elsevier, it's convenient and easy to use it online. Either do a simple keyword search to zero in on what you want, or browse via the Table of Contents. The 2008 Yellow Book comprises nine chapters:

  1. Introduction
  2. Pre- and Post-travel General Health Recommendations
  3. Geographic Distribution of Potential Health Hazards to Travelers (organized regionally)
  4. Prevention of Specific Infectious Diseases (alphabetical)
  5. Yellow Fever Vaccine Requirements and Information on Malaria Risk and Prophylaxis, by Country
  6. Non-Infectious Risks During Travel (i.e., jet lag, motion sickness, altitude sickness, food poisoning, deep vein thrombosis, etc.)
  7. Conveyance and Transportation Issues (i.e., sanitation or lack thereof on cruise ships, ventilation and air quality in aircraft cabins, transportation of human or animal remains, importation and registry of live animals)
  8. International Travel with Infants and Young Children
  9. Advising Travelers with Specific Needs (i.e., "The Immunocompromised Traveler," pregnant women, people with various disabilities, etc.)

Lists of links to tables (i.e., Antimotion Sickness Medications) and maps (i.e., Areas of risk for travelers’ diarrhea) are also available.

An introduction to the Yellow Book, aimed at the general public, is available as a CDC podcast.

The CDC actually offers a comprehensive Traveler's Health section on its website, which includes such things as easily accessible health information for specific countries, bird flu travel info, a list of related resources, and specific information for students, the elderly, disaster relief workers, and people traveling with pets. You'll also find news of current outbreaks and other timely information here.

Bonus resources:
+ International Travel and Health 2007 Edition (World Health Organization)
+ Medical Information for Americans Abroad (U.S. Department of State)
+ MossRehab ResourceNet: Accessible Travel (Albert Einstein Healthcare Network)
+ Multilingual Glossary of technical and popular medical terms in nine European Languages (Heymans Institute of Pharmacology)
+ National Travel Health Network and Centre (UK)
+ Travel Health (Public Health Agency of Canada)
+ Traveler's Health (MedlinePlus)


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