Jean Sargent of Bainbridge Island, Washington, wrote, “I would be interested in reading how people deal with health and travel. What are the best sources for travel health advice? Do you recommend using a travel health service and, if so, how do you choose a good one? What health issues have arisen on trips that you wished you’d been aware of so you could have asked advice from your doctor before leaving home?
Jean Sargent of Bainbridge Island, Washington, wrote, “I would be interested in reading how people deal with health and travel. What are the best sources for travel health advice?
In the letter “Tips on Booking Hotels and on Insurance” (March ’19, pg. 14), a subscriber wrote, regarding travel insurance, “I used to purchase insurance on every air ticket; the airlines made it so convenient. Then one day I realized that I rarely cancel or change flights, so I would only be on the hook for the amount of the cancellation penalty that the airline would charge. The rest of the value would be available to me as a credit toward a future flight. Now I only insure the amount of the cancellation penalty, not the entire value of the tickets.”
While flossing my teeth in Cienfuegos, Cuba, I accidentally pulled off a dental crown. I called my dentist, who recommended finding a dentist in Cuba to re-cement the crown ASAP. He said if I waited until I returned to the US, my teeth might shift and I could require an expensive new crown.
As soon as our tour group returned to Havana (Jan. 17, 2019), my tour leader directed me to the 24-hour medical/dental clinic Clinica Central Cira García (Calle 20, #4101, Esq a Ave 41, Miramar, Playa, La Habana, Cuba; phone +53 7204 2811, www.cirag.cu/en).
Since Jan. 1, 2019, more than 11,000 people, mostly children, have contracted measles in the Philippines, largely in the capital, Manila, and at least 189 people have died from the disease. Officials blame vaccine fears for reducing the number of inoculated children in the country. Officials hope a vaccine drive, focused on Manila, will end the outbreak by April.
There are basically two types of overseas emergency-medical-evacuation policies. First is the type of coverage supplied by Divers Alert Network, or DAN (Durham, NC; 800/446-2671, www.diversalertnetwork.org).
DAN is primarily designed for scuba divers, but anyone can join. Their basic coverage is called "DAN Membership," and for a year's protection the cost is $35 for an individual or $55 for a family (including spouse or domestic partner and children under 24 in school and unmarried).
Late on the night of Dec. 6, rebel militia in the Democratic Republic of the Congo killed at least 18 civilians in two separate attacks near the eastern city of Beni, which lies in the midst of the region currently experiencing an outbreak of ebola. Rebels have attacked Congolese military and medical staff since the beginning of the outbreak on Aug. 1, 2018, causing difficulties in treating patients and preventing the disease.
Dear Globetrotter:
Welcome to the 513th issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine.
As of July 1, more than 41,000 people living in Europe had been diagnosed with measles this year — nearly double the 23,927 infections documented in all of 2017 — and at least 37 had died. The number of documented cases in 2018 is a record, according to the World Health Organization.
Some of the hardest-hit countries, with measles cases in the thousands, are France, Greece, Russia and Serbia. In Ukraine, alone, there were 19,971 cases between Jan. 1 and June 30. Doctors blame a reduction in vaccination rates for the outbreak.
Falconry is a popular sport in the United Arab Emirates, and visitors in Abu Dhabi can tour the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital (Sweihan Road, Al Shamkha; phone +971 2 575 5155), the world’s largest and most advanced falcon hospital.
A 2-hour tour ($62 per person) begins at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Sunday through Thursday. Visitors learn about the history of falconry, see examples of medical care and can each hold a falcon on their arm.
Book through Viator (www.viator.com); type “Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital” in the search box.