Emporiatrics: The Science and the Art of Safe Travel

With a global boom in travel, it becomes imperative to ensure that the journey is safe, the traveller remains healthy, accidents are avoided, and the trip is a memorable experience rather than a health disaster. Emporiatrics, or travel medicine, is a fascinating, challenging and upcoming branch of medicine. It involves pre-travel consultation, discussion of the itinerary, risks of travel, precautions, immunisation, medical prescriptions, and first aid advice. The physician educates the traveller about insect bite avoidance, protection against heat and cold exposure disorders, and food and water precautions. Individualised advice is provided for special travellers, including pregnant women, infants, and patients with diabetes. The specific medical challenges during adventure travel need to be addressed. Lastly, fever in a person returning from distant lands remains a medical mystery to be solved.