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Travel Conditions in
Honduras, Nicaragua, November 16, 1998 The Department of State has warned U.S. citizens that dangerous conditions exist in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, the countries most affected by Hurricane Mitch. Because of the disruption of land transportation, there may be shortages of food, medicine, and other supplies normally delivered by road. Water supplies have been polluted or interrupted by flooding. Electricity and telephone services have been disrupted in many areas. Medical services are overextended by the needs of victims of the disaster. Despite a massive international relief effort, normal services are being restored slowly. It is impossible to predict when the infrastructure will be capable of normal function. Under these circumstances, CDC highlights the importance of recommended vaccines for all travelers who must visit Central America. All routine immunizations should be up to date, and vaccinations for hepatitis A and typhoid are essential. Recommendations for preventing malaria have not changed: travelers should take chloroquine to prevent malaria if they visit rural areas (except the highlands of Guatemala, where there is no malaria). CDC's routinely recommended prevention measures assume even greater importance in the aftermath of a natural disaster. (See http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm) However, these recommendations may be very difficult to follow when normal services are disrupted. Because of interruption of power supplies, refrigeration may not be reliable, necessitating increased care with food. Drinking water should be boiled or disinfected; bottled water may not be available. To ensure safe drinking water-
For more information about conditions in the areas affected by this natural disaster, you may wish to consult the consular advisories posted by the Department of State at http://travel.state.gov * The use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply an endorsement by the Public Health Service or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. |
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