If you’re travelling out of the country, it’s important to know the risks that can affect your personal health and safety. There are steps you can take to protect yourself before, during and after your trip is over.
Planning ahead also helps to lower stress and make your trip more enjoyable. Find the information you need to protect yourself against travel-related injuries, illnesses, diseases and infections that may be prevented.
It’s important to think about how you’ll travel, where you’ll be staying, who you’ll be travelling with and what you’ll be doing throughout your trip
Thinking about all of these things before you go will help to prevent any injuries, new conditions or illnesses that could affect a pregnancy or harm a developing baby if you become pregnant. Plan ahead, starting from the time you leave your doorstep to the time that you return home. Include any stopovers that happen during your trip.
Talk with your health care provider about any health conditions you have to make sure that you can manage your health while you’re away from home. Make sure that you have a good supply of any prescribed medicine that you need, and a little bit extra in case there are delays. Remember to take your MedList with you.
There may also be other health and safety risks (including diseases and health conditions) that you need to think about. This could be based on climate at the location that you’re going to.
Depending on the risks, you may need:
It’s important to get advice from your health care provider at least 6 weeks before you travel out of the country so that you have time to prepare.
If you’re travelling out of country and need travel immunization help, talk to a health care provider at a private travel health clinic, your doctor, or your pharmacist.
Zika is a virus is that is carried by infected mosquitoes. The species of mosquitoes that transmit the virus are found in warmer climates. Countries or areas affected by Zika virus are reported in travel health notices updated by the Government of Canada.
Zika virus can be spread by:
Since there is no vaccine to prevent Zika virus or medication to treat the Zika virus infection, it is important to protect you and your partner from the virus and to prevent an unintended pregnancy.
For more information about the Zika virus, including how it is spread, how to stay safe, and impacts on a developing baby if an unintended pregnancy occurs, visit the Government of Canada’s site
For information about travel outside Canada, visit the Government of Canada’s travel outside Canada page.
Visit Travel Advice and Advisories for travel information by destination and COVID-19 Travel page for general information about COVID-19 and travel.
Talk with your health care provider, call Health Link at 811 or contact a private travel health clinic.
Ready or Not contains a lot of information. So we created My To-Do List for you to use as a personal reminder, share with your partner, or bring to your next check-up.
Be sure to click “Add this to my To-Do List” anytime you see something you want to print, email, save, or share. Because we do not ask for any personal information, your list will only be saved for a week after your last added item.
