Monitoring Our Travel Health During Peace Corps Service
Are you applying to serve in the Peace Corps? And, do you want to know about the health risks of a country you are interested in? Or, are you a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) who wants to stay as healthy as possible during your time in service? Do you want to keep up on your host country’s current health risks? Your travel health is important. You do not have instant access to your doctor anymore. How do you maintain your travel health while overseas? This is not about crime safety. That is a different story.
Do Your Travel Health Research
Living or traveling overseas can be stressful. You may not be prepared for the reality of adjusting to other cultures and languages. It could take a long time to adjust to a new time zone. You are no longer surrounded with your comfort things and support people. Everything is “new”.
Learn your triggers and needs before arriving in country. If you know that you need 9-10 hours of sleep to feel rested, then don’t try to match your roommate who is good with 7 hours of sleep a night. Are you more introverted or used to living alone? Make sure to find some alone time if you are now living with a host family.
If you are a constantly active person, expect to adjust to a very slow pace of life. Do you always arrive 10 minutes early to a meeting? How long will it take you to adapt to waiting a half hour or more for others to arrive to your meeting? Get to know other trainees to build an in-country support system with other PCVs.
Before you leave for training, go to an authentic restaurant or learn to cook some of the foods you expect to eat in-country. Don’t try too many new foods at once. Let your body get used to the food. That also helps you identify any new food allergies.
Research the medications that you have to take in country. What are the side effects? Which foods do you need to avoid? The PCMO may not have fully researched all the in-country foods that might create negative medication interactions. Medical food interaction guidelines in the USA do not usually consider ethnic foods, spices, or eating habits. Those health disparities that becomes much more impactful in-country.
You get the idea!
Health Situations Happen
Applicants have to go through an extensive medical evaluation. We have to prove that we are “healthy enough” to serve. But health situation can happen at any time during service. You need to be diligent in monitoring your health especially if you are not around other PCVs.
But don’t work yourself into a panic waiting for them to happen. Just go enjoy your day. But know how to recognize when they happen. And, be prepared to know what to do when they happen.
These health situations can be the result of various factors and situations:
- Infectious or transmittable diseases
- Changes in temperature, altitude, or humidity
- Injuries and accidents
- Air pollution or air quality issues
- Infection from an untreated cut
- Newly discovered allergies to foods, products, or environment
- Too much exposure to sun or high temperatures
- Medication side effects
- Insufficient access to health services and products
- Misdiagnosed or untreated medical situation
- Limited access to safe food and clean water
- Lack of proper sanitation and hygiene
- Limited availablity of medical facilities and personnel
- Too much physical or social isolation or stimulation
- Lack of sufficient sleep or ineffective sleep schedule
- High amounts of consistent stress
- Insufficient amount of physical exercise or activities
- Lack of mental stimulation
- Unsafe situations
At times, you may find yourself is situations that you cannot control. But control the ones you can. Practice healthy habits. It will make your service go much smoother.
Monitor Yourself During Service
Keep an eye on yourself. You can tell the difference. If something doesn’t feel right or you are in pain, identify the cause. Then treat the cause. Don’t mask or ignore it. Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong.
A bout of diarrhea is not unexpected. In fact, it would be surprising if you didn’t! But do you know how to help your body recover from it? And how much is too much? Don’t expect to have easy access to medical help. The nearest medical facility could be hours away. There is no Walgreens, CVS, or Rite-Aid on the every other block anymore.
Get to know your body. Are there new spots, bruises that don’t heal, patches of discolored skin, losing hair, creaking joints, etc.? What is normal and what is new?
New Global Travel Health Section in the RPCV-HC Resource Library
Learn about the prevalent health diseases and concerns of your host country. Are there any new or recent health notices for that country of service? How do you recognize the symptoms?
RPCV Health Crusade created a new International Travel Health section in our RPCV-HC Resource Library. We already collected a number of resources to help you monitor health events and risks in-country. Now you don’t have to wait to be notified of new infectious diseases in the area.
The Travel Health section also includes ways to locate travel clinics. The RPCV-HC Resource Library also has links to health information portals. Here you can learn the most medical concerns and their symptoms.
Take Ownership of Your Travel Health
Health situations happen. Some you can’t avoid. But some you can. Pay attention. Rely on your gut. Try not to run to the PCMO for every bump, bruise, cut, or sniffle. But if it doesn’t feel or look right, if you are feeling disoriented, or you are in pain, then time is a factor. Contact the PCMO as soon as possible. Make sure it is documented so that the details are there just in case you are no longer able. If the medical office is not responding quick enough, contact the PC office in Washington DC for help.
Learn what to expect. Learn how to avoid health issues. And learn the symptoms so you know if it happens. Be a partner in taking care of your travel health while serving overseas. Do not rely completely on the PCMO.
We are not trying to scare you. But sh*t happens! We want you to serve safely so you can enjoy your time in service. And we want you to come home safely!