By Robert H. Page MD & Curtis P. Page MD
Authors, Mexico: Health and Safety Travel Guide
For more information visit medtogo.com
Jellyfish
Many of Mexico’s most beautiful beaches harbor the treacherous jellyfish. Twenty or more species are common in the waters around Mexico; most cause painful stings. Some are harmless but even a few rare species can be fatal. Jellyfish tentacles are armed with thousands of tiny needle-like filaments that can deliver small doses of venom just below the surface of a victim’s skin. Stings can be very painful, especially if an extensive area of the body is involved. Children, asthmatics, or people with a history of significant allergies may be badly affected, and some cases of respiratory distress and shock have been reported. Seek medical attention if there is shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, severe dizziness, or a severe rash after a sting.
Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD are authors of the MEXICO: Health and Safety Travel Guide and the Healthy Traveler Regional Series. For more information visit medtogo.com
Jet Lag
Your body is regulated by light/dark cycles that trigger the rhythmic release of hormones throughout the day. When you cross multiple time zones, you are exposed to light and darkness at uncommon times. As a result, your natural hormonal rhythms may be drastically disrupted, creating symptoms such as daytime fatigue, reduced mental and physical performance, irritability, or general malaise.
Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD are authors of the MEXICO: Health and Safety Travel Guide and the Healthy Traveler Regional Series. For more information visit medtogo.com
Retirees, imagine what would happen if the U.S. government paid all of your medical bills- anywhere in the world you decided you wanted to go. Now, don’t forget to pinch yourself before you hit the snooze button. Unfortunately, Medicare stops at the border, so if you get hurt injured or fall ill oversees, you will be responsible for your own medical bills. This means that many retirees are hesitant to look outside the comfortable walls of their own country when considering places to retire. Others take out an international health insurance policy prior to travel, especially if they are planning to live abroad for any extended period of time.
Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD are authors of the MEXICO: Health and Safety Travel Guide and the Healthy Traveler Regional Series. For more information visit medtogo.com
Expatriates living in Mexico: Expats living in Mexico have other considerations and better economic choices not commonly shared with the short-term traveler.
First, there is no need for evacuation to a home country. Second, because many expats have developed a working understanding of Spanish and a comfort level with Mexican culture they can often find lower costs for just about everything including health care. With the right research, health care is extremely affordable in Mexico with or without health insurance. Many comprehensive private insurance policies are very affordable.
The Mexican government, through the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS for its Mexican initials), provides affordable health insurance for all residents of Mexico regardless of nationality. (See “Mexican Health-Care System in Plain English,” at the www.MedToGo.com website.)
Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD are authors of the MEXICO: Health and Safety Travel Guide and the Healthy Traveler Regional Series. For more information visit medtogo.com
Needless to say, the Mayan Riviera is rapidly becoming a magnet for a growing number of offshore retirees looking for their own share of paradise. But even in paradise, planning for possible major medical expenses must be taken as seriously as it would back home.
Many expats think that moving in with their health policy from home is enough. After all, any major medical situation could be treated back there and the local system would be exclusively for “minor” issues. This logic works fine as long as a “major medical issue” actually permits traveling back to your home country for treatment. In most cases that is simply not recommendable, if not impossible.
Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD are authors of the MEXICO: Health and Safety Travel Guide and the Healthy Traveler Regional Series. For more information visit medtogo.com
The United States’ health care crisis has become a huge issue in the 2008 presidential campaign trail. Democratic candidates are proposing more inclusive proposals to resolve the gaps in coverage, inefficiencies and costs that North Americans face. Today, there are over 45 million uninsured and 25 million underinsured individuals in the United States. The problems of the US healthcare system are highlighted in filmmaker Michael Moore's latest documentary Sicko, which compares the headaches and bureaucracies of private health care management organizations (HMOs) to the universal healthcare regimes in Canada, France, Great Britain, and Cuba. North Americans are clamoring for changes in the US health care system, but solutions provided by politicians and bureaucrats will unlikely come to fruition for years. In the meantime and until hospitals can provide affordable medical procedures, many individuals have opted to find quality care at a fraction of the cost in Thailand, India, Singapore and Malaysia. Another growing destination in what has become known as medical tourism is the U.S.'s southern neighbor—Mexico.
Traveling with Diabetes
Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD are authors of the MEXICO: Health and Safety Travel Guide. For more information visit medtogo.com
Diabetes
Having diabetes should not limit most people from traveling, yet a certain amount of education can help prevent diabetes-associated complications. Following a regular and routine lifestyle of sleep, exercise, caloric intake, and medication dosage best regulates diabetes. Adjusting to time zone changes, unregulated meals, and irregular sleep-wake cycles are some of the many challenges diabetics face due to the unpredictable nature of traveling. Furthermore, since many diabetics, suffer an impeded ability to heal infections, we offer advice about how to prevent and manage minor, common infections and when to seek medical attention.
Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD are authors of the MEXICO: Health and Safety Travel Guide and the Healthy Traveler Regional Series. For more information visit medtogo.com
Air ambulance services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year throughout Mexico and the United States. Cost of typical air transport from Mexico to the United States or Canada can be from US$13,000–US$25,000 or more, depending on severity of illness and requirements of the patient during flight. The entire bill must be paid prior to the aircraft’s takeoff. The medical transport company will work to secure authorization for transport with your insurance provider if this is a covered benefit. Usually family members may accompany the patient at no additional cost.
Remember, many insurance policies simply do not cover emergency transportation, regardless of the degree of emergency. Medicare does not cover emergency air evacuation from Mexico. We recommend that you purchase additional traveler’s health insurance that includes emergency air transport, especially if you have a chronic medical condition that could put you at a higher risk.
Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD are authors of the MEXICO: Health and Safety Travel Guide and the Healthy Traveler Regional Series. For more information visit medtogo.com
Stings, Bites, and Scratches from Animals and Insects
Visitors to Mexico should be aware that problems may arise when bites, stings or scratches occur. We have reviewed the main causes below, along with suggestions for how to treat them. As always, when possible consult with a physician if first aid is not enough.
Human and Animal Bites
Unlike other cuts or wounds, a human or animal bite that breaks the skin may transfer large quantities of bacteria that can cause a spreading infection of the skin called “cellulitis.” Teeth can also puncture deep into the skin, depositing bacteria that cannot drain to the surface or be reached with topical remedies. These bacteria may be so aggressive and hard to reach that oral antibiotics are necessary to prevent more serious infection.
Author; Robert H. Page, MD and Curtis P. Page, MD are authors of the MEXICO: Health and Safety Travel Guide and the Healthy Traveler Regional Series. For more information visit medtogo.com
Dengue fever is most often transmitted to humans by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which has been responsible for recent outbreaks in Texas and the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The disease has also been active in the low-lying coastal regions of Veracruz and along the Yucatan Peninsula. There is no vaccination for Dengue Fever. Prevent exposure with mosquito repellents (containing DEET) and protective netting during the day. (This mosquito prefers to hunt during daylight.)
Symptoms: Early symptoms include sore throat, nausea, headache, muscle and joint pains, vomiting, chills, and the sudden onset of fever as high as 104° F. The fever lasts for two to four days and then the patient may suddenly break into a drenching cold sweat. Symptoms may subside for a day or two before the second stage of symptoms begins, which is characterized by lower fevers and a scattered, light red rash on the trunk, arms, and legs. The hands and bottoms of the feet may be swollen with a darker red rash.
Treatment: Treatment consists of supportive measures, which means the use of analgesics such as acetaminophen, fever-reducing medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen, and adequate hydration sometimes with intravenous fluids.
