NEWS: 2/24/06 Loyola student dies from infection...

Students are natural explorers and fearless adventurers. Their studies spark their imaginations and their desires to see and experience the multitude of fascinating places around the globe. School schedules, with their many holiday and semester breaks, provide students with numerous opportunities to act on those desires. There are also school sponsored trips and optional semesters spent studying abroad that provide additional, irresistible opportunities.

 In preparation for their trips, many students will focus on mapping their journeys, finding the most economical airfares, researching budget accommodations, and poring over phrase books so they can order breakfast, buy bus tickets and find bathrooms. In countries outside the United States, there are dozens of airborne, waterborne, and insect-transmitted diseases lying in wait for uninformed and unprepared travelers. No one wants to discourage any student’s sense of wonder and yearning to visit exciting places, historic sites, and nature in all of its awe-inspiring splendor. We just want them to be safe.

Consider these statistics:

· 33 outbreaks occurred from 1992 through 1996, compared with only 13 occurring from 1980 through 1991.
· Over half of these outbreaks occurred in schools, universities, or other organization-based settings
· College campuses have a greater risk of outbreaks than the general population, because of the prevalence of risk factors, such as concurrent upper respiratory infections, passive and active smoking, bar patronage, and excessive alcohol consumption.

To help you help your students travel safely, we want to provide you with complimentary information and educational materials. We hope you will share these materials with them and their families to alert them to the risks they may face and the action needed to protect themselves. As travel medicine specialists, Passport Health of Tampa Bay can also provide pre-travel counseling and recommendations, and of course, administer the appropriate vaccines.

We offer on site immunization clinics for Meningitis (now recommended by the American College Health Association), Hepatitis B (mandatory for any allied health program) and flu clinics for the college community.  We are also available to come on campus to brief faculty and students prior to international travel and study abroad programs.  Because of our nationwide buying power, our vaccine prices are often well below the market. Many colleges and universities have now taken a more proactive role in light of the current recommendation by the American College Health Association (ACHA) about meningitis vaccination.  ACHA has recommended that all colleges provide information about the vaccine to students and parents as well as access to the vaccine for those students who wish to be vaccinated.

We have a responsibility to the youngsters in our charge to ensure their safety so they can go on to live happy, healthy, and productive lives. Let’s work together to make sure they are protected wherever their journeys take them. I encourage you to contact me to obtain your complimentary materials and with any questions you may have. We would be happy to furnish additional information, posters, flyers and letters to parents/students.  Please call us at (813) 969-3757 so that we can further discuss our services and how we might work together.

Please contact us to request more information on the Meningococcal Vaccine at Passport Health of Tampa Bay.