Travelers Health

Staying healthy when traveling is key to having a successful experience abroad and away. On this page, we highlight a few current concerns related to travel health. For more specific information about your travel destination, visit www.internationalsos.com (membership ID: 11BTTA887908) or the Centers for Disease Control Travel Health website.

Use the CDC "Travel Assessment" tool to learn more about health requirements for travel to your destination.

COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) - Information for Students Traveling Abroad

While many restrictions have been lifted, travel abroad remains impacted by disruptions and uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Travelers frequently experience unexpected itinerary changes, quarantine requirements, unforeseen financial liabilities or charges, or other challenges and risks.

For up-to-date travel advisories and information, please visit the U.S. Department of State (USDOS), the Centers for Disease Control, and the International SOS website or ISOS Assistance App (OHIO’s membership number is 11BTTA887908). International SOS offers a "COVID Trip Planner" tool, which will help you understand entry requirements for international destinations. 

To better understand worldwide COVID-19 trends, visit Our World in Data.

Ohio University students planning independent international travel of any kind must work with the Office of Global Opportunity's health and safety team to develop COVID-19 contingency plans for their trip abroad. Email us at OGOriskmanagement@ohio.edu or schedule an appointment here.

Students participating in OHIO-credit programs are exempted from this personal advising requirement because their programs work directly with OGO ahead of travel to establish COVID-19 mitigation and contingency plans. To. see what constitutes an OHIO-credit program, see our "Types of Programs" website.

For more COVID-19 travel information and advice, please see the CDC's COVID-19 travel website.

For additional COVID-19 information from Ohio University, please visit the Be Safe Bobcats website.

Measles

Measles is a highly contagious disease. Many places worldwide are experiencing an increased number of measles cases or even measles outbreaks. This is in large part due to lack of sufficient vaccination rates.

Patients are usually contagious before they exhibit signs of being sick. It is key to be properly vaccinated agains measles when traveling abroad.

You can learn more about measles and prevention here. 

Zika Virus

Zika is a viral infection transmitted to people through mosquito bites. It has been linked to birth defects in cases where the mother was pregnant while infected with Zika. Each year a small number of travelers are being diagnosed with the disease after they return to the U.S. from a Zika-affected area. More information about Zika is available from the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Travel Health website.

As the CDC notes, Zika does continue to be a problem in many parts of the world and there is no vaccination available to prevent infection. The CDC further writes that “your decision to delay or cancel travel is personal and complex. In making this decision, consider your travel destination and your ability to protect yourself from mosquito bites. CDC recommends that pregnant women and couples planning a pregnancy within the next 3 months consult with a health care provider in making this decision.”

You can learn more about Zika prevention here.

OGO works with study abroad program directors traveling to Zika-affected areas to advise participants of methods to avoid mosquito bites and prevention of sexual transmission. 

We also recommend travelers sign up for health and security updates for their travel destination from our travel security partner International SOS at www.internationalsos.com or using the ISOS Assistance App (membership ID: 11BTTA887908).

Additional information on health and safety on global programs can be found on the OGO Health and Safety page. The Office of Global Opportunities can be contacted at 740-593-4583.

Monkeypox

Monkeypox is a rare disease cased by viral infection. While the disease was first discovered in 1958, the 2022 outbreak has spread globally, including in the U.S. For more information, please see the CDC's global advisory concerning Monkeypox.

 

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