The Travel Medicine Service at Gannett Health Center is more than a great postcard collection. But the medical professionals who run the clinic for Cornell student, faculty and staff travelers -- and for the general public -- certainly do get pictures from everywhere.
The goal of the service, the only clinic of its kind between Pennsylvania and Rochester, is to prepare international travelers for ventures into unfamiliar territory -- and to bring 'em back alive and well.
Best known as a source of travel "shots" (everything from hepatitis to yellow fever and varicella) University Health Service's program also puts an emphasis on education. The process starts with a phone call for an appointment, which is best made at least six weeks before departure because some immunizations take time to become effective and because the service gets busy during peak travel periods.
By the time the prospective traveler arrives at Gannett for the appointment, the staff has prepared a packet of destination-specific information, including lists of recommended immunizations from a database called TRAVAX and country-by-country advisories from the U.S. State Department. The State Department's information on political stability, crime prevalence and transportation infrastructure can be just as crucial to successful travel as can the World Health Organization (WHO) information on disease risk.
For example, in one case this year, WHO advisories indicated the presence of malaria in Amazonas, while Venezuelans, including a medical doctor, said malaria there was "not a problem." WHO was right; by July, new cases of malaria were being reported in nearby Indian communities. A prescription for anti-malaria pills was a wise investment.
"We try to educate travelers about everything they need -- and need to know. Our motto is 'Travel Medicine: Your first stop for a healthy trip,'" said Julienne Cosgrave, R.N., one of two nurse-counselors in the service. Her advice for Amazonas travelers included an Ithaca source of 35-percent DEET, the high-potency insect repellent to ward off blood-thirsty mosquitos.
Located on the main floor of Gannett Health Center, the Travel Medicine service can be reached at 255-6954 for an appointment or for general information. Fees can be paid with credit cards, check, cash or bursar charge. The consultation and shots for Venezuela, for instance, cost about $170, while recommended prescriptions and over-the-counter medications added another $40.
If you don't travel with any other printed information from the service, the nurses hope you'll take their business card with the Gannett Health Center address. That's how they get all those postcards.
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