After you return - Travel planning

Overview

Home Sweet Home! When you return it will be a good idea to see the doctor if you were seriously ill, continue to take malaria pills if you were taking. If you have a fever within 6 months after you travel to malaria infested area, please visit your family doctor as soon as possible and tell your health professional that you've been travelling within the last 6 months.

Physician Followup

After traveling abroad, it is recommended that the following groups of people return to the physician for follow-up:

• Those who have been seriously ill abroad
• Those who continue to be ill
• Those who have been abroad for extended periods (6 months or more under normal conditions, or 3 months of "roughing it").

Malaria Pills

Please Continue to take your antimalarial medication for the full course, as prescribed. If you have been to an area where malaria occurs and you develop fever during the first year after you return (especially in the first two months) see your doctor immediately and remind him/her that: you have traveled to an area where malaria occurs. Remember, antimalarial medication does not guarantee absolute protection against malaria; and malaria must be ruled out by one or more thick and thin blood films.

HIV/AIDS

Any sexual contact in a tropical country where AIDS is highly endemic can give AIDS which will not show up in a positive blood test for up to 5 months after your sexual contact. Should such a sexual contact have occurred, the use of a condom for the next 5 months is necessary until you obtain a negative blood test.