Simit releases travel‑health checklist for summer vacations

The Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases (Simit) issued a six‑point checklist to help travellers prepare for trips to tropical and exotic destinations.

1. **Plan ahead** – obtain a pre‑travel consultation at travel‑medicine or infectious‑disease clinics and check with the Ministry of Health’s maritime, air and border health offices (Usmaf), the only bodies authorized to administer yellow‑fever vaccine and issue the International Certificate of Vaccination. 2. **Verify routine vaccinations** – ensure up‑to‑date immunity against measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, COVID‑19 and, where indicated, pneumococcal disease. 3. **Assess destination‑specific vaccines** – consider hepatitis A, typhoid, meningococcal, cholera, Japanese encephalitis or rabies shots depending on the country and length of stay. 4. **Protect against mosquito bites** – use topical repellents, mosquito nets and air‑conditioned environments to prevent malaria and dengue, which remain endemic in many regions. 5. **Carry a travel health kit** – include oral rehydration salts, prescribed anti‑diarrhoeal medication, wound‑care supplies and, for at‑risk individuals, a broad‑spectrum antibiotic such as a fluoroquinolone. 6. **Practice safe food and water habits** – drink only bottled water, avoid ice and be cautious with raw foods.

The society also warns that sexually transmitted infections remain a risk both abroad and at home, urging consistent condom use and vaccination where appropriate.