Travel Health Kits | Yellow Book | CDC

This chapter will cover potential contents for 2 types of travel health kits:

These contents are suggested items and should be personalized based on several factors, including:

All travelers should bring a personal first aid kit with basic medical supplies that depend on the traveler's health history and the type of trip. The goal of this travel health kit is to allow management of common minor illnesses and injuries, treatment of recurring problems, and continuing treatment of chronic conditions (see Travelers with Chronic Illnesses chapter). It is common practice for travelers to carry some prescription medications for presumptive prophylaxis and treatment in certain regions; for example, travelers' diarrhea, malaria, or altitude illness (see Travelers' Diarrhea, Malaria, and High-Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness chapters). Narcotics and psychoactive medications for personal use should be carried in the original prescription container and are limited in many countries to a 30-day supply or less (see Traveling with Prohibited or Restricted Medications chapter). Store medications and first aid supplies in a durable, water-resistant container and keep it readily accessible during the journey. See Table 1.9.1 for suggested content.

(e.g., omeprazole, famotidine)

(with benzocaine)

(pseudoephedrine, not phenylephrine)

milk of magnesia tablets, stool softener, teas

Notes

Abbreviations: TSA, U.S. Transportation Security Administration; DNR, do not resuscitate; SPF, sun protection factor.

This list includes items to consider for extended remote travel or expedition in addition to items in the personal kit (Table 1.9.2; see Adventure Travel chapter). No kit will include all these items, and this list is not comprehensive. The traveler assembling the kit should add, substitute, or omit items based on the criteria listed above.

Guides and group leaders with advanced first aid training should begin with contents listed for the personal first aid kit and add items from the expanded kit, according to their level of training and the specific risks of the trip. In addition, they should carry safety and rescue items. Guides and leaders will often need to rely on medical expertise and supplies among the other group members.

In most cases, injectable medications provide little advantage over oral or topical drugs, but they can be added without significant bulk and weight. On the other hand, intravenous fluids are very heavy and bulky.

For certain expeditions or remote group travel, a medical professional may be designated. More often, in the event of illness or injury to a group member, another member of the group volunteers to help under the liability protection of a Good Samaritan. Typical requirements in the United States for acting as a Good Samaritan include:

The standard of care provided in a remote location considers resources available, accessibility to a higher level of care, and ultimately what a healthcare professional with similar training would do in a similar situation.

or zinc oxide eugenol cements

The antibiotics below are suggested options because they are inexpensive, widely available in many countries, and have multiple overlapping uses. If a parenteral (injectable) antibiotic is desired, consider selecting one that can be given intramuscularly and has broad coverage (e.g., ceftriaxone). One approach is to consider common infections by organ system. For more detailed infectious diseases and antimicrobial considerations, see The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy (Box 1.9.1) or the specified Yellow Book chapter below.

Travelers’ diarrhea (see Post-Travel Diarrhea chapter): 1st choice azithromycin; 2nd choice ciprofloxacin

Urinary tract infections: 1st choice nitrofurantoin or ciprofloxacin; 2nd choice trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole

Respiratory infections (see Post-Travel Respiratory Infections chapter): 1st choice azithromycin, 2nd choice amoxicillin, tetracycline, or amoxicillin/clavulanate

Skin infections (see Post-Travel Dermatologic Conditions chapter): 1st choice cephalexin, 2nd choice dicloxacillin or flucloxacillin, doxycycline, or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole

Sexually transmitted infections (see Sex and Travel chapter): azithromycin, doxycycline, or ceftriaxone

DEET; IR3535; permethrin

Notes

Abbreviations: TSA, U.S. Transportation Security Administration; OR, oral rehydration solution; CPR, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation; UV, ultraviolet; AMS, acute mountain sickness; DEET, N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide