Mannual Communication System

 

Following the Rules and Staying Out of Trube

STAYING HEALTHY 

If you are proactive about safeguarding your health, you can avoid many of the health challenges that often come with international travel. Although there are no guarantees, taking these simple precautions will improve your chances of staying healthy. Gastrointestinal problems are a perennial challenge for travelers. They can be caused by bacteria, virus or parasites, and are sometimes just the result of stomachs being unaccustomed to local food. World Leadership School has a basic approach to mitigate these problems: 

● Probiotics. We recommend you take a daily “probiotic,” starting at least one week before departure and continuing until the program is over. Probiotics, such as Jarro-Dophilus, Lactobacillus or Papaya Enzyme, are dietary supplements that contain beneficial bacteria and yeast. These over-the-counter supplements help stomachs adjust to new overseas bacteria and are available at Vitamin Cottage and other drug stores. 

● Water. We ask that you only drink water that has either been purchased by World Leadership School or prepared by your homestay family. The most common way to get sick is to drink water that has not been completely purified. You should even use purified water when brushing your teeth! We ask that you bring 2 reusable 1-liter water bottles, in order to limit plastic waste. 

● Training. Upon arrival overseas, we will discuss critical strategies for staying healthy. We ask that participants: o Wash their hands regularly with soap and warm water if possible, especially before eating and after going to the bathroom. Hands are the number one transmitter of the bacteria and viruses that cause gastrointestinal problems! Participants should carefully wash both sides of their hands and rub vigorously for at least 20 seconds. 

Do not share water bottles, food, lip balm, or sunscreen with anyone else! By not sharing these things, you are not being rude – you are keeping yourself and your friends healthy. If you have to share food, pour it out of a bag into the person’s hand.

Use hand sanitizer whenever possible but without causing offense to local hosts. Sanitizer is a temporary solution – not a replacement to washing hands with soap. 

Drink only purified water (see above) or other liquids served in restaurants or homestay families that have been screened by World Leadership School. Tea or coffee made with boiled water is generally safe. 

Eat only cooked food served piping hot from host families or restaurants screened by World Leadership School. Do not eat from street vendors. Avoid 6 cold sauces such as mayonnaise, salad dressing or salsas, which are usually raw and made by hand. Avoid foods such as lasagna and casseroles unless you know they are fresh and have been kept steaming hot. 

Do not eat raw food, especially salads. Exceptions can be made for fruits and vegetables that have been peeled by you or someone who you are certain has washed their hands. Before peeling, wash fruit or vegetable with purified water. Choose fruit and vegetables with thick skins and make sure the skins are not punctured or damaged. 

Avoid dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and milk, which may not be pasteurized. Ice cream and frozen items may not be safe. Avoid creamy desserts, pastries or custards. 

Use purified water for brushing your teeth. 

Avoid ice unless made from boiled, bottled, or purified water. Therefore avoid iced tea, iced coffee and frozen drinks. Freezing doesn’t kill bacteria and viruses. 

Be very careful with fruit juices as they are often mixed with water. Tea or coffee made with boiled water is generally safe. 

● Asthma. If you have a history of asthma, sports-induced or otherwise, please bring two (2) albuterol inhalers, one for you to carry and one for your instructors to carry. 

● Allergy. If you have a history of an anaphylaxis allergy to nuts, bees, etc., please bring at least two (2) epi-pens. Please tape Benadryl to each epi-pen. Our instructors will also have epi-pens and Benadryl in the first aid kits as well. Mosquitoes and other biting insects will be a health challenge. In the tropics, insects can transmit significant diseases such as malaria, dengue, and yellow fever. These diseases are best prevented by the following preventive measures: 

● Use insect repellant between 25-35% DEET or 15% Picardin. The repellent should be applied to all exposed areas of the body every five hours, except for sensitive areas such as eyes, mouth, wounds, irritated skin, etc. DEET is effective against most insects and is a safe repellent (only 30 cases of toxicity have been reported among billions of users over three decades!) Picardin is a new repellent and was formally approved for use in the United States in 2006. Several studies have shown that Picardin is as effective as DEET. Picardin has some advantages over DEET in terms of smell and corrosive qualities (DEET corrodes plastic bags and sunglasses, Picardin does not), but DEET is reliable and is a better-tested product. 

● Mosquitoes and other biting flies are most present at dawn and dusk. Cover up with a lightweight, light-colored long pants, long-sleeved shirts, shoes, and socks. Avoid wearing sandals. 

● When sleeping in mosquito areas, World Leadership School will provide a mosquito net. 

● Perform a full body check at least once a day to check for ticks and other biting insects. 

● Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by parasitic worms. It is most commonly transmitted through contaminated freshwater. 7 Contact with local animals Rabies is not a serious problem in the areas we will visit, but it does occur occasionally. Therefore, you should take the following steps to protect yourself: 

● Please do not touch or play with local dogs or cats. The idea of dogs and cats as household pets is different in the developing world. You will encounter many dogs and cats living in the streets. Although they may look very appealing, they are not accustomed to being petted. 

● Please do not touch local farm animals like cows or horses.