Rx for travelers
Much more goes into traveling abroad than getting a ticket and passport. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to two veteran travel agents about precautions you should take when traveling abroad. They are Dawn Calhoun, owner of Delta Travel in Huntersville, N.C., and Addie Walters, senior travel coordinator and travel insurance specialist for Brownell Travel, one of the oldest leisure travel agencies in the country.
If you get sick abroad, what is the first thing that you should do?
Calhoun: If you get sick, especially running a fever, you should seek medical attention immediately. You should be able to seek out an emergency department in any country. You should also contact your insurance carrier to make them aware of your situation.
Walters: Contact your travel insurance company or your insurance company.
How should someone prepare, medically, to travel abroad?
Calhoun: Check with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the latest travel advisories for the country in which you are traveling. They will recommend any immunizations and any other pre- and during-travel regimens. If you have any current ailments, you should be cleared to travel by your physician.
Does it matter where you are going? Africa versus western Europe? Central America vs. Canada?
Calhoun: It does matter where one is travelling, as there are different sets of immunizations depending on where you are traveling. Check with the CDC. For example, the shots you get traveling to China differ from those if you are traveling to South Africa. It's important to makes sure you receive the correct immunizations.
Walters: Destination does matter in preparation for travel. We advise setting an appointment with a travel medicine MD to discuss additional prescriptions, such as an antibiotic or anti-malarial. You should also make sure your prescriptions are filled and in their original container. A well-stocked over-the-counter medical kit is always advisable.
What kind of insurance should someone have? Does your regular insurance work abroad or should you get additional coverage?
Calhoun: Most insurance will have some form of limited liability when traveling, normally falling into the "out of network" benefits. You should check with your carrier before traveling for specific details. When using a travel agent, you will normally be offered travel insurance, which can cover medical expenses as well as travel assistance to get back home. Policies vary, so make sure you read the "fine print."
Walters: Yes, travelers should purchase travel insurance because there are no guarantees your regular insurance will cover the wild and unexpected things you may encounter when travelling. All policies are different – some offer primary coverage and some secondary. Some of the benefits are pre-trip cancellation due to illness, trip-interruption benefits and emergency medical evacuation.
What is the best way for someone who is sick to get home? Does/can the government step in and help in an emergency?
Calhoun: You could contact the local consulate/embassy for assistance. They can provide assistance with finding the care you need.
Walters: The very best way to get home if you get sick while travelling is to purchase a year-long membership to Medjet Assist. Medjet will pick you up anywhere in the world and fly you to the hospital of your choice on a medically equipped plane. There are no guarantees that the government can step in and help in an emergency. In fact, it is very unlikely.
Update: 11 a.m.
Ayodele Murphy was medevaced out of Mexico and arrived in Atlanta at 4 a.m. Wednesday, according to her sister, Nandi Murphy.
“She is still not doing well,” said Nandi Murphy, adding that her sister was admitted into the intensive care unit of an undisclosed hospital. “The doctors here are trying to confirm the malarial diagnosis and trying to treat her pain. We are just asking for privacy right now, as she begins her journey toward healing.”
It is any travelers’ worst nightmare — getting sick in a foreign country with no way home, little money and no insurance.
That is why friends and family members of Atlanta-based yoga instructor Ayodele Murphy are scrambling to get her moved from a Mexican hospital back home for treatment. Doctors believe she contracted a severe form of malaria, probably on a recent trip to Africa.
“It has been very difficult on our family, especially because we are not there,” said her sister Nandi Murphy. “I feel helpless, because it is out of our hands.”
Added her brother, Omari Murphy: “Our mother got to Mexico on Friday morning. Since then, there have been a lot of ups and downs. The key word is helplessness.”
Since Sunday, Murphy’s friends have raised nearly $30,000 for her medical bills and for transport back to the United States. But the family is still unclear on when she will be able to return and what hospital will accept her, since she doesn’t have insurance.
“We want to bring her back to Georgia. She needs to be with family and friends,” Nandi Murphy said.
She said her sister left for Sierra Leone April 21 with friends to do some economic development work. She returned to the United States May 4, before turning around and going to Cabo San Lucas for a yoga seminar.
She called her mother on Mother’s Day, telling her she wasn’t feeling well.
“She said she was really weak and having a bad headache,” Nandi Murphy said.
Four days later she was in the hospital. She wasn’t diagnosed with malaria until Tuesday. Early symptoms of malaria include fever, chills, headache, sweats, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.
Doctors believe she is infected with the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which causes the most dangerous form of malaria, with the highest rates of complications and mortality. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease, common in tropical and subtropical regions including Asia, the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the World Health Organization, there were about 207 million cases of malaria in 2012 and an estimated 627,000 deaths.
Now that she has been diagnosed, the question now is how to get her home. Nandi Murphy said the family is working with officials at the United States Consulate to develop a plan to get her flown back to Atlanta. A hospital in San Diego would not accept her, because she is uninsured. She said the family is now working to find a hospital in Atlanta that will accept her.
Nandi said her sister applied for insurance through the Affordable Care Act, but didn't qualify. In the meantime, her friends have continued to raise funds though social media.
“If you talk to anyone who knows Ayodele, I guarantee you will hear something about her beautiful smile or something about the way her laugh fills a room,” said artist Fahamu Pecou, who is among those spearheading the effort to help her. “I can’t say I’m surprised by the outpouring of support. It is a reflection of the joy and love she exudes.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Ayodele Murphy was still in a Cabo hospital listed in critical condition.
