Geographic Medicine (Pre- and Post-Travel Care)

The Geographic Medicine Center (GMC) is engaged in clinical services, research, and teaching/educational activities in the areas of tropical diseases/emerging infections, vaccine preventable diseases, and travel health.

We believe global travel is a rewarding experience, revealing to us new people, places, and activities. To maintain health when traveling to particular locations, pre-travel interventions may be necessary. Upon return from travel, treatment may be necessary for illness and infections encountered during travel. Our recommendations are based on current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) travel notices and guidelines.

Our clinic offers pre and post-travel services for infectious diseases related to travel for adults over the age of 18. Persons younger than 18 should seek care through Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

Pre-Travel Consultations

We take into account your current health status, medications, and planned activities to develop a personalized pre-travel plan for prevention and self-treatment while abroad.  We offer pre-travel recommendations related to:

• Altitude-related illness
• Chronic Illness
• Disaster relief
• Extended stay
• Food and water
• Immune compromised patients
• Immunizations (Vaccines)
• Malaria Prevention
• Pregnancy
• Traveler’s Diarrhea

At Your First Visit

At your initial consultation, we will:

• Review your health history, including immunizations
• Review your travel plans
• Complete a risk assessment
• Discuss current CDC travel notices
• Discuss personal prevention behaviors to reduce risk
• Provide you with prevention recommendations to prevent illness or to self-treat if illness occurs while traveling
• Recommendations may include immunizations, medications, and behavioral interventions
• Provide you with written Vaccine Information Sheets. Please read them and ask questions prior to receiving immunizations.
• Provide you with CDC-WHO International Certification of Vaccination or Prophylaxis

Please note the following:

• We are a consultative service. We do not provide immunizations independently of pre-travel office visits.
• For routine immunizations in need of updating, you will be referred back to your Primary Care Provider for administration of the vaccine.
• There is a charge for replacement of lost vaccination certification cards

Insurance and Payment

• Please check with your insurance prior to consultation. Often, insurances will not cover travel related visits or vaccines.
• Payment by credit card, debit card, or flexible spending account card is expected at time of service, unless there is an existing contract with your sponsoring organization.
• If your insurance does cover the consultation, we will submit the visit charges to your insurance company. Should any portion of your visit be covered by your insurance plan, Johns Hopkins will reimburse you.

Evaluation and Treatment of Illness After You Travel

Our physicians and staff are trained to manage a wide variety of infections.  Patients are seen only by referral from their Primary Care Provider.

• Avian flu
• Food and water-borne diseases (cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, traveler’s diarrhea, typhoid fever)
• Fungal infections
• Norovirus
• Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
• Mosquito-borne diseases (Chikungunya, Dengue, Malaria, West Nile, Yellow fever, and Zika virus)
• Parasites
• Skin infections related to travel
• Unknown causes of infection related to travel

Consultations

• Patients are only seen by referral from their Primary Care Provider (PCP).
• The PCP must fax the referral to our office (410-614-2301).
• After review of the faxed information, we will contact the PCP regarding the requested appointment.

Travel Health Program Clinic (pre-travel assessment, counseling, and immunizations)

• Tuesdays & Thursdays

Ambulatory Tropical Medicine Service (post-travel illness)

• Appointments are scheduled after Primary Care Provider referral only.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Travelers’ Health

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Parasites