ASTA surveyed more than 1,200 U.S. adult travelers to learn more about steps they take to prepare for vacations outside of their home country.
More than 20 million people will travel abroad this year to places where they may contract a potentially serious disease. To increase awareness of the importance of taking travel health precautions, ASTA is launching a national campaign to educate vacationers and business travelers heading overseas about important pre-travel measures to stay healthy abroad. The campaign and survey were funded in part by GlaxoSmithKline.
"As travel agents, our job involves more than just booking the best trip possible," said Kathy Sudeikis, ASTA President and CEO. "We also educate travelers about potential health risks and measures they can take to stay healthy while overseas. I encourage those planning to travel abroad to log on to http://www.travelsafely.com for tips on how to prepare for a safe and healthy trip."
American Travelers Unprepared for Health Risks Abroad
According to the ASTA survey, many U.S. travelers don't know which countries carry which disease risks, specifically 40 percent are not sure where malaria, 52 percent are not sure where hepatitis A and 51 percent are not sure where hepatitis B can be found. In fact, many respondents are unaware that diseases such as malaria and hepatitis can be contracted in many popular destinations. In addition, a la
'"/>
Contact: Paul Kenjarski
paul_kenjarski@nyc.cohnwolfe.com
212-798-9848
Cohn & Wolfe
18-Apr-2005