‘Winter travel requires extra caution, go for checkups’

Immunity and chronic disease management should begin before boarding a flight, says doctor

- Nandini Sircar [e-mail]

Doctors urge travellers to wear masks at airports and in crowded queues.

With winter travel picking up and flu season already underway, UAE clinicians are calling on residents to take pre-travel consultations more seriously.

Doctors highlighted a simple checkup can prevent holiday disruptions, unexpected medical emergencies and exposure to infections that are more common abroad than in the UAE.

Travel medicine experts point to global data from PubMed Central showing that 22-64 per cent of international travellers fall ill during or after a trip —a figure clinicians in the UAE says especially concerning as families head to colder, crowded destinations.

At International Modern Hospital Dubai, Dr Mahmoud Medhat said health systems worldwide are signalling extra caution for the winter season, particularly for people with chronic conditions.

He stressed that vulnerable groups — including children, the elderly and those with asthma, diabetes or cardiovascular illnesses — must be vigilant.

“Health authorities worldwide emphasise that winter travel requires extra caution, especially for vulnerable groups such as children, older adults and individuals with chronic illnesses like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung diseases.