CDC issues travel alert to affected parts of the Bahamas

Monday, January 6, 2020

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas issued a Level 3 Travel Alert. The CDC recommended US residents to avoid nonessential travel to the affected areas of the Bahamas including the Abacos and the Grand Bahama Island.

The Hurricane Dorian has severely affected parts of The Bahamas which happened on September 12, 2019. Serious health/safety risks and medical care may be limited or unavailable to the visitors there.

According to the CDC if one is travelling to the Bahamas they must make an appointment with travel medicine specialist or a health care provider to get needed vaccines and medicines like hepatitis A, Seasonal flu and against tetanus.

Don’t forget to pack a travel health kit with the prescription medicines and over-the-counter medicines, first aid supplies and health insurance card.

Those serving as the humanitarian aid workers might have to pack additional items like the personal protective equipment which can be scarce at their destination.

It is suggested to leave copies of the itinerary, contact information , credit cards and passport with someone at home incase if it gets lost during travel.

In order to receive security updates and information about assistance in an emergency the US citizens shoule enroll online in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
Travel health and medical evacuation insurance is a must as if you get injured or sick during the trip, medical care is likely to remain unavailable.

On August 2,2019, the CDC had updated travel vaccine suggestions for The Bahamas and the suggested various preventive vaccines like measles, Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccination was suggested before travel.

In the CDC’s updated worldwide Measles Alert reissued on January 3, 2002 the Bahamas was also included.

In a Dengue outbreak notice by the Pan America Health Organization (PAHO) the Bahamas was included.

Although the country has experienced an increase in tourism recently the updated CDC Travel Alert is an unfortunate news.

Grand Bahama received 670,000 visitors in 2018 and the vast majority arriving on cruise ships as per the government statistics.

In a year the Nassau and Paradise Island hotel industry is known to report a spike in average daily room rates which was up by 34 per cent.

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