Infectious Disease & Travel Health

Infectious disease is a branch of medicine that deals with treating illnesses caused by pathogens, examples of which include bacteria, viruses, parasites, and even fungi. Infectious disease specialists may collaborate with other physicians to treat patients who have been admitted to the hospital or are being seen in a wound clinic.

Travel health, sometimes referred to simply as travel medicine, is a specialized area of healthcare focused on protecting international travelers from disease and illnesses. At Meadville Medical Center, patients receiving outpatient care for infectious disease and travel health are seen at our clinic located at our Kennedy Street Facility.

Travel Health Appointments

The travel health specialist will review your itinerary and past medical history and develop recommendations specifically for you. All visits are specialized for the patient and region you are traveling. We also review other routine vaccinations and make sure you are up to date. There are likely recommended and even required vaccinations for your trip. Infectious disease and travel health also conducts a review of food, water and insect precautions, provides antimalarial prescriptions, and offers pre- and post- travel advice.

When and How to Schedule

As soon as your itinerary is set, please call 814-373-2195 to schedule your appointment. It would be ideal to see you early to discuss your health needs and prevention prior to travel. Ideally vaccines should be completed four to six weeks prior to travel, especially if you are not up-to-date on your routine vaccine or are unsure of your history.

Most visits take approximately 30–45 minutes. Make sure to bring the following with you:

List of medications
Insurance card(s)*
Copayments or form of payment

* Some vaccines are not covered by insurance. Please check your insurance policy for vaccine coverage.

Immunizations

There are routine, recommended and required vaccines for traveling:

Routine vaccinations:

Tetanus
Polio
MMR

Recommended vaccinations:

Hepatitis A & B
Influenza vaccine
Typhoid

Required vaccinations:

Yellow fever (some countries)

Approved site for yellow fever vaccines

Infectious Disease & Travel Health of Meadville is an approved site by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to administer yellow fever vaccine. We will provide an official certificate of vaccination which may be required to enter certain countries. It is important to check with your insurance provider directly to see if you have immunization coverage.