Travel smart, travel safe: essential health advice for deployment

24 Sep 2025

Travel health preparedness means taking proactive steps to protect health and well-being while being away. These include pre-travel medical consultations, recommended vaccinations, preventive medications (chemoprophylaxis), a first aid kit, awareness of destination-specific health risks and comprehensive health insurance.

This preventative approach is a key part of deployment readiness for AUSMAT members, whether nationally or internationally.

Understanding health risks

An important aspect of travel preparation is understanding the real and potential health risks at the destination. Through Smartraveller, the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides traveller advice for 175 destinations, including health-specific guidance.

Key health risks to consider include:

Food and water-borne diseases – prevention, safe practices and management of traveller’s diarrhoea
Arthropod-borne diseases – e.g. insects, mites, spiders prevented through repellents, bite precautions and bed nets
Animal bites – understanding risk and what to do if bitten by dogs, rodents, monkeys
Blood-borne diseases – including Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C
Respiratory diseases – prevention through hand hygiene, masks, physical distancing
Worm infections – caused by parasites in contaminated water or soil, including schistosomiasis, strongyloidiasis, hookworm and roundworm
Marine environment risks – including water safety, stings and bites from sea animals, fish poisoning and infections from lakes, rivers or the sea
High-altitude illness
Cruise ship-related risks
Thrombosis prevention and dehydration
Activity related risks – trekking, diving, skiing and climbing
Accident prevention – including motor vehicle and motorcycle use, and lifejacket use on boats
Travelling with medications
Comprehensive travel insurance

Additional considerations include: jetlag and adjusting to new time zones, motion sickness, climate extremes, allergies, prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and the risks associated with alcohol, drugs and other mind-altering substances, and methanol poisoning.

Source: Travel health risk checklist for practitioners. Adapted from Pre- and Post-Travel Medical Consultations in Tourist Health, Safety and Wellbeing in the New Normal.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figures 1 and 2: Travel advice for the Asia-Pacific region, showing Australian Government advice levels from ‘exercise normal safety precautions’ (green) to ‘do not travel’ (red). Source: Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade – Smartraveller.

Travel health advice

Before travel

Book a pre-travel consultation with a doctor.
Carry a sufficient supply of medications, along with current prescriptions or letter from your doctor.
Ensure routine immunisations are up-to-date under the National Immunisation Program.
Discuss additional vaccines and chemoprophylaxis recommended for the destination.
Pack a first aid kit, including relevant over-the-counter medications.
Wear a medical alert bracelet if applicable.
Arrange a dental examination if access may be limited during travel.
Carry relevant medical documents, including electronic copies on a secure device.
Have comprehensive travel health insurance, covering the full duration of travel.
Review destination-specific advice on Smartraveller, including:
- Remoteness
- Access to and quality of medical care
- Hygiene conditions
- Risk of infectious diseases
- Seasonal weather conditions
Consider how planned activities may affect your health and what you can safely do.
Plan transport requirements and protection, e.g. compression stockings for long-haul flights to prevent thrombosis
Pack hand sanitiser, sun protection, insect repellent, and face masks.

During travel

Keep key documents accessible, with digital backups, including your vaccination record, malaria prophylaxis record, travel health insurance certificate, allergy information and medical letter for prescription medicines.
Continue to take medications for chronic health conditions.
Avoid risk-taking behaviours such as excessive alcohol use, recreational drug use, risky sexual contact, approaching animals or entering unsafe environments.
Practise safe behaviours: road safety, food and water hygiene, protection from insects and extreme weather.

After travel

Some infections may develop after returning home. Seek medical attention if you:

Become ill in the weeks following travel, particularly with:
- Fever
- Flu-like symptoms (headache, cough, cold, joint or muscle aches
- Persistent diarrhoea or vomiting
- Jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes)
- Urinary or genital symptoms
- Skin disease
Received treatment for malaria while travelling
May have been exposed to an infectious disease, including STIs, even in the absence of symptoms
Experience worsening of an existing health condition.

Are you fit to travel as an AUSMAT member?

Prior to deployment, AUSMAT members undergo pre-travel health and fitness checks, including a health survey covering allergies and details regarding malaria prophylaxis.

AUSMAT pre- travel health and fitness checks

AUSMAT members are offered both routine and extended immunisations under the National Immunisation Program and chemoprophylaxis to protect against communicable disease threats prior to deployment.

Vaccination	Recommended Dosing Information	Evidence	Booster Timing
COVID-19	Up to date in accordance with most recent ATAGI guidance	Evidence of administration	According to age and risk profile
Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis	Single Injection	Evidence of administration	5 yearly
Hepatitis A	Two dose schedule greater than six months apart (monovalent vaccine). If combination with Hepatitis B, follow Hepatitis B advice.2	Evidence of 2 doses greater than 6 months apart or serological proof of immunity	Lifelong
Hepatitis B	Three dose schedule (day 0, 30, 180) plus serological proof of immunity	Serological proof of immunity	Lifelong
Influenza	Single Injection	Evidence of Administration	Yearly
Measles/ Mumps/ Rubella	Two dose schedule (day 0, 30)	Evidence of administration or serological proof of immunity of all three diseases	Lifelong
Varicella	Two dose schedule (day 0, 30)	Evidence of Administration or Serological Proof of Immunity	Lifelong

Figure 1: Baseline immunisation. Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

Vaccination	Recommended Dosing Information	Evidence	Booster Timing
Cholera	Dukoral® - 2 dose course completed with 1-6 weeks between doses (if greater than 6 weeks, need to repeat) Boosters within 2 years of last dose (if not, repeat 2 dose course) (preferred) Vaxchora® - single dose (immunocompetent only)	Dukoral® Evidence of 2 dose course and single booster dose within 2 years of last dose Vaxchora – Evidence of administration	Dukoral® - 2 Yearly Vaxchora® - 6 months until further notice, coverage unknown beyond 3-6 months
Japanese Encephalitis	Imojev ® Single Injection (Immunocompetent) JEspect® 3 dose schedule (day 0, 30, 365) (Immunocompromised)	Evidence of administration	5 yearly (Imojev®) 2 yearly (JEspect®)
Poliomyelitis	Single Injection	Evidence of Administration	10 Yearly
Rabies	3 dose course (day 0, 7, 365) (Immunocompetent) OR 4 dose course (day 0, 7, 21-28, 365) (Immunocompromised) OR serological proof of immunity (level >0.5IU/mL)	Evidence of Administration	Nil
Typhoid	Single Injection OR Oral capsules on alternate days for 3 or 4 doses	Evidence of Administration	3 Yearly (injection or oral 3 dose) OR 5 Yearly (oral 4 dose)

Figure 2: Extended immunisations (pre-travel). Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

References

Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. 2025. The Australian Immunisation Handbook.
Health Direct. 2024. Travel health advice.
Mills DJ, Ramsey L, Furuya-Kanamori, L. 2021. Pre- and Post-Travel Medical Consultations in Tourist Health, Safety and Wellbeing in the New Normal 47-69. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5415-2
United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. 2022. Travelers' Health.
World Health Organization. 2024. International travel and health – Module 1: General health risks and considerations for travellers.