Travel Ticket Magazine - Book - Page 12
Trip Of A Lifetime
By Redd E. Tuugo
Always Consider Getting Your Essential Vaccines!
With the international travel community pretty much back to normal following the worst of Covid-19, the continents of Africa
and Asia are turning out to be perhaps the biggest winners. Yes, it is amazing. Should countries in these continents be your next
travel destinations? Are you considering places in South America, Australia, Europe, or even Antarctica? At the height of Covid,
Africa was reporting about 1.5 million cases of the deadly disease, far less than the Americas, Europe and Asia. That’s pretty
impressive, given Africa’s population of more than one billion people. One billion.
So what does this all mean? Well it certainly appears Africa is safe and open for travel, given that its handling of Covid has also
surpassed efforts in Europe and Asia. It’s easy to see why Africa is now busy promoting itself as a premier post-Covid travel
destination. How did Africa outmaneuver Covid? Well it certainly appeared to learn from its battle with Ebola from 2013 to 2016.
An impressive community health network helped Africa battle Covid the same way, including isolating its citizens who did catch
Covid, and then keeping them quarantined while they were tested.
If you have not traveled to Africa, then this is your time. Africa is the world’s second largest and second most-populated continent after Asia. With 1.4 billion people as of 2021, it accounts for about 18 percent of the world’s human population. So, OK.
Let’s say we get Africa’s amazing resilience in the wake of Covid. But why visit now? Well, It’s a perfect time to visit because like
other tourist destinations it’s still wooing back travelers who were spooked by the prospect of leaving the United States during
Covid. That means there should be plenty of good travel deals and packages if you look around. One reason to go is because of
Africa’s rising status as a top destination for medical tourism. It is attracting travelers from all over the world who travel there
for cosmetic surgery to name just one.
Before you go, visit your doctor here in the states. Hand him a copy of this page from the website for the Centers
For Disease Control: South Africa - Traveler view | Travelers’ Health | CDC. The list offers everything you’ll need from
a medical perspective before leaving for Africa, including all shots and vaccinations. Here’s the recommended list:
• Chickenpox (Varicella)
• Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis
• Flu (in昀氀uenza)
• Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR)
• Polio
• Shingles
One more thing: Most of us will probably only get one shot at touring Africa. So, seriously, consider taking a year planning your
visit. Yes, Africa is just that big!
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