Vaccinations and Medications
Pre-Trip Planning
Traveling abroad is exciting, but takes a lot of preparation beforehand due to the many unexpected challenges one can face, especially when in unfamiliar environments. We at CORM want you to be well prepared and safe during your travels to Ghana. Here is some advice we hope you find helpful in preparing for your time abroad…
*Make a pre-trip appointment with your primary care provider or visit a travel clinic. Even if you don’t have health insurance, this visit is important and usually not too expensive. Your PCP can give you important advice for staying safe, make sure you are up to date on your vaccinations, and that you get the appropriate anti-malarial medicines to take while in Ghana. Make sure you let your PCP knows about all your medical conditions and the prescription or herbal medicines you take so he/she can ensure you have enough medicines to last your entire stay in Ghana and can prescribe you medicines to take in case of an emergency. Many medicines are difficult to buy or unavailable in Ghana. Although we have some medicines available in our small clinic at CORM, these are mainly for our staff and children, but we can share what we have if needed. However, it’s best to have your own supply to make sure you will have what you need while traveling.
*Please let us know if you have any chronic medical conditions, are on prescription medicines, or have a special diet or allergies so we can help keep you safe and know how best to help you while at CORM. You can contact the medical directors via the following emails: troy@cormghana.org(Troy Tompkins, MD) or jammie@cormghana.org (Jammie Tompkins, FNP). We are available to help answer any questions before, during, or after your stay at CORM.
*Make sure you are up to date with yellow fever (required to enter Ghana), tetanus vaccine (within 10 years), meningitis (Menactra® or Menveo® within 5 years), and Hepatitis A (two vaccines are given just once in a lifetime). Unfortunately, meningitis, tetanus, and hepatitis A are common in Ghana.
*Visit the CDC’s travel website at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel for important, up-to-date information and travel safety advice on traveling to Ghana or other country-specific information.