Fight Germs with Style

We have an arsenal of products to keep germs at bay these days- antibacterial soap, wipes, sprays, gels, face masks, gloves. In order for them to work, you have to carry them around with you, which can be a hassle when you travel. Some people walking aroung airports look like they should be walking around an OR. But now there is something new to protect you that you wear and actually looks good, too.

GermBana is a new antibacterial fabric that is soft and comfortable for you but kills germs including MSRA on contact. It does so by breaking down the negatively charged fibers in bacterial membranes with its positvely charged fibers. So, no smell or chemicals and it keeps its germ killing properties wash after wash. GermBana comes in black or khaki and is made into a pocketed scarf, neck/face gaiter and gloves. Go ahead, cough or sneeze into that scarf. Germs are killed on contact. Enviornmentally friendly, washable, good looking, and long lasting. A new, fashionable way to kill germs to add to your packing list.

Counterfeit Drugs Abroad

Recently I saw a young woman in my travel clinic who was planning on spending the summer in India. She was behind on her immunizations and had made an appointment to find out what she needed but didn’t want any vaccinations. She wanted to know which malaria drug and antibiotics to use but planned on getting them in India to save money. She had heard they were easy to get and much cheaper there.

What she doesn’t know is that WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that 3 in 10 pharmaceutical products in the African, Asian and Latin American markets are fake. And 50 to 60 percent of anti-infective medications in parts of Asia and Africa have been shown to have substandard active ingredients. That means that many of the drugs purchased abroad won’t work properly, if at all.

Not only is this a risk to the traveler for contracting the very diseases they are trying to prevent but it is a public health risk to everyone. When a traveler is under-medicated he or she then becomes an evoluntionary vector in which drug resistant super bugs develop. The traveler then spreads these bugs as they travel and brings them home.

Counterfeit medications are posing an increasing threat to patient’s health worldwide, because they offer high returns and low risks for criminal organizations, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said last week.

There are many ways travelers can save money when planning a trip. But doing so by purchasing medications and vaccinations abroad is a very dangerous and ineffective way to do so.