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When travelers go overseas
the last thing they want to do is get sick.
JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
Her father was right,
and a few days later, Ms.
Lieberman, who actually
had a gastro-intestinal flu,
reunited with her travel
group to finish the trip.
"I was a little panicked,"
said Ms. Lieberman. "I did
not speak German and
they did not speak much
English. They kept saying,
`Appendix, appendix' and
tried to get me to sign
something."
It is not uncommon for
overseas travelers to ex-
perience a medical prob-
lem, according to the
Centers for Disease Con-
trol in Atlanta, Ga.
Unlike Ms. Lieber -
man, however, most
circumstances do not
Dr. Jeffrey Band directs InterHealth at
require hospitaliza-
Beaumont Hospital.
tion and medical at-
tention is rarely
necessary.
Nine years ago, Dr.
Jeffrey Band, an in-
ternist and infectious
diseases specialist, es-
tablished a program
at William Beaumont
Stacy's parents,
Hospital
in Royal
Art and Rochelle Lieberman,
Oak aimed at provid-
met her at the hospital
ing international
in Germany.
travelers with pre-
cautionary medical
advice, immuniza-
uring a 1988 bike trip ' tions and specific measures to
through Germany, Stacy take while overseas.
Lieberman fell sick with a
"This program was founded
high fever, headache and because people traveling abroad
upset stomach. The Detroi- had to get their medical infor-
ter landed in the hospital mation from their physicians, the
where doctors wanted to Centers for Disease Control and
perform an appendectomy. several other areas," Dr. Band
But Ms. Lieberman's fa- said. "People were so exhaust-
ther, a doctor practicing in ed before they traveled. We pro-
Sterling Heights, warned over vide a single source of
the phone not to let them oper- information," he said. "We are
ate because her symptoms were not a 'shot' clinic. We spend most
not related to appendicitis.
of the time counseling."
Travelers who use the pro-
gram, called InterHealth, get in-
dividualized guidance based on
their specific itinerary and cur-
rent health condition. They be-
come aware of potential hazards
and are provided with safety in-
formation on food and water, a
list of English-speaking physi-
cians in the areas through which
they are traveling, information
on how to contact emergency air-
ambulance services and a listing
of U.S. embassies and consulates:
Patients are charged $40 for a
counseling session and prices
vary for any necessary vaccina-
tions. Some insurance companies
cover the cost.
"They kept
saying, 'Appendix,
appendix.' "
— Stacy Lieberman
`There are 240 different coun-
tries in the world with all differ-
ent diseases," said Dr. Band, who
also writes a monthly health-
travel column in the Detroit Free
Press. "The average physician
has no idea what diseases are en-
demic to a country. We monitor
conditions in these countries us-
ing a data base."
If someone is planning a trip
to Israel, Dr. Band can access up-
to-date medical information.
Travel to Israel is relatively safe,
according to Dr. Band, although,
in the last 10 years there have
been two small outbreaks of po-
lio.
"The outbreak for other dis-
eases is the same in Israel as it
is in the United States," he said.
"I would recommend that trav-
elers going to Israel receive a po-
lio booster shot during adulthood,
which is good for life, and be up-
to-date with their tetanus and
diphtheria shots."
A shot would not have pre-
vented 24-year-old Amy Emmer
from having to cut short what
was to be a year-long experience
in Israel. Ms. Emmer, of Farm-
ington Hills, ruptured a disk in
her back at a kibbutz in north-
ern Israel. Needing quick med-
ical attention, she saw two
doctors and underwent a CAT
scan.
Doctors concluded Ms. Em-
mer's kibbutz experience would
prove too strenuous for her. So,
21/2 weeks after she landed in
Israel, Ms. Emmer was aboard
a:flight back to the United States.
Ms. Emmer, like Ms. Lieber-
man, described her experience
as frightening and frustrating.
"On my way to the hospital (in
Afula), I was nervous because I
did not know what to expect. I
had heard that most Israelis
speak English," Ms. Emmer said.
"Most of the Israelis I met did not
speak English, so it was difficult
to understand what was going
on."
To add to her frustrations, the
hospital would not accept Ms.
Emmer's insurance. She had to
pay first and then submit the
bills at horde—
, Which arrived in
Hebrew.
Ms. Lieberman, on the other
hand, went to Germany with
travel-health insurance. She left
the hospital after her bills were
paid, but continued to get pay-
ment notices from the hospital.
"I don't remember being too
scared while all this was going
on, (although) my sister's wed-
ding was coming up and I was
worried about that.
"They asked me my religion
but I did not answer them out of 37
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