International travel exposes you to medical risks not encountered at home — malaria, traveller’s diarrhoea, altitude sickness, and motion sickness are the most common. Pre-trip preparation and a small travel medical kit reduce trip-disrupting illness and keep more serious problems manageable. The MedsBase Travel Health catalogue stocks the four core categories of travel medication, supplied by WHO-GMP gecertificeerde fabrikanten.
Malaria prophylaxis and treatment. Malaria remains a major travel-medicine concern across sub-Saharan Africa, much of South and Southeast Asia, parts of Central and South America, and selected Pacific destinations. Drug choice depends on destination resistance pattern, trip duration, side-effect profile, and pregnancy status. Atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone), doxycycline 100 mg daily, and mefloquine (weekly) are the modern options for chemoprophylaxis. See Malariatabletten. Start atovaquone-proguanil 1–2 days before entering the malaria area, doxycycline 1–2 days before, mefloquine 2–3 weeks before. Continue for the recommended duration after leaving (different per drug). Consult an authoritative source (CDC Yellow Book, fitfortravel.nhs.uk) for destination-specific guidance.
Traveller’s diarrhoea. Up to 40% of travellers to high-risk destinations develop diarrhoea within the first two weeks. Most episodes are self-limiting in 24–72 hours with oral rehydration. Antibiotic stand-by treatment (azithromycin 1 g single dose for South / Southeast Asia where fluoroquinolone resistance is high; ciprofloxacin 500 mg BID × 3 days for other regions) shortens duration when symptoms are moderate-severe (fever, blood, persistent vomiting). Loperamide is symptom-control adjunct, not first-line in invasive bloody diarrhoea. See Traveller’s Diarrhea Treatment.
Altitude sickness. Acute mountain sickness (AMS) typically develops above 2,500 m within 6–24 hours of ascent. Acetazolamide 125–250 mg twice daily started 1 day before ascent and continued for 2–3 days at altitude reduces AMS incidence and severity. Dexamethasone is reserved for treatment of established moderate-severe AMS or HACE (high-altitude cerebral oedema). Slow ascent rate (no more than 500 m sleeping altitude gain per day above 2,500 m) plus rest day every 1,000 m is the most effective non-pharmacological prevention. See Medicatie tegen hoogteziekte.
Motion / travel sickness. Hyoscine hydrobromide patches (apply behind ear 4 hours before travel, single patch lasts 72 hours), promethazine, cinnarizine, and meclozine all work via different mechanisms. Choose based on duration of travel and tolerance of sedation. See Reisziektetabletten.
Belangrijk. Travel vaccines (yellow fever, hepatitis A/B, typhoid, rabies, Japanese encephalitis, meningococcal) must be sourced through travel-medicine clinics — they are not part of this catalogue. Consult a travel-medicine practitioner 6–8 weeks before departure for destination-specific advice and any required vaccinations. Pregnancy, severe medical conditions, immunosuppression, and visiting friends/relatives (VFR) carry higher destination risk and warrant tailored advice.
All MedsBase Travel Health products ship from WHO-GMP gecertificeerde fabrikanten met discrete verpakking en vallen onder onze Reshipment Assurance Policy.