ATLANTA, May 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated 2012 Yellow Book is the definitive health guide for international travel, officials say.
Nicknamed for its yellow cover, the health guide -- updated every two years -- is officially entitled the "CDC Health Information for International Travel." It provides information on international travel, new sections on traveling to mass gatherings, preparing for study abroad, military deployments and six new popular travel itineraries.
The guide provides travel health recommendations and other features that help international travelers prepare for trips and stay healthy while abroad. It recommends vaccines and medicines to take before departure and symptoms to watch for during travel and when after return.
"International travelers do a lot to get ready for a trip -- packing, planning activities, and making sure their passports are in order -- but too few plan ahead for their health while traveling," Dr. Gary Brunette, chief of CDC's Travelers' Health Branch, says in a statement. "CDC hopes clinicians and travelers will use the Yellow Book to learn about steps to take before, during and after travel to have a healthy and safe trip."
New itineraries in the 2012 edition include the Caribbean, Egypt and Nile River cruises, Guatemala and Belize, Hajj Pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, Mexico and South Africa.
