Cruise ships/Children/Intestinal diseases/Norovirus Should the frequent outbreaks of intestinal illnesses aboard cruise ships deter you from taking your family on a vacation at sea?  Our thoughts at the end of the article. (This is the second of a three-part series. Our previous posting: Children/Cruise ships/Health and safety. Our next posting: Intestinal diseases/Children/Treatment and preventing spread.) [...]

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Tags: are cruises safe from norovirus, CDC, children, cruise, cruise ship, cruise ships norovirus, cruise with family, cruises with kids, family, Health, intestinal diseases, Intestinal illnesses, leafy greens norovirus, norovirus, norovirus cruise ship outbreak, norovirus lettuce, norovirus outbreak, norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships, shelffish norovirus, Vacation, viral infections

Of the 14 million passengers who sailed from American ports last year, 1.5 million were children. Families are the biggest growth segment for cruise ship companies. Every ship being designed has children in mind. Some ships are planned entirely for families. (Some adults without children are clamoring for adult-only voyages; children have overtaken ships, especially [...]

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Tags: cruise ship, Cruise ships, health insurance, immunization, influenza, Medical kit, medical services, norovirus intestinal disease, Vaccine

Think twice before allowing your kids to swim in water where there are many infants.  The more infants in the water, the greater is the risk that the water is polluted with intestinal disease-causing microorganisms.  Here is what you should know: 1. Recreational water is an underappreciated source of intestinal diseases. Such water includes swimming [...]

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Tags: bacterium, bowel movements, CDC, chloramines, chlorine, cryptosporidium, Diarrhea, e. coli, eye irritation, giardia, hepatitis a, illness, infants in swim diapers, infants swimming, inflatable pools, intestinal illness, microorganisms, o157:h7, parasite, recreational water, septic, sewage, swim diapers, swimming facilities, urine, virus

Fasten your seatbelts – family air travel is heading for turbulence. Children are becoming persona non grata in the supposedly friendly skies. London’s Daily Mail reports that several major airlines are considering child-free sections on aircraft and child-free flights. The Wall Street Journal asks, “Will new airline seating proposals create “baby ghettos” in the back [...]

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Tags: airline baggage fees, airlines, annoying children on airplane, babies on airplane, baby discrimination, baby ghettos, baby segregation, bulkhead seats, business travelers, child-free aircraft, child-free flights, child-friendly flights, family air travel, family boarding, family flights, family seating, family travel, frequent flyers, infants on airplanes, major airlines, middle seat airplane, non-collapsible strollers

This is Part 2 of a two part series. To read Part 1, please click here. You need not be under suspicion of possessing narcotics to be hassled by security and customs inspectors at airports. Families have been hassled for merely carrying everyday, over-the-counter medications, have had the medications confiscated, missed their flights and, very [...]

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Tags: Air Travel, airport, antibiotic, asia, breast pumps, children medication, codeine, doxycycline, families, hyperactivity, ill children, kids, Medications, nebulizers, overseas, pseudoephedrine

Are you familiar with the harmful effects that may result from medications you give your children? That when you give more than one medication, the two may interact and cause adverse reactions not caused by one alone? That travel-related factors can cause additional interactions? (This is Part 1, one of a two-part series. Watch for [...]

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Tags: adverse effects of medication, antacids, blood test strips, children, children medications, children travel doctor, Dehydration, Diarrhea, dimenhydrinate, Dizziness, Dr. Karl Neumann, dramamine, exotic foods, insulin, Kids Travel Doc, kids travel doctor, medication, medication interactions, medications overseas, motion sickness, motion sickness-related nausea, over the counter medication for kids, Travel, travel-related, vitamins, Vomiting

There is an old saying that children always become ill at inopportune times. But are there opportune times?  Especially exasperating is when they choose family vacations for their illnesses. Worse, you then discover that your insurance policy does not reimburse you for medical expenses incurred away from home, provides no assistance in finding medical care, [...]

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Tags: Caribbean Island, child health care, children, co-pay, co-payment, copay, cruises, Destinations, domestic travel, family vacations, fever, healthy travel for kids, HMO, hospitalization, illness, in-network facility, insurance card, insurance coverage, kids health care, land excursions, medical bills, medical expenses, non-emergency visits, overseas, reimburse, scuba diving, skiing, Travel, travel plans, traveler's assistance insurance

Thank you for making our website, KidsTravelDoc and our newsletter, TenTips the sources for keeping kids healthy and safe for travel and outdoor recreational activities. TenTips has almost 7,000 subscribers in about 55 countries. Our articles frequently make the top five references on Google. In fact, we have many more readers than subscribers. Many of [...]

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Children/Airport Security/ New Rules Good news for parents traveling by air with their children. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced that it is easing airport security screening procedures for children under the age of 12 years, and is also easing the rules for carrying liquid medications. But expect occasional exceptions to the new [...]

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Tags: Air Travel, airport screening children, airport screening kids, airport screening rules for kids, airport security checks for kids, does my child have to remove shoes at airport, effect of metal detectors on children, full body images, kid medication, metal detectors, pat-down, rules about children at airport screening, security checks kids, tsa children

Warning: hotel bathrooms are hazardous for your children – even more hazardous than the bathrooms in your home.  1. Upscale hotel plumbing is all about sleek appearance. Even adults have difficulty deciphering the numerous knobs on tubs and showers, for example. One never knows where the water is going to come out, and at what [...]

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Tags: bathroom accidents, bathroom hazards, bathroom safety children, children safety, Dr. Karl Neumann, hot water, hotel bathrom safety, hotel bathroom, hotel bathroom accidents, hotel bathtubs, slip-proof, toilet drowning, water pressure