We worry, so you don't have to

What is the Global Health News Network?

Comments Off May 18, 2011

The Global Health News Network (GHNN) is a new company founded by Ron St. John, David Keys, and myself. Our goal is to provide practical advice to travellers and keep them informed while they’re away to help them stay safe and healthy.

 

We’re putting the final touches on our main website and expect to launch in a few weeks. If you’d like to be one of the first to try out our services, please contact us!

 

Find Out About the Countries You’re Going to Visit

Country Listing
A glimpse of our country listing

 

You should check out our Health Library for country and disease information on where you are going.  We provide a wealth of knowledge for over 100 countries and 50 diseases, and that number is constantly growing!  You’ll be able to discover which diseases you should be aware of and what vaccinations or medications you might need before leaving.

 

 

 

 

Register Your Trip With Us

Manage Your Trips
Your trips page

 

After you’re finished browsing the Health Library, we highly recommend that you register your trip with us. Registering your trip is easy and afterward, we’ll be able to provide you with a bunch of services such as an electronic Travel Package tailored to the countries you are visiting or important Travel Alerts while you’re away!

 

 

 

 

 

The Travel Package

Travel Package
A travel package

I can’t find a good website that tells me what I need for my trip…

Have you ever travelled internationally and tried to piece together all the important health and safety information that you’ll need for your trip?  I went though this process when I visited South East Asia.  It took way too much time and effort!  We try to simplify the process for you.  Our travel packages summarize everything you need to know before you leave and provide it in one convenient PDF document – even if you’re visiting multiple countries!  You can easily print this information or take it with you on your laptop, ipad, phone, or any other mobile device.  Think of it as the Coles Notes to traveling safely.

 

Travel Alerts

Travel Alerts
Travel alerts on map

The travel package is great, but how can you help us stay safe while we’re away?

GHNN continually monitors worldwide information on disease outbreaks and safety threats. Our analysts review and evaluate each incident for risk to travellers, and then publish travel alerts in a concise and easy to understand language.  We don’t worry about one time incidents that have little to no risk.  We only publish alerts which are important for travellers.  If you’ve registered your trip with us, we’ll send you emails of Travel Alerts issued for the countries that you’re currently visiting!  We’re currently working to expand our capabilities to push SMS messages and we’re even developing some apps for your iphone, blackberry, and android devices.

 

 

Why?

Why are we doing all of this?  Well, we believe that anyone can travel, anywhere in the world and stay safe provided that they have the right information. By keeping you safe and healthy, we can help to prevent the spread of disease around the world.

Horror Stories of Dengue Fever

Comments Off May 5, 2011

The World Health Organization estimates that around 2.5 billion people – two fifths of the world’s population – are at risk of dengue fever, and the global incidence of the disease is increasing. Travellers to areas with dengue are no exception. It was found to be the leading cause of febrile illness in travellers returning from Caribbean, South America, South Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, and the number of UK travellers found with dengue has more than doubled in the past year, mostly from trips to India and Thailand.

 

I could list a bunch of facts about dengue, but that’s boring and you can find that information in the GHNN Health Library anyway. Instead, the pain of dengue is better illustrated in personal accounts from people who have actually had dengue, including GHNN founder Dr. Ronald St. John, who contracted the disease while working in the Philippines as an advisor to the Peace Corps in the late ‘60s. Continue reading →

Are You Missing Your Measles Vaccination?

Comments Off Apr 30, 2011

There are currently some major outbreaks of measles in 33 countries across Europe. The WHO and other health officials say the surge in cases is a direct effect from not enough children having their vaccination, particularly those currently between ages 10 and 19.


Millions of parents, particularly in the UK, boycotted the MMR vaccine after Dr. Andrew Wakefield and colleagues claimed in a 1998 study in The Lancet, that the vaccine could cause autism and bowel disease. The media exploded with this controversy, parents panicked, and vaccination rates fell. Continue reading →

World Malaria Day

Comments Off Apr 25, 2011

I remember being worried about malaria on my backpacking trip to Southeast Asia, particularly on our climb of Mount Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo as it is a malaria-endemic area. But, being the daughter of a doctor, I diligently sprayed on my DEET mosquito repellent, fumbled with my mosquito net on every bed, and took my Malarone (chemoprophylaxis or one of the preventative medications against malaria) exactly as directed. These preventative measures are easy and effective, and yet each year there are 350–500 million infections of malaria worldwide. Continue reading →