Germ & Worm

Jambo! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: How can I deal with caffeine withdrawals while traveling? Should I travel to Shanghai in light of all the HMPV there? Will elderberry extract protect me from catching a cold, or help with my symptoms? Can a baby aspirin prevent blood clots during a long plane rid...

Welcome to 2025 everyone! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Will I get murdered by hornets in Laos? Do I need to take malaria prevention in Kruger and Etosha? Please tell people about brucellosis! I take acetaminophen to help with traveler's diarrhea... is that OK? What do G+W think about vitamin C to h...

Welcome to 2025 everyone! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: What’s the differences between vaccines that are routine, recommended and required? What is Pertussis, and how can I avoid it? What can the US embassy do for me when I’m abroad? African Sleeping Sickness… what’s the deal Trekking Poles: Help or...

Welcome to 2025 everyone! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Should we take our kids on a trip to Peru? Should I fly on airlines overseas if they have poor safety records? Is mumps still a thing? Is it dangerous to fly with high blood pressure? A friend of mine had a tendon rupture while taking antibioti...

Hi there and Happy New Year! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: What's the deal with falling polio vaccination rates? How can I avoid getting a yeast infection when I travel? Do I need a smallpox immunization before I travel? What's the most important safety feature: Where I go, or what I do when I'm the...

Welcome everyone! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Do I need a measles vaccine before travel to India and Sri Lanka? Is it a problem if I keep my prescription medications in a plastic bag when I travel? Will electronic hand warmers protect me from frostbite? When my taxi driver likes to speed, how can...

Hi there! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Cryptosporidium and splash pads: What's the deal? What's the risk of catching bird flu from raw milk? Any tips for success when visiting Viet Nam? What typhoid vaccine is best before visiting South America: injectable or oral? How can I feel better after a lon...

Yeee Haw! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Should I take malaria prophylaxis on a trip to India? I like to pet cats in Greece! Is that a problem? Any special considerations for older travelers? I'm pregnant and planning a safari--should I go? I tend to get UTIs... how should I handle that during travel...

Heyyyyy there! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: What's happening with Anthrax in Uganda? What to do when different medical societies say different things? Are culinary tours risky? How should hikers in Germany deal with tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease? Can I trust the diving board at a hotel s...

Hi there! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: What's happening with Marburg disease in Rwanda? Are rabies vaccinations important? What gift(s) should I bring when visiting a new country? Japanese encephalitis vaccination: Necessary if visiting Sri Lanka, Turkey, and India? What's the deal with West Nile V...

Welcome! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: What's happening with mpox in Africa? How can I tell what food made me sick? What can I do to sleep better at high altitude? What's up with the epidemic of kidney disease in Sri Lanka? I get motion sick when whale watching--help! Is it safe to get certified as...

Welcome! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Should I apply honey to help heal a wound? What's the best way to protect my passport? How should I handle a cat bite on Santorini? Why do only some people get sick after eating the same contaminated meal? Are all vaccines equally effective? When should I see a...

Welcome! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions about TICKS: How to diagnose Lyme disease? Should I take antibiotics if I find a tick on my body? How should I treat Lyme disease? What's up with chronic Lyme? Tell me more about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever... Can I get the tickborne encephalitis vaccine? Is ba...

Welcome! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Does the coca leaf help prevent altitude sickness? Is it safe to travel to East Africa for safari after having a kidney transplant? Can humanity continue current air travel practices and avoid another viral pandemic? Do Germ and Worm actually follow their own t...

Welcome! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Should I get a health screening after an international trip? Should I get the chikungunya vaccine before visiting Zanzibar? How should anxious travelers handle their anxiety? What's the deal with lenacapavir to prevent HIV infection? How do you advise people wh...

Hi, travel health listeners! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: What's up with Giardia? When do I NOT have to wear bug repellent? Which is better for purifying water: Iodine or Bleach? Should I take a medication holiday during my upcoming vacation? How much water should I drink? What do you say to people...

Hi, travel health listeners! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: How do I make a healthcare checklist prior to departure? Can I reduce my risk of STDs by taking doxycycline?  Is it safe to travel in Cuba by car given that most don’t have seat belts?  What is the future of COVID-19 immunizations—...

Hi, travel health listeners! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Should I give leftover medications away to locals at the end of my trip?  Is it safe to eat ceviche?  Do I need vaccines to visit Germany?  Should I take a deworming medication after visiting Latin America?  In Laos, is i...

Hi, travel health listeners! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: When should I get a tetanus booster? Why do I toot when I fly? Why does flu usually come from Southeast Asia each winter? Wassup with Alaskapox? Why are viruses named for the place where they are discovered? Can I safely get a tattoo in Thai...

Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: When can I donate blood after visiting a region with malaria? Is it safe to swim in polluted rivers while overseas? If my work says I need to travel abroad while pregnant, do I have to? How well do those UV water purifier thingies work? Are there any precautions that so...

Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions, all about MALARIA: Are mosquitoes attracted to certain colors? Will DEET dissolve nylon climbing rope? Can you use medications past their use-by date? Is there a vaccine for malaria? What do I do if I need to change from one malaria medication to another? Can an artific...

Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Are there worms in Africa that can infect your eyes? Measles—risk in Zambia and Botswana? What do people who live in areas with a lot of mosquitoes do to prevent bites? Does licking yourself prevent mosquito bites? Do I need to be concerned about drug cartel violence wh...

Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Is there a vaccine for hepatitis C? How is Guinea worm transmitted, and how do I avoid it? Should I treat my snakebite by zapping it with a Taser? Is a virus alive, and how does it mutate? Is it legal to take condoms through customs? Can someone pass an earthworm in th...

Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Watercress—safe to eat? Should I be immunized for hepatitis B? How do vaccines work? Any tips for traveling with mobility issues? What are the issues with monkey bites in Thailand? Is it safe to eat fruits and vegetables while abroad? How do I prevent ear pain during je...

Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions: Do I need to be immunized for hepatitis A? What’s the difference between bacterial and viral meningitis? When is using a personal flotation device a good idea? When should I avoid canned food? Do I need to see a travel doc before going to a high-income nation such as Ja...