When preparing volunteers and mission workers there is always a delicate balance between emphasising risk and encouraging people to share fully in the lives of those they will be with. This new edition of the Traveller’s Good Health Guide manages that. It is detailed, without creating worries for the majority of us whose knowledge or technical medical language is limited. It gives sensible advice without making readers scared to get on the plane. It also puts things in a broader context – without causing too much anxiety but with firm and clear guidelines.
An early example put the long list of possible immunisations (also explained in detail) into a context which is both a little scary (only bone disease in ten is preventable by vaccine) but points out that health is affected by a far wider variety of partly controllable issues – food and water, antimalarial precautions and accident prevention. Practical advice and checklists are particularly helpful.
While road or other accident is probably more likely to severely affect people sent abroad, it is malaria that seems to worry them most and it was therefore worth looking at how this was dealt with – and about one tenth of the book is devoted top it. Again, there were disturbing statistics about world death rates but these are combined with assurances that if the rules are followed people are unlikely to get seriously ill.
It was good to see that issues that can divide people who have different moral or faith-based approaches are dealt with in practical ways. Avoiding AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases emphasises that abstinence and fidelity are the best preventatives, but also accepts that even those with a risk-free lifestyle can slip up “in times of stress, loneliness or celebration”.
The book has a long history from Healthy beyond Heathrow published in 1993 and this third edition is the largest and most comprehensive. While the medical information and advice has that useful balance and is as up-to-date as anything currently available thare are a few areas that might be improved. In terms of information (e.g. Sources of Specialist Advice, appendix H) some are rather limited. The old cartoons are of varying quality (especially compared with more recent maps and statistical material) often have men doing the ‘risky’ things and are very mono-cultural – and in the 19 pages on vaccines, oddly only one has a needle symbol.
These concerns are perhaps a matter for a future editor and do not detract from the importance and balance of the advice. I give a free copy to everyone who comes for a briefing with Christians Abroad and welcome this new addition.
