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Going on holiday? Doctors share simple ways to avoid getting sick and keeping your kids healthy while travelling
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Summer means one thing for a lot of UAE residents: a flight out of the heat. But between crowded airports, new food, unfamiliar water and packed itineraries, travel puts your immune system to work too. We asked UAE-based doctors for their advice on staying well this holiday season, from spotting the first signs of a stomach bug to getting the right vaccines before you go.
Is hand sanitiser enough?
Norovirus, more commonly known as food poisoning, is one of the most common travel illnesses, and it thrives in exactly the kind of crowded spaces holidaymakers pass through: planes, cruise ships, hotel buffets and busy restaurants.
Both doctors are firm on one point: hand sanitiser alone will not cut it. “Skip the gel. Alcohol hand sanitisers do not penetrate the virus shell, so they will not protect you the way soap and water will,” says Dr Slavica Vukovic, Specialist Internal Medicine at RAK Hospital.
