Doberdon! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions:

• Are there regulations to protect mountain guides and porters?
• Do Good Samaritan laws protect me when I’m overseas?
• Should I share my malaria prophylaxis when asked by a local person?
• Is insurance—medical and evacuation--mandatory before a remote expedition?
• Regarding mountain climbing: do political and/or financial factors come into play for the companies that set climbing schedules?
• Are mobile health apps of benefit?
• What diseases can I get from drinking unpasteurized milk?
• How may I digitize my Yellow Fever vaccine information?

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please send us your questions and travel health anecdotes: germandworm@gmail.com.

And we hope you will join us for the upcoming UW Travel Medicine CME, June 26-27, 2025, In Seattle and online.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Annyeonghaseyo! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions:

• What do I have to do to get through airport security with the new Real ID system?
• I’m climbing mountains in South America. I’m going up to 16K or even 18K feet. Should I take a pulse oximeter?
• When traveling between cities in Europe, which do you think is better—renting a car, or hiring a driver, or taking a bus?
• Does the shingles vaccine have a bad side effect profile?
• What’s the deal with the U.S. Dept. of State’s Travel Advisory system?
• What if I want a vaccine that’s not available in the USA?
• How can I find a good doctor when I’m traveling overseas?
• How do I read labels on medications—and everything else—in languages I don’t speak?

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please send us your questions and travel health anecdotes: germandworm@gmail.com.

And we hope you will join us for the upcoming UW Travel Medicine CME, June 26-27, 2025, In Seattle and online.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Salaam! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions about Malaria:

• What's up with the malaria life cycle?
• Are there different kinds of malaria?
• Can you ever be truly cured of malaria, or is it with you forever once you catch it?
• Can I take a self-testing kit when I travel?
• Is there a malaria vaccine?
• Is mefloquine really neurotoxic?
• Is it safe fore me to just watch out for malaria instead of taking medication?

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please send us your questions and travel health anecdotes: germandworm@gmail.com.

And we hope you will join us for the upcoming UW Travel Medicine CME, June 26-27, 2025, In Seattle and online.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Hello! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") welcome special guest Dr. Zachary Rubin who will answer your travel health questions focused on allergies:

• I’m allergic to peanuts, how can I stay safe during my upcoming trip to Thailand?
• Can I trust food labeling in foreign countries? Asking because I have multiple food allergies.
• What’s the best way to find out about pollen counts in foreign cities?
• Can I rely on antihistamines purchased overseas?
• How can I cope with pollen allergies when traveling overseas?
• Can I trust supplements that claim to boost my immune system when I travel?
• Any special tips for people allergic to bee stings when traveling?
• My eczema flares when I travel... help!
• Tips for eye allergy symptoms when I travel?
• Should I use benadryl to help me cope with allergies and jet lag, and if so what doses do you recommend?
• Is there a way to measure the strength of my immune system?

Please learn more about our guest: oakbrookallergists.com, follow him on the socials @rubin_allergy, and check out his new book "All About Allergies."

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends. We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please send us your questions and travel health anecdotes: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Rubin's, Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Hi there! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") welcome special guest Dr. Zachary Rubin who will answer your travel health questions focused on vaccines:

• When it comes to immunity, which is better: Natural or Vaccine-induced?
• How many vaccines at once are too many?
• Does jet lag suppress my immune system?
• We plan to travel to Costa Rica with our sons who are 9 and 7 years old. Why do they need to be immunized before travel for all these rare diseases we never see anymore?
• What consequences do you worry about regarding immunizations or immunology science because of funding cuts at HHS, FDA, CDC, NIH?
• There are a ton of supplements on the market claiming to boost my immune system. Do any of them work?
• I just got assigned to travel to India for work–I need to leave in 36 hours from now, and I’m scrambling to get my shots before I go! Will they still work for me at this late date?
• My doctor tells me that getting a COVID-19 booster is important before my upcoming trip around the world… but I really worry about what it could do to my DNA. What does Dr. Rubin say about that?
• From Darlene in Portland: MMR vaccine: safe or poison? Why all the social media buzz? RFK, Jr. says he’s going to find the cause of autism ASAP. Your thoughts?

Please learn more about our guest: oakbrookallergists.com, follow him on the socials @rubin_allergy, and check out his new book "All About Allergies."

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends. We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please send us your questions and travel health anecdotes: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Rubin's, Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Yassou! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions:

• Inhaled steroids and antibiotics for measles, please say it ain’t so!
• My sister's cats have fleas! What can I do when I visit her?
• Salt water–safe to drink in any amount?
• Food on the floor: Is the 5-second rule true?
• How can I prevent sea sickness on the ferry from Spain to Morocco?
• What about the color of my snot–does it reveal viral vs bacterial causes of my sinusitis?
• Can I trust Google Maps?
• Can I pleeeeease get immunized against dengue?

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please send us your questions and travel health anecdotes: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Zdravo! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions:

• What infections can I catch from a toilet seat?
• Any advice for a traveler who likes their comforts and conveniences?
• How safe is that welcome fruit basket in the hotel?
• Any safety issues with getting a haircut and shave on the road?
• How worried should I be about germs emerging from thawed permafrost?
• How can I keep my nasal saline irrigation safe during travel?
• I plan to eat cuy in Peru... is this safe?
• Any issues with traveling with my medical marijuana?
• Will airport x-ray machines ruin condoms in my luggage?
• How safe are busses in Mexico?

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please send us your questions and travel health anecdotes: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Maingalarpar! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger ("Germ") & Chris Sanford ("Worm") answer your travel health questions:

• Do I need anything beyond meningococcal vaccination before the Hajj?
• How can I prepare better for the chaos of TSA rules at the airport?
• Should I get a Tdap before visiting Peru?
• Is my phone subject to search when I cross the border?
• Is the USA the only high-income nation with measles transmission now?
• Are there harms from taking TOO MUCH vitamin A?
• What do you think of the resignation of FDA's top vaccine official?
• What should I do if I lose my glasses while I'm overseas?
• Should I stock up on antibiotics when I'm at a pharmacy overseas?
• Is it safe to rent a car internationally?

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please send us your questions and travel health anecdotes: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.