Keep festival fit this summer

Jun 04, 2011 News 0

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Stay ahead of the festival
pack this summer with these
tips from Tropical Medical
Bureau.

Festivals abroad have
become increasingly popular
with Irish music fans in
recent years. Whether you
are heading off to Sziget or
planning a weekend of
debauchery at Oxegen, here
are a few helpful hints from
TMB to make your festival
fun memorable for all the
right reasons.

If you can’t pick which
festival to rock out to this
summer but you know you
want to travel as well as hear
some tunes, Tropical Medical
Bureau offer their top 10
picks of the world’s best
summer festivals:

Top 10 unmissable
international festivals

1. Sónar Festival, June 16th –
18th, Barcelona, Spain
2. Northside Festival, June
16th – 19th, Brooklyn, NYC
3. Glastonbury, England, June
22nd – 26th
4. Roskilde, Denmark, July
30th – August 3rd.
5. Montreux Jazz Festival,
Switzerland, July 1st – 16th
6. EXIT, Serbia, July 7th – 10th
7. T in the Park, Scotland, July
8th – 10th
8. Melt! Germany, July 15th –
17th
9. Benicàssim, Spain, July
15th – 18th
10. Fuji Rock Festival, Japan,
July 29th -31st

Dr Graham Fry, Medical
Director of TMB offers the
following tips for making the
most of your summer festival
plans:

Location – Vaccines:
The location of the event is
crucial as sometimes
vaccines and malaria
prophylaxis may be
recommended. These should
really be started quite a few
months before hand if at all
possible (to get cover against
Hepatitis B working before
you leave as cheaply as
possible). If it is a rural
festival outside of the UK and
Ireland then cover against
Rabies may be worth
considering. Festivals held
during the cold season/
winter may increase the risk
of Meningitis and Influenza.

Be Prepared:
Make a checklist for
passports, flight tickets, local
currency (if outside Euro
zone), timetables and costs
for local buses, trains etc.
The more preparation
possible the less the risk for
stress and missed
connections – and missing
out on the bands you want to
see.

Safety & Security:
Very few tents are equipped
with secure safes for your
belongings so don’t bring
anything irreplaceable and
keep all your essential items
(passport, money, credit
cards, phone etc) in your belt
bag worn at all times.

Strangers:
Treat all new found friends
with a degree of suspicion
and don’t be too trusting. Get
your own drinks and stay
with known friends.

Just say no!:
Drugs and Drink don’t mix.

Sanitation:
Staying clean and hygienic at
a major festival can be an
uphill struggle. Bring
antiseptic wipes for your
hands before meals and
talcum powder for those raw
patches at the top of your
legs. Girls, if you have ever
had to use the WC facilities at
any major concert you will
know of the mental trauma
associated with trying to
decide which is worse the full
bladder or the risk of
Typhoid! Bring along a ‘Whizz’
or similar gender bending
contraption which will allow
you pee in peace! (just don’t
confuse the fellows!) Bring
sufficient supplies for all your
feminine needs.

Misery with Measles
There has been a huge
increase in cases of measles
during the past few months
across Europe. Festivals tend
to be crowded places where
air borne diseases spread
very easily. If you are not
already covered having the
MMR vaccine is a very wise
precaution.

Dr Graham Fry, Medical
Director, Tropical Medical
Bureau is available for
comment / interview.

For further information on
your medical travel needs,
please contact any of the
Tropical Medical Centres or
through www.tmb.ie

Tropical Medical Bureau have
23 clinics nationwide.

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