HEALTH CARE AND IMMUNIZATIONS

Since your physical and mental well-being is a fundamental component of a successful and happy stay abroad, we encourage you to plan ahead. Schedule check-ups with your physician, dentist, and eye-care specialist before departure. Even mild physical or psychological disorders can become serious under the stresses of life while studying abroad. In order to ensure that you can stay healthy while away from home, it is important that you discuss your treatment plan with your physician.

If there are required or recommended immunizations and precautions for the country where you will be studying, International Programs will inform you as part of your pre-departure materials. For up-to-date information on health conditions in the country or region where you are studying, as well as recommended and required immunizations, refer to the Centers for Disease Control's Travelers' Health web site: www.cdc.gov/travel/.

MEDICAL INSURANCE

All students participating in a Temple University study abroad program are required to have health insurance with international coverage, which must be purchased in the United States. This insurance must be valid for the duration of the student’s studies abroad. For this reason, all Temple study abroad participants are required to purchase the International Student Identity Card (ISIC), which carries a basic sickness/accident insurance policy and costs $22.00.

The benefits of this policy include:

• Sickness medical expense coverage of $165 a day to a maximum of 61 days
• $25,000 Accident medical expense
• $300,000 Emergency medical evacuation (mental health problems are excluded)
• $5,000 Accidental death and dismemberment air
• $1,000 Accidental death and dismemberment other
• $500 Travel document protection
• $100 Baggage delay

There are some exclusions in the above ISIC coverage. For coverage questions or to request a claim form, contact the insurance provider (Travel Guard) directly at

877-370-4742.

Students may purchase the ISIC from STA Travel, any other issuing office, or online. STA Travel has an office on Temple Main Campus at the Student Activities Center. To obtain your ISIC from the STA office on Temple Main Campus, you must show them your student ID and one other form of identification that indicates your date of birth (like your driver's license or passport). You will also need a passport-sized color or black and white photo. The ISIC costs $22.00 if you bring a photo, or $25.00 if you want them to take a photo for you. Temple Students can call 215-204-4990.
Non-Temple students can contact STA Travel at 800-777-0112.
For more information regarding the ISIC, please refer to their web site (see resources).

While Temple University requires that students participating in its study abroad programs maintain ISIC coverage at a minimum, the University highly recommends that students purchase additional insurance and discuss this issue with their family. Before you purchase additional insurance, check with your current insurance carrier to determine whether coverage will extend overseas. The following is a list of companies that offer short-term travel health insurance. Temple University is not endorsing a specific company and encourages each student to determine which policy serves the student’s specific needs best.

For further information concerning insurance, you might also want to refer to the State Department's recommendations for U.S. citizens traveling abroad:

www.travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1185.html

You should be aware that most insurance companies (and hospitals and physicians overseas) will require students to pay medical expenses out of pocket, submit claim forms and receipts, and then be reimbursed. This may not pose problems for doctors' visits, but if a student needs to be hospitalized for any reason,
many hospitals overseas require payment before the student can be admitted. This can amount to several hundred dollars, so please plan accordingly.

Please be aware that if you purchase insurance coverage specifically for the period you are abroad, most policies will not cover treatment for pre-existing conditions. If you have any condition that will require treatment while you are abroad, be sure that the policy that currently covers you will extend overseas.

Finally, be sure to take claims forms and a copy of your insurance policy with you overseas.

MEDICATION & GLASSES

If there is a medication that you must take, bring an adequate supply for your stay. If you take medications with you, be sure to have copies of the prescriptions and leave the medication in the original container. You may be asked to show the prescription at customs in order to prove that the medication is a prescribed drug. The prescription should be written in terms of the chemical composition or generic name rather than brand name, and should include dosage, instructions, and reason for prescribing the drug. Do not plan on having U.S. prescriptions filled abroad. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, take along an extra pair. Also, be sure to have the lens prescription with you in case you need it later.  

Note that it is illegal to bring some common over-the-counter medications from the U.S. into certain countries. Please refer to the U.S. State Department's Consular Information Sheet on the country where you will be studying: www.travel.state.gov

SAFETY & SECURITY ABROAD

CRIME AND VIOLENCE

(This section is adapted from www.studyabroad.com/handbook, written by Bill Hoffa, and the U.S. State Department web site, www.travel.state.gov)

Most countries in the world have less street crime and personal violence than is potentially present in urban and suburban America. Indeed, in many countries U.S. students report when they return that they had never felt safer in their lives. This does not mean that there is no crime and that your safety is assured--because of, or in spite of, the fact that you carry a U.S. passport in a perhaps statistically more peaceful local environment.

The simple fact of your being a foreigner and not knowing quite what is and isn't safe behavior--not being certain where and where not to go or how to act--increases, at least somewhat, the possibility that you can be victimized by petty crime, such as fraud, robbery, theft, or even physical attack. Further, in certain places and at certain times, it is very possible to get caught in the midst of forms of political strife which may not be directed at you personally or even at you as an American, but nevertheless can be very dangerous.

It is more important than ever to stay informed of both international and local events. While abroad, read the local and international newspapers, read CNN on-line or watch it on TV (when available), and if you are on a study abroad program, listen to or read the updates provided by your program director. Consult the U.S. State Department travel web site before and during your period abroad (www.travel.state.gov).  The State Department issues three types of announcements: Consular Information Sheets, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings. Consular Information Sheets are available for every country of the world. They describe entry requirements, currency regulations, unusual health conditions, the crime and security situation, political disturbances, areas of disturbances, as well as emergency telephone numbers for U.S. consulates and embassies. Public Announcements provide information about relatively short-term and/or transnational conditions posing significant risks to the security of American travelers. They are issued when there is a perceived threat, even if it does not involve Americans as a particular target group. The Worldwide Cautions issued by the State Department since September 11, 2001, are an example of a Public Announcement. The third and most serious announcement is the Travel Warning. In some dangerous situations, the U.S. State Department issues a Travel Warning, recommending that Americans defer travel to a country or to a particular region within a country.

There are certain safety precautions that Americans students abroad can take, which we list in the following section.

COMMON SENSE PRECAUTIONS

(This section is adapted from www.studyabroad.com/handbook, written by Bill Hoffa)

• Register with the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country where you will be living. Travelers are now able to do this on-line through the U.S. State Department web site: www.travel.state.gov/travel/abroad_registration.html Registration with a U.S. Embassy or Consulate makes your presence and whereabouts known in case it is necessary for a consular official to contact you in an emergency.

• Keep a low profile and try not to make yourself conspicuous by dress, speech, or behavior, in ways that might identify you as a target. Do not draw attention to yourself either through expensive dress, personal accessories (cameras, radios, etc.) or careless behavior.

• Avoid crowds, protest groups, or other potentially volatile situations, as well as restaurants and entertainment places where Americans are known to congregate.

• Keep abreast of local news. Read local newspapers, magazines, etc. and speak with local officials to learn about any potential civil unrest. If there should be any political unrest, do not get involved.

• Be wary of unexpected packages and stay clear of unattended luggage or parcels in airports, train stations, or other areas of uncontrolled public access.

• Report to the responsible authority any suspicious persons loitering around residence or instructional facilities, or following you; keep your residence area locked; use common sense in divulging information to strangers about your study program and your fellow students.

• If you travel to countries beyond your program site and expect to be there for more than a week, register upon arrival at the U.S. consulate or embassy having jurisdiction over the location.

• Make sure the resident director, host family, or foreign university official who is assigned the responsibility for your welfare always knows where and how to contact you in an emergency and your schedule and itinerary of where you are traveling, even if only overnight.

• Develop with your family a plan for regular telephone or e-mail contact, so that in times of heightened political tension, you will be able to communicate with your parents directly about your safety and well-being.

• The US government monitors the political conditions in every country around the world. For current information, advisories, or warnings contact the State Department in Washington DC (202- 647-4000) or the local US embassy or consulate where you are: www.usembassy.state.gov

• Be aware of local health conditions abroad; especially if you are traveling to remote areas, you should be aware of any public health service recommendations or advisories. For current health conditions abroad contact local officials, or consult the Centers for Disease Control (404-639-3311), or www.cdc.gov/travel/.

• Know local laws: laws and systems of justice are not universal and you will be subject to the laws of the host country. Do not assume that just because it is legal in the United States, that it is legal abroad.

• Use banks to exchange your money: do not exchange your money on the black market (on the street). Do not carry on your person more money than you need for the day. Carry your credit cards, traveler's checks, etc. in a very safe place.

• Do not impair your judgment due to excessive consumption of alcohol, and do not fall under the influence of drugs.

• Female travelers are sometimes more likely to encounter harassment, but uncomfortable situations can usually be avoided by taking the following precautions: Dress conservatively. While short skirts and tank tops may be comfortable, they may also encourage unwanted attention. Avoid walking alone late at night or in questionable neighborhoods. Do not agree to meet a person whom you do not know in a non-public place. Be aware that some men from other countries tend to mistake the friendliness of American women for romantic interest.