RVers Health
Take the Bite Out of Summer Travel Health Problems
By Russ and Tiņa De Maris

Ah, spring and summer! Warm days. Blue skies! Endless highways stretched out before the RV. Insect bites. Sunburn. Food poisoning. Spring a summer travel can bring happy memories, but adding avoidable health issues to the mix is about as much fun as a flat tire on your fifth wheel. So while you're readying the rig for seasonal travel, arm yourself with an "ounce of prevention" in the health arena.

Let the Sun Shine--Safely

Take a trip down your favorite summer beach, you'll see people lined up like contestants in the Pillsbury Solar Oven Bake Off. The uniform theme appears to be "the less, the better" and in some places (where my wife doesn't allow me to go), "tan lines" are verboten through the expediency of the abolition of clothing.

It seems the pastime of seeing how far folks can change their skin tone by solar radiation treatments has reached a state of alarm in Texas. Molly Warthan, a medical student with the University of Texas Department of Dermatology says her studies reveal more than most bikinis. After passing out survey forms at a popular Galveston beach, Warthan and her colleagues put sunburns into a financial perspective.

"Using our study average of 1.89 missed workdays due to sunburn," says Warthan, "The total number of workdays lost by all beachgoers would be 92,720 per year." Number crunching revealed the total economic impact to Galveston sun worshippers at over $10 million a year. Thank heavens many of us are retired.

On the serious side is the fact that nearly 20% of Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, the majority of cases caused by sun exposure. Dermatologist Darrell Rigel, MD of the New York University School of Medicine, has a few suggestions on reducing the impact of sol on your skin--and deeper tissues. First, use enough sunscreen. "The average person requires one ounce of sunscreen, enough to fill a shot glass, to adequately cover exposed areas of the body," says Rigel.

Rigel recommends sunscreen be worn even on cloudy days. "It's a little-known fact that daily sun exposure, like the kind received inadvertently while driving a car or taking a walk accounts for the majority of a person's lifetime exposure."

Other tips that can help you stay skin-healthy include using a sunscreen with an SPF rating of 15 or higher, putting it on at least 15 to 30 minutes before heading outdoors, and reapplying it every two hours. The American Academy of Dermatology adds that avoiding outdoor activities between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. will reduce the risk of skin cancer, as will wearing sun-protective clothing and hats. And of course, don't forget the "shadow rule." If your shadow is shorter than you are, the sun's rays are at their strongest and sunburn is far more likely.

All things considered, I think maybe I'll skip the nude beaches. I prefer my buns grilled over the barbecue.

Eatin' Outdoors

Firing up the grill and packing in potato salad seem to be part of the necessary ingredients to a successful RV outing. My bathroom scales are just as insulting as anyone else's, I find that sticking them away during picnic season is the best policy. Still, the "revenge of the scales" has to beat "Moctezuma's Revenge" hands down. Spending my travel hours locked away in the water-closet is just not my idea of fun. A little attention to careful food handling can make your RV time a lot happier.

Put away the "Pepto," and apply suggestions from Marlene Clark, a registered dietitian at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. "Millions of cases of foodborne illness occur each year," says Clark, "And most of those cases could have been prevented." Foodborne illness often masquerades as "Summer Flu" with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or fever.

While most of us recognize 'evil food spirits' like salmonella hitch rides in raw meat, dairy, and seafood products, they also find fresh produce a handy vehicle. "Bacteria may also be present in foods that have been prepackaged or have been cross contaminated," says Clark. "The general rule of thumb should be to thoroughly clean all your fresh foods before you eat them, even if you think they've been sterilized."

Ms. Clark heaps our plate with more rules of thumbs than an octopus has hands. Wash your hands with warm soapy water for at least 15 seconds before food prep and after handling raw meats. Doing so will reduce your food sickness risks.


When dealing with raw meats and ready-to-eats, think about your mother-in-law--the greater the distance between, the better. Use separate cutting boards, one for raw meat, the other for fruits and veggies.

Grilling meats? Think Galveston beaches--"make mine well-done." Pink in the center of meat cuts is fine, provided the outside is dark brown. When cooking poultry, seafood, or hamburgers, the meat needs to be cooked throughout--poke it with a food thermometer. One expert recommends cooking burgers to at least 160 degrees, and chicken to no less than 170.

Watch your temper--ature. Cold foods need to keep their cool--keep them out of the sun, and on ice where possible. Hot foods would prefer an aluminum foil "hat" to keep them up to temp. Two hours is the limit for keeping most things "out," of refrigeration, particularly foods made with mayonnaise or high protein stuff. If outdoor temperatures rise above 90, reducing the "outside" time limit to one hour is recommended.

Finally, avoid melon madness. Before cutting a melon, wash the outside surface with water to remove dirt--even if it looks clean. Once cut, keep your melons on ice or in the refer, at 45 degrees or less. Cut melon can be served without refrigeration--but only up to four hours after cutting.

Giving Bugs the Buzz-Off

"Don't look like a flower, smell like a flower, or act like a flower." Sage advice on avoiding bee stings from Richard D. deShazo, M.D. As chairman of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), deShazo gives the buzz on insect bites and stings. He adds this to our knowledge of bee behavior: "Bees are attracted to flowers, and they'll be attracted to you if you dress in bright colors and floral prints, wear strong perfumes, and walk around barefoot in the grass among the clover that bees love so much."

There go my Bermuda shorts and "au de toilet." Still, bees aren't the only insects that can put the bite on your outdoor fun. Other stinging insects like hornets, yellow jackets, wasps, and fire ants along with kindred spirits of mosquitoes and "kissing bugs," are plentiful from late July through September. While annoying to some, more than a half-million folks actually wind up in hospital emergency rooms each year because of allergic reactions to insect stings or bites.

Dr. deShazo cautions, "People who know they're allergic should never be without an emergency kit containing epinephrine. If you experience any symptoms of an allergic reaction for the first time from an insect sting or bite, get to an emergency room right away." And what are those symptoms? Hives, itchiness, swelling in areas other than the sting site, difficulty breathing, dizziness, a hoarse voice, and tongue swelling.
If you don't like the sound of the cure, how much better to take the prevention. Here are a few tips from the ACAAI.

Keep food covered when eating outdoors.

Don't drink from a soft drink can--bees are attracted to the sweetness and may crawl inside for a sip.

Keep your rig's door and window screens in good repair, and drive with your windows closed.

If you have a prescribed insect emergency kit, keep it handy and use it if needed.

If you've had an allergic reaction to an insect sting, see an allergist for evaluation.

What about "biting" bugs? Fire ants are finding "homes" in 12 US states, and their bite is extremely painful, and often causes a nasty pustule to form within 18 to 24 hours. Broken or scratched pustules can lead to a bacterial infection, so handle them with care. Clean blisters with soap and water, and use topical corticosteriod ointments to relieve itching.

'A kiss is just a kiss,' says the song. True, unless the kiss is from one of the "kissing bugs" like a Triatoma, fly, or mosquito. According to John Moffitt, M.D., an allergist with the University of Mississippi Medical Center at Jackson, the sweet kiss of the bug may lead to dangerous allergic reactions. "In the western and southwestern US, Triatoma bites appear to be an important cause of
anaphylaxis," says Moffitt, "Since their bite is usually painless and inflicted during sleep, the person may not be aware of the bite, and resulting allergic reactions may not be diagnosed."

Moffit says personal protection boils down to, "Avoidance where possible and use of pesticides approved for indoor use." If you're in "bed bug" country, check out the sheets before crawling in. Since covered skin is rarely bitten, putting on the "PJ's" before heading out to the 'land of nod' may keep you safer.

In territory frequented by mosquitos, lather on the insect repellent. Experts recommend using repellents containing DEET--although children under six should not use repellents with more than 10% DEET. Some health experts suggest applying the repellent to children's clothing, as less will be absorbed while still working keep biters at bay.

Get nipped despite your efforts? Assuming you show no signs of an allergic reaction, most stings or bites are best dealt with by applying a baking-soda and water to the sting site, gently rubbing it in for 15 to 20 minutes.

Are you ready, troops? Pack up the sunscreen, the ice chests, and insect repellent. Go forth--and remember--don't dress like a flower!

Our thanks to the US Centers for Disease Control for the images used in this story.

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