Travel Healthy, Travel Smart

On a recent trip to Vietnam, I reluctantly found myself looking for malaria medication in the best "pharmacy" available, a bare room full of unmarked jars of pills down one of Ho Chi Minh City's back alleys. Luckily, neither the pills nor malaria got to me. However, poor planning can pose a threat not only to one's health but also to that of the ecosystems we visit.

Eat Locally—and Wisely

Local cuisines should be savored, but mind food-borne perils, particularly where sanitation is minimal and government oversight meager. Poorly washed raw fruits and vegetables as well as undercooked meats can carry a host of pathogens, such as E. coli, salmonella and noroviruses (common on cruise ships). Most often, the result is nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, which can turn travel into a misery.

More exotic foods, however, can mean more exotic diseases and the decimation of endangered species. In West and Central Africa, for example, trade in wild game, or "bushmeat," is the most acute threat to apes, and primates may account for up to 15 percent of the total bushmeat market. The danger to us is real as well: HIV-1, the virus responsible for the global AIDS pandemic, is believed to have leapt to humans through bushmeat hunting. With an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 wild animals eaten annually, "Every year there's a good chance that we could end up with some disease emerging," William Karesh, D.V.M., director of the field veterinary program for the Wildlife Conservation Society, told National Public Radio this March.

What You Can Do

* Stick to cooked foods served hot to your table; only eat street-vendor food prepared in front of you. Avoid salads, uncooked vegetables, undercooked meats and unpasteurized dairy. Wash fruits with boiled, bottled or filtered water and remove peels.

* Be skeptical of unfamiliar meats. "Anytime that you are served something you can't identify, ask questions, and in all cases stay away from eating primates," suggests Natalie Bailey, assistant director of the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force.