What if your child gets sick on vacation?

What I thought would be a relaxing summer vacation at my mother's turned out to be my worst trip ever. That's because I had to navigate the never-before-traveled path of getting medical treatment for my very sick 19-month-old son, while far away from home.

The morning after we arrived at my mother's house, my son woke up with a fever, threw up, and refused to drink just about everything. I knew I had to get him medical attention, but where? Family friends and neighbors referred us to their pediatricians, but they were either out of the office, too busy, or unable to handle a one-time visit with a new patient. Throughout the ordeal, I was in touch with my son's pediatrician, especially since I knew he might get dehydrated.

One doctor's office recommended an urgent-care clinic. These clinics are for patients who need treatment right away but don't necessarily need to go to an emergency room. Urgent-care clinics take walk-ins, and don't schedule appointments. Consumer Reports' medical consultants say it may be best to choose an urgent-care clinic affiliated with a hospital, if you can find one, which is what I did. 

I was prepared for a health emergency in one key way: I'd packed our health insurance cards. Everyone—adult and child alike—should have their health insurance information with them when they travel, in case of emergency. (In fact, you should have this with you at all times, even when you're not far from home. You should also have key medical information with you—including a list of conditions if you have a chronic disease or any allergies, drugs you're taking, and family contact information.)

My son was diagnosed with a viral infection. As directed by the health professionals at the clinic, I gave him infant acetaminophen to keep the fever down. But when he continued to refuse fluids the next day, I became very concerned. I called our pediatrician back home and at his direction, brought my son to the ER at the nearest hospital, which didn't have a children's unit. (While all acute-care hospital emergency rooms should be able to handle a pediatric emergency, you can always inquire whether pediatric services are available if you have a choice of hospitals. You can also find organizations of pediatric hospitals online: the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) is one such source. (See their hospital directory search.)

At the hospital, he received intravenous saline to treat his dehydration. That finally started him on the road to recovery, and he was allowed to come home with me. But he still has nightmares about the hospital visit—I think he was traumatized by going to a strange place and having strange people do strange things to him, most of which were painful—and I'm still reeling as well. (See Helping Your Child With Medical Experiences: A Practical Parent Guide (this is a PDF file) from Children's Hospital Boston.

Some tips for travel with children:

• Check with your pediatrician for steps on handling dehydration if it strikes your child before leaving for vacation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the greatest risk to an infant with diarrhea and vomiting is dehydration, and a fever or increased air temperature (at a tropical locale, for example) can increase fluid losses and speed dehydration.
• Research the availability of doctors and healthcare facilities at your destination, in the (not unlikely) event that anyone in your family becomes ill.
• Check with your health insurance policy to see what is and isn't covered at your destination, especially if you leave the United States. In addition, it's a good idea to pack some basic medications for all travelers, as well as a first aid kit, and any prescription medications that family members take regularly or intermittently.

—Sandra Temko, CRTV producer