The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released an updated version of the "Yellow Book," the definitive guide to healthy international travel. The newest edition of the "Yellow Book" provides information on a range of health risks from the ordinary - sunburns, auto accidents and travelers' diarrhea - to the extraordinary - avian flu and natural disasters. New features include an expanded section on preventing injuries and life-threatening blood clots that develop while sitting for hours on a plane, as well as the latest recommendations for immunizations and malaria prevention. The biennial health guide, named for its yellow cover, is officially titled "Health Information for International Travel" and serves as the authoritative guide for travel health recommendations.

"More than 63 million Americans travel abroad each year. This book can help prepare travelers for their trips, or help them learn how to stay safe and healthy while overseas," said Dr. Christie Reed, team lead for CDC's travelers' health group. "The Yellow Book serves as the gold standard of travel health recommendations. We want travelers, health care providers and those in the travel industry to have the best information and health care recommendations for traveling abroad."

New features include an expanded section on injuries and auto accidents and tips for avoiding deep vein thrombosis on long international flights.
Because injuries and auto accidents are the greatest risk to travelers, the Yellow Book stresses the importance of wearing seatbelts when driving in foreign countries.

The book also advises people to make efforts to stretch their legs and arms on long international flights to help prevent deep vein thrombosis. And it has information that can help the more than 10 million people who take cruise vacations each year protect themselves against norovirus (a highly contagious gastrointestinal illness) and motion sickness.

Additional new features in the 2007-2008 Yellow Book include:

* Recommendations on traveling to countries that have experienced limited, non-pandemic human avian influenza cases
* Updated immunization guidelines
* New developments in the prevention and treatment of malaria
* Detailed information of skin problems travelers may experience
* Health risks and recommendations for humanitarian workers

Popular recurring features include recommendations for:

* Pre- and post- travel health care
* Managing underlying and chronic conditions while traveling

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