Tibetannet

With the arrival of the summer vacation, tourism in Tibet has gradually warmed up. At the same time, the plateau has entered its rainy season, and the temperature varies widely between day and night. Experts remind tourists coming to Tibet to pay attention to their own physical conditions and to prevent flu-induced high altitude sickness.

Gongjue Tsetan, an emergency doctor at the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Hospital, said that tourists should check their bodies before coming to Tibet and not arrive on the plateau while sick. After first arriving, tourists should not walk or run quickly and should not overwork themselves. They must pay attention to cold and warm temperatures and prevent from catching a cold or flu, as a cold and fever will increase the body's oxygen consumption and aggravate altitude sickness. At the same time, the flu virus affects the body and makes it easy to induce high altitude pulmonary edema and can even cause brain edema in extreme cases.

Two weeks before coming to Tibet, it is recommended to take Rhodiola medicine to increase the body's ability to carry oxygen. Tourists can bring their own flu and gastrointestinal medicines such as herbal medicinal granules, and berberine, and should pack clothing for different kinds of weather.

Diets should be light and should include less greasy, spicy, or irritating food. Tourists should drink plenty of water and should not drink alcohol. After two to three days of adapting to the environment, and if the body has no symptoms, it will be all right to arrange tours.

"The first time they come to the plateau, most people have mild altitude sickness. The best way to avoid or reduce altitude sickness is to maintain a positive mentality, avoid excessive tension and not to be careless. Mild altitude sickness can be relieved by oxygen inhalation. If you have severe headache, cough, fever, or vomiting, seek medical attention immediately," Dr. Du Cheng of the Aid-Tibet programme at Peking University People's Hospital said.

Experts remind tourists that patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are not recommended to travel to Tibet, because hypoxia can induce or aggravate the disease.