Health & Safety

Living abroad means a new environment and lifestyle—two things that can affect your health and safety. However, with planning and awareness, living abroad can be a very healthy, safe, and rewarding experience for you.

There are health-related things you need to know about your host country before you go—from the immunization requirements to the laws governing the import of medications to the quality of water and medical care. NIU Students can visit the Health Services Travel Clinic for more information on immunizations required for specific countries. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control issues country specific travel notices to educate travelers.
Please Visit: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices for more information.

Lifestyles, practices, and expectations will be very different from home—even in places that seem on the surface to be relatively similar to the U.S. Make sure you understand how things work. Don’t assume that behavior you took for granted at home will be accepted in your host country.

We encourage all students to research safety, health, legal, environmental, political, cultural, and religious conditions in the host country. The U.S. Department of State offers detailed country specific Background Notes as well as issues Travel Warnings and Alerts and advice for safety precautions. For more information, please visit : http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/

More information on finding medical care while you are abroad can be found here:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Travel Health Online

• The Association for Safe International Road Travel

• U.S. State Department, The Secretary of State

• Electronic Embassy

• U. S. State Department Travel Advisories and Consular Information

• United States Embassies and Consulates Worldwide

• Stay Healthy & Safe While Traveling Abroad (pdf)
• NIU International Travel Insurance Plan (Gallagher) 2017-18.pdf (pdf)

• Access Abroad (University of Minnesota site)

• Mobility International USA