Which Vaccinations Do I Need To Get?

POSTED ON JUNE 10, 2017

So you’re going to go traveling, eh? It’s better to be safe than sorry and be vaccinated to avoid  getting exposed to a disease in the area of travel. That way, much like your routine vaccines, your body can protect itself when confronted with a foreign micro-organism. Being vaccinated early will save you the trouble of getting sick and stuck with a huge hospital bill. In addition, vaccinations are usually affordable, widely accessible and are administered by your doctor or at a local travel clinic.

 

Hepatitis A & Typhoid

The most common vaccines that travelers will get when traveling to a foreign country are: Hepatitis A and Typhoid. These are transmitted when consuming food or water that may have been contaminated or washed with unfiltered water. Remember, some fruits or vegetables that are washed with water and the ice cubes that are frozen and placed in beverages, can have a possibility of being traced to contaminated sources.

 

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver. Some people who may have contracted the Hepatitis B virus may not even know it. The virus is dispersed when an infected person’s bodily fluids come into contact with another person. One way for you to find out if you have the virus is by having your doctor collect a sample of blood to test for this. If the doctor suspects that you have damage to your liver as a result from Hepatitis B, they will perform a liver biopsy.

 

There are four ways to avoid contracting Hepatitis B when traveling and they are:

1. Get the Hepatitis B vaccine.
2. Abstain from having unprotected sexual contact with partners who may have this disease or who have multiple sexual partners. The only way to find out is be straight-forward and ask.
3. You may want to think twice about getting that new cool tattoo or piercing in a foreign country as the needles being used may have not been sterilized completely between use, or may have been contaminated from those being infected with a disease. Make sure you see documentation of health inspections being performed which are usually found posted on the walls or some sort of certification.
4. Be sure that you do not share razors or receive blood products from someone that may be infected. Also, if you are donating blood, please tell the personnel that you have such a disease.

Malaria

Malaria is a parasitic disorder that is transmitted through the bite from a female mosquito. Most healthy individuals can fight off the disease after receiving the vaccine. If left untreated, it can be life-threatening. Some common symptoms one may experience if they have any sort of infection are: fever, chills, headache or vomiting. One thing to note is that the symptoms may not even occur until a week later or even more. That’s why it is very important to consume the prescribed medication, as ordered, before, during, and after your trip.

 

Rabies

If you already know that you will be spending a lot of time outdoors on your trip and will be coming into close proximity of animals, it is recommended that you receive your rabies shot. Outdoor activities can include camping, hiking, caving, biking among others. Rabies is a virus that can be obtained from the saliva of infected mammals and is usually transmitted through a bite or via a scratch. Having any contact with the saliva of an infected animal or having an open cut on your skin, can make you susceptible to contracting this disease. The mammals that can commonly carry this include: stray dogs, raccoons, bats, coyotes, and others depending on the region you’re in. Once a person is infected with rabies, it takes about four to 12 weeks to start having symptoms. Symptoms include muscle weakness, fever, and flu-like symptoms. Once these symptoms are showing, the disease can be fatal.

 

What Are The Routine Vaccines?

As mentioned above, your routine vaccines are: MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella),  pertussis, and varicella.

 

MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella)

If you’ve gone to school in the US, you’ve more than likely received your Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine. This vaccine contains live and weaken versions of the three diseases, and is given by an injection. If you have not been given this vaccine in the past, you may experience your typical signs and symptoms of what you think is a “cold,” but might even be something more serious. Brain damage, miscarriages, birth defects and death are some of the complications that may occur without this vaccine. So please do yourself a favor and get the vaccine.

 

Pertussis

This vaccine is needed to protect against whooping cough, a respiratory disease that affects all ages, especially in babies, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. The vaccine comes in two versions and is given based on age. Individuals whose age is younger than seven receive the DTaP vaccine and the other older children and adults receive the Tdap vaccine.

 

Varicella

Varicella or chickenpox, is a disease that most people have gotten when they were younger. In chickenpox, tiny blister-like rashes appear on the skin. People who received this vaccine prevent themselves from getting chickenpox and from reoccurring. The symptoms the next time around are mild and with less scarring.

 

Our suggestion is to keep yourself safe and informed and do your research! Please get vaccinated and always check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website to get up-to-date information on which vaccines to receive in the country that you plan to visit. Some safety tips that we always use when traveling is to practice good handwashing, receive all vaccines prior to departure, make sure that you are aware of the environment and its hazards, try to stay away from wooded and standing water, always stay hydrated with bottled beverages and consume foods that are cooked or packaged.