travel clinic in NYC - recs?
 

Hi all,

We're travelling to tanzania in july, and need to start working out what vaccinations, etc we need to get.

can anyone in the NYC area recommend a travel clinic? i've found listings online but would love to get recommendations from personal experience.

also i am really confused about which shots, etc to get. Seems like the anti-malaria meds are most important, but after that i'm not sure which ones are also priorities - seems like at least hep A, & a tetanus booster? YF is not a danger in Tanzania right, and not required if coming from US?

if anyone could list out what they got for a trip to tanzania, that would be great. :)

thanks all!

Your own physician can give you the Tetanus and HepA and write the script for Malarone. YF isn't required (which most general practioners don't have anyway)... so why spend more money at a travel clinic.

Sandi is quite correct. No physician in private practice (in the U.S.) has Yellow Fever Vaccine. For Yellow Fever Vaccine you must go t a yellow fever clinic. Find these online. You should be able to telephone your family Doc and as for an Rx for Malarone. Check your health records and verify that you have current immunization for Hepatitis & Typhoid. Update your tetnus vaccine as well. This topic comes up so frequently that a search on this forum will turn up anything else you need to know.

There are a few private physicians in the US who have YF, but they are few and far between and have to be appropriately licensed. Otherwise, most hospitals have travel clinics where YF is available.

However, if traveling to Tanzania from the US, and haven't been in an YF area within 3/months prior (I believe, or it can be 6/weeks), you DO NOT need a YF inoculation.

We used Medical Diagnostic Associates in Westfield, NJ last year for Typhoid, Hep A, Polio booster and Malarone RX before we went to Botswana. We keep our tetanus current. We may use them again this year for YF even though there isn't a great threat in Tanzania and of course, the refill for Malarone. Our BC/BS covered most of the costs but I've heard the YF shot is more expensive.

I used the link from the CDC site to travel clinics, and did indeed find many in Manhattan. I used Dr. Morledge, at 150 E 58 st 18th floor. They gave me an appointment in one day. I actually saw a physician's assistant, but she seemed to have all the facts on the tip of her tongue, and I was pleased.
She actually wanted a copy of my itinerary, because some of the innoculations are optional, and she wanted to be able to weigh the pros and cons for me.

thanks all for your replies! :)

ann_nyc - would you mind telling me which shots, etc you ended up getting?

thanks!

Please be aware that any recommendations need to take your own health history, your particular itinerary, and also the season into account. That's what a travel doc will help you with.

That being said, I got the yellow fever innoculation, a tetanus booster, and a typhoid shot. I already had a hepatitis A innoculation.

There were a few others we discussed: I didn't get the meningococcus because I was going at a season where it is not prevalent, but also because I got my shots just before the school year and there was a shortage due to all the college students. I didn't get the rabies vaccine because I wasn't going to do anything that put me at risk, and I wasn't staying for an extended trip, and the vaccine doesn't actually prevent you from getting rabies, it just gives you a longer grace period after you get bitten. But the doctor warned me not to pet any chimps, even if I thought they were tame. And I didn't get the hepatitis B vaccine because I figured that anything that could give me Hep B could also give me AIDS and I didn't want the false assurance. In retrospect, I wish I had gotten it, not just for the trip but on general principles.
Your travel doc will be able to work with you to make the best decisions for you.

p.s. Yellow fever is not legally required, but my doctor recommended it. So there is a difference between required and recommended.

My doctor said forget YF.

But, he also said the only thing needed for tourist Tz is malaria meds.

Traveler's Medical Service at 595 Madison Av., at 57th St., is excellent. I used them for Africa and South America. They have all the info re what you need for which country, and can administer and prescribe medications. Ph # 212 230 1020

thanks all!! :)

I just have a moment so excuse me if I'm a bit brief (I'm working today). There are issues with YF vaccine and I don't recommend it for patients traveling to countries that are not on CDC's and the WHO list of Yellow Fever countries. All physicians I know of do the same it is under Best Practice guidelines. If you are getting information other than that, see another physician. Those of you who are not health professionals stop giving medical advice on this forum, PLEASE (yes, this is a shout)
sorry if anyone is offended.
Chuck

I got YF just in case I get hassled at the border of Tanzania crossing back into Kenya. I've been told it's required but they rarely check. I'm on a tight schedule and don't want any hassles between countries.