My husband & I are considering traveling to Hong Kong. Is it advisable to get immunizations? I have received conflicting opinions. We would be staying within the Hong Kong area. If not what are the risks? Thanks.

As always, a travel clinic or the CDC is your best source of information, rather than the opinions of other travelers. I have been in Hong Kong a number of times, and have relatives there. It is as safe as any North American or European major city.

You should have the basic immunizations any traveler should have. Check out the CDC information:
wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/hong-kong-sar.aspx

Do you get shots when going to New York City, San Francisco, London or Toronto? Same for Hong Kong.

Yup, you need the same ones for traveling to the places Ray mentions, plus, the typhoid vaccine would be a good idea.

Many people don't think about immunizations until they travel. But you are wise to have the Hep A vaccine whether you are dining in Des Moines or London or Hong Kong. And, as a friend of mine says, no one should peek their nose out from under their bedcovers if they don't have a current tetanus shot.

We are off to HK on Thurs and then Europe for 4 months from July. We are both in our late 40's so our GP has advised for HK a combined HepA/typhoid and the latest flu vac' which now includes the H1N1.

And due to our 'age' and that we will be travelling a lot this year we have had,
boosters for Tetanus, Whooping cough & Polio. As well as a course of HepB.

I'm not suggesting for one second that everyone needs all of the above but we figured we may as well get it all done.

I do feel like a pin cushion though and fyi, no side effects for us.

Yes, and those shots will also protect aussiedreamer in Sydney, Melbourne, etc.

that was my point...........its just that traveling reminds one that we should keep these things up to date.

Beyond the routine “childhood” immunizations and things like Hepatitis and Tetanus
mentioned above, I would like to know what types of “immunizations” you mean, and what type of “conflicting advice” you are receiving. I would be surprised that anyone would recommend anything other than the routine immunizations mentioned above. This would include the entire Pearl River Delta area of south east China.

You do not need to take anti-Malarial medications for Hong Kong (which are not an immunization in any event). I am not aware of cases of Dengue fever, which you can find in other “safe” places in Asia, like Singapore. You can drink the water from the tap. It’s hard to imagine a place where you would be less worried about needing immunizations. (SARS not withstanding, and which in fact taught Hong Kong a lot about communicable diseases which may mean that they will weather the next wave in better shape than many other places.)