Michiko Takanohashi

Beijing (China) seems like such a clean and modern city to me! So, I was surprised to hear that maybe I need Hepatitis A, Polio, Diptheria, Tetanus, Japanese Encephalitis vaccines, etc. <BR><BR>My friend and I are staying only in Beijing for 7 days at a 5 star hotel and we will only eat at reputable restaurants. We are NOT camping, going into countryside, eating at street food vendor stands, etc. <BR><BR>In your opinion... are the vaccinations REALLY necessary (I dont think so personally, but what do you think. Obviously I wont hold you responsible as you are not a doctor and it is only your opinion) <BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Michiko Takanohashi

Kathie

My opinion is that some routine traveler's vaccinations are wise. I certainly don't think you need all of these. Read the info at www.cdc.gov which is, in my opinion, the best website for such info.<BR><BR>I don't know where you live, but in the US, people are routinely advised to get their diptheria-tetanus boosters every 10 years - that's even if you aren't traveling. Hep A, which is a food-and water borne illness, can strike anywhere, even in such very clean places as the US, Western Europe and Japan, and I think everyone should have that one, again, whether or not you are traveling. Polio boosters are also wise, as there are mini-epidemics in a number of counties right now. So all of those I would consider to be routine vaccinations. If one is traveling to tropical locations, I would add typhoid. <BR><BR>The one you mentioned which I think is unnecessary for Beijing is Japanese Encephalitis. It is typically recommended for travelers with prolonged stays in rural areas where JE is endemic. That does not appear to apply to you.

Michiko

Also here is some of the confusing and inconsistent information you can find on the web:<BR><BR>From www.fodors.com:<BR><BR>"In China the major health risk is traveler's diarrhea, caused by eating contaminated fruit or vegetables or drinking contaminated water. So watch what you eat. There is a limited risk of hepatitis A and B, typhoid, polio, malaria, tuberculosis, dengue fever, tetanus, and rabies in small cities and rural areas. In most urban or easily accessible areas you need not worry. However, if you plan to visit remote regions or stay for more than six weeks, check with the CDC." <BR><BR>From www.lonelyplanet.com:<BR><BR>"Health risks: Rabies, bilharzia, dengue fever, malaria and cholera are all present. Immunisation against cholera, hepatitis A and B, Japanese encephalitis, polio, rabies and typhoid is considered essential."<BR><BR><BR>

Peter N-H

I think the last line of your query makes the point. This is the last place you should look for medical advice--much of what's written here on all kineds of topics is well-intentioned but misled. For medical advice you need a doctor, and for immunizations you need not just your average doctor, but your nearest specialist clinic or tropical medicine hospital.<BR><BR>The various immunizations listed fall into three kinds:<BR><BR>Those (tetanus, polio, diphtheria for instance) you should have up to date anyway. Scratch yourself in your own garden and tetanus is a risk, but you'll probably find you have most of these anyway<BR><BR>Those you should have when going to a place with poor hygiene (hepatitis A can be caught by eating food handled by someone who is a carrier [according to some assessments, that's one sixth of the Chinese population], hepatitis B is contracted only through the same routes as AIDS and the precaution is taken when there's a risk of hospitalization where you might well get something worse than you went in with from a blood transfusion or improperly sterilized equipment)<BR><BR>Those (Japanese B encephalitis for one) which are mosquito born and for which you only need coverage if you are going to spend an extended period on the countryside.<BR><BR>In general, if Lonely Planet told me my name I'd probably look in my passport to check. For rabies the best advice is to stay away from any animal behaving strangely, and the risk is tiny. I've been to travel clinics on three continents and never had that one recommended. Bilharzia is caught by bathing in the wrong kind of rivers and ponds, but for reasons to do with effluent, ALL rivers and ponds in China are anyway the wrong kind for bathing. I don't believe there's a vaccine for this one. There's a growing problem with dengue fever (which is mosquito-borne) in some rural parts of China but there's no vaccine or cure; and no risk in Beijing anyway. Malaria advice varies constantly (on geographical spread and degree of resistance to various drugs), and there's no vaccination anyway: rules for prophylaxis vary according to the area to be visited and don't apply to major cities such as Beijing, where is no danger. Vaccines for cholera are not very effective, and unless something new has recently come out, are not usually offered any more.<BR><BR>Fodor's is right that a stomach upset is your main risk, and it's most easily avoided by sticking to freshly cooked hot food and washing your hands regularly and keeping them away from your mouth. Personally for a short Beijing trip I'd top up the things you should have anyway (polio, diphtheria, tetanus), and add typhoid and Hep A (a second injection one year later will now give you immunity for ten years--it's good value if you have future trips in mind). But if I didn't have the last two I wouldn't worry too much, but I'd be entirely rigid about the hot food rule, even in five star hotels.<BR><BR>LP's advice, such as it is, assumes (as Fodor's hints) that you'll be slogging round rural areas for months at a time, which you won't be. The US being the litigation-happy place it is, the authors of many guide books which will be distributed there just put down everything to cover themselves. But neither, as it happens, mentions meningococcal meningitis, which is caught in the same way you catch a cold, and just as easily. Not much of a risk in Beijing however, but just how much of a not much right now is another question.<BR><BR>But don't listen to me: I might be an idiot, and this is an area in which it can be very dangerous to have bad advice. Check the CDC Web site as suggested, and talk to a professional.<BR><BR>Peter N-H<BR>http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

Kathie

Remember that China is a BIG country, so the generalizations you read from the guidebooks are just that. You want specific advise on immunizations for Beijing, not for the whole country. The cdc website will give you that kind of information. I always read the cdc website before I visit my travel medicine clinic, so I am informed and know the right questions to ask.

Michiko

to Peter et. all: <BR><BR>Do you (or someone else) know how long the first Hep A shot is effective for? I had part one of the two part series of HAVRIX the Hep A 2-part vaccine. But, I never went back for the second dose. That was 2 years ago. Do you think it would provide any immunity/protection at this point???<BR><BR>Also I had the the Tetanus/ Diptheria vaccine series in 1992. My doctor says its only effective for 10 years, so not at all after 2002.<BR>Do you think the effectiveness just ends (zero percent protection) or does it just lessen (say, 70% instead of 100%)...<BR><BR>Well, thanks everyone for your ideas and stories and advice.<BR><BR>Michiko

Peter N-H

The first shot of Havrix is effective for one year only, I was told. When the others need boosting, they need boosting; so why gamble? You need them at home anyway--get them boosted!<BR><BR>But forgive me if I think you've missed the main point of mine and earlier postings. These are questions you should be asking a travel clinic or other qualified specialist, and no one else. <BR><BR>Peter N-H<BR>http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html