Recommended inoculations / meds for Asia
 

What shots are recommended or required for travel to Thailand, Cambodia, Bali and Sri Lanka??? I always get an annual flu shot and have had the Hep A series already. Advisable to follow the CDC site recommendations?

Also how accessible and safe is it for over the counter drugs in these countries or should I bring these from the States? ( Tylenol, Imodium, allergy meds)???

Thank you!

CDC sets the standard for travel medicine. You can go to a travel medicine practice in most big cities , and they will refer to the CDD. As for OTC meds, it depends on what country you are going to. I bring my own, then I KNOW what I am taking.

Buy your "drugs" from well established pharmacies like Boots or those in malls or department stores. Avoid pharmacies with no a/c or those that are situated on the side of streets. Tylenol and imodium are readily available at all pharmacies but I would bring your own allergy medicines from home. Thailand, for some strange reason, have banned drugs such as Actifed and Sudafed from pharmacies. Something to do with people using allergy medicines to make illegal drugs.

You will also be pleasantly surprise at the prices here when compare to the US or Europe.

As for shots I'll leave that to others to comment.

There are no required shots for these countries (unless you are entering from a Yellow FFever endemic area). Take a look at www.cdc.gov/travel

You should have routine things you should have even at home like tetanus, Hep A, flu.

You may also want to get MMR (depending on your age) as these "childhood diseases" are present in all of these countries and can be deadly fro adults.

Typhoid is wise for traveling to tropical climes.

Depending on exactly where you are going, it may be advisable to take an anti-malarial. In most of these countries, malaria is low risk, but some areas are higher risk. If you do need an anti-malarial, Malarone or doxycycline are you options.

Equally important to preventatives is having reliable medical evacuation insurance. If you have an accident or serious illness you may need to get airlifted to a hospital with advance medical care and this can be prohibitively expensive.

In addition to the vaccinations already mentioned, you should make sure that your polio vaccine is up to date. Dengue is a major risk throughout southeast Asia. There's no preventative -- except to avoid mosquitos -- so know the symptoms and get care if you suspect dengue.

Brand name and generic over the counter drugs are readily available in Indonesia (Java and Bali at least) and in fact many that require prescriptions in the West can be bought over the counter as well at considerable savings. Go to one of the established pharmacies (apotik) like Kimia Farma.

My personal observation is that medicines purchased in Indonesia seem more potent than those from the US, so check dosages carefully.