Shots For India and Bhutan
 

We are traveling to Dehli, Jaipur and Bhutan in Feburary. What shots do we need? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

look on the CDC and consult a travel clinic or doctor..

I think it is best if you consult with a physician who specializes in foreign travel. The CDC website also lists current recommendations.

When I went to India for 3.5 months last summer, my doctor recommended Hep A, Hep B (in case you needed emergency medical treatment, and the needle could be suspect), typhoid, polio, tetanus, and rabies (due to many stray dogs). I was also given malaria pills. In addition, I was given antibiotics to bring for bad stomach problem should the problem arise.

I, too, got the Hep A (already had the B) and typhoid when I went to India a few years back. The important thing with the malaria pills is that you have to start taking them a couple of days before you go and then once you get back (for a week I think) for them to be totally effective. I did not experience any side effects, but I have heard of several instances where people do. I was there in February also and don't remember mosquitoes being bad in the North, but when we went down South I had to sleep with repellant all over, including my face.

As the others said, best to consult your doctor.

It's always worth reading the cdc website info before you visit a travel medicine doctor. You want to know the right questions to ask. Remeber that India is one of the few places that still has some polio, so you might need a booster depending on your age and which of the various vaccines you received as a child. You do want to make sure that you are up to date on vaccines for childhood illnesses (measles, mumps, rubella) and routine vaccines everyone should have even to stay home - tetanus.

As far as anti-malarials are concerned, do read the cdc website carefully and ask questions at the travel med clinic. The recommendations for malaria prevention have changed recently, and you need to tell the travel med doc exactly where you are going. There are a number of effective anti-malarials, and each has different requirements for how long before entering the malarial risk area you take them and how long afterward. Each of the anti-malarials has a different side effect profile, and you'll need the assistance of a medical professional to decide which is the best anti-malarial for you.

By the way, the anti-malarial sold over the counter in Great Britian is NOT effective in India.