Vaccinations for India, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam - really $2000??
Oct 29th, 2010, 03:03 AM
#22
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Except Malarone,the rest can be had in India(if its your first stop) for a fraction of the cost.Just the fact that the vaccines & their duration of immunity is what you need to look into.
For Africa my yellow fever vaccine costed just INR 260/- in India.
For Africa my yellow fever vaccine costed just INR 260/- in India.
Oct 29th, 2010, 03:49 AM
#23
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Just remember that it takes 7-10 days for your body to make protective antibodies after receiving the vaccine. So I would have the basics (Hep A, which jsm713 already has; polio; typhoid) on board before arriving in India. These three are all spread through contaminated water/food...or the person preparing them. Assume you are planning to eat/drink during first week after arriving! <grin>
Nov 4th, 2010, 06:41 AM
#24
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More fantastic replies - THANKS!
On Friday October 29th, I got:
Polio booster
MMR booster (which I hadn't realized I needed)
TDaP update
typhoid pills (chose to take take them in a few weeks)
a prescription for 100 Malarone (haven't checked possible insurance coverage yet)
a prescription for 60 Cipro
I declined the JE and rabies vaccinations for the time being - I thought I'd try to define my intinerary before making a final decision. Of all the travelers I have talked to, none have gotten the JE or rabies vaccines. The travel doc says they give them every day.
That said, I keep finding more and more interesting things to do that are off the beaten path and scream "get the JE vaccine, you cheapskate" to me! (Elephant sanctuary in Northern Thailand and The Gibbon Experience in Northern Laos, etc...) I also read a travel blog yesterday where a guy got chased by wild dogs at a temple in Thailand... so maybe I need the rabies shots, too.
Side note: I had a real psychological depression after the vaccines last weekend. It was very strange and came on quickly that afternoon. I read the side effects of the vaccines I'd gotten, and no "depression" was listed, although the "behavioral changes" comment would include it. It passed slowly over several days and now I'm myself again happily! Wonder if JE and rabies will derail me again.
Unfortunately, both JE and rabies vaccines require too much time between shots to get them once I'm traveling.
On Friday October 29th, I got:
Polio booster
MMR booster (which I hadn't realized I needed)
TDaP update
typhoid pills (chose to take take them in a few weeks)
a prescription for 100 Malarone (haven't checked possible insurance coverage yet)
a prescription for 60 Cipro
I declined the JE and rabies vaccinations for the time being - I thought I'd try to define my intinerary before making a final decision. Of all the travelers I have talked to, none have gotten the JE or rabies vaccines. The travel doc says they give them every day.
That said, I keep finding more and more interesting things to do that are off the beaten path and scream "get the JE vaccine, you cheapskate" to me! (Elephant sanctuary in Northern Thailand and The Gibbon Experience in Northern Laos, etc...) I also read a travel blog yesterday where a guy got chased by wild dogs at a temple in Thailand... so maybe I need the rabies shots, too.
Side note: I had a real psychological depression after the vaccines last weekend. It was very strange and came on quickly that afternoon. I read the side effects of the vaccines I'd gotten, and no "depression" was listed, although the "behavioral changes" comment would include it. It passed slowly over several days and now I'm myself again happily! Wonder if JE and rabies will derail me again.
Unfortunately, both JE and rabies vaccines require too much time between shots to get them once I'm traveling.
Nov 4th, 2010, 08:05 AM
#25
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The disease vectors for JE are pigs and ducks. So it's a danger in rural farming aresa, but not in wilder jungle areas. Again, 6 weeks in the rural area is generally the cut-off for whether people are advised to get it.
The place where you worry most about rabies is India simply because it has the highest incidence of rabies in the world. As you note, one can be bitten by a dog anywhere, and without knowing its disease status, you'll need rabies treatment. I know of someone who got bitten by a dog at a restaurant in Hanoi and needed the vaccine. Monkeys are also a frequent vector for rabies.
You got a lot of vaccines all at once. People who report feeling "under the weather" after vaccines are usually those who got multiple vacines all at once, as you did. Your immune system is working overtime making all those antibodies.
The place where you worry most about rabies is India simply because it has the highest incidence of rabies in the world. As you note, one can be bitten by a dog anywhere, and without knowing its disease status, you'll need rabies treatment. I know of someone who got bitten by a dog at a restaurant in Hanoi and needed the vaccine. Monkeys are also a frequent vector for rabies.
You got a lot of vaccines all at once. People who report feeling "under the weather" after vaccines are usually those who got multiple vacines all at once, as you did. Your immune system is working overtime making all those antibodies.
Nov 5th, 2010, 03:20 PM
#26
No one every excpects to get bitten by a dog, but there have been two instances of dog bites here on Fodors. (one in China, one in India. In one case the woman tripped over a dog, the one in India was on a bike, IIRC. I have also met several people who were nipped by monkeys, although the skin was only broken on one of them.
It is really scary trying to get a hold of the treatment if you are not in a big city, or if you are in an area where counterfeit drugs are the norm.
It is really scary trying to get a hold of the treatment if you are not in a big city, or if you are in an area where counterfeit drugs are the norm.
