Hi,

Leaving for Costa Rica on Dec. 24 with wife and 13-year-old daughter. CDC recommends Malaria Prophylaxis with chloroquine and Typhoid vaccine. Anyone have info about cost for these?

Thank you.

Check with your local public health

clinic for inexpensive vaccines.

Hep A would be indicated more so

than Typhoid vaccine only70%effective.

Tourist malaria is unheard of but if

you are going to a rural area which

is a risk area CR pharmacies have

Chloroquine pretty cheap.

Do review CDC info carefully

Chloroquine only for malaria risk

areas NOT all of CR...

Very few of us get vaccinated or take meds to go to CR. It's up to you for your own peace of mind though. The meds can have a lot of side effects. We are always careful to wear repellent though. Our guides told us Dengue fever is the biggest concern, and there's no preventative for that. What areas are you visiting?

Sorry, no idea. Several trips - use my bug spray but never any jabs, not necessary unless you are heading for the CR/NI border for a spell.

We didn't get any shots for our trip, but like others, used the repellent often.
On a side note, a friend who went with me to Guanacaste in March was turned down last week in Virginia for blood donation because she had visited Guanacaste within the last year. I'm trying to find out if they gave her a specific reason for the denial such as exposure to dengue, malaria, etc. Thought that was interesting.

I think the recommendations from CDC and the precautions of the health department and blook banks is necessary in order to cover themselves. It is a broad approach and, in my opinion, unnecessary. But not unnecessary from THEIR point of view. . .as in the one in a million, "Gee you KNEW there was a chance and you didn't tell me?!"

A lot depends on the type of the vacation you're taking. If you're staying at upscale resorty places, I don't think you'll have to worry about typhoid.

If you end up taking these, call your pharmacy and ask for the prices.

Chloroquine: usual dose is one tablet once a week, starting one or two weeks before, each week during, and six to eight weeks after returning. That would give you the number of tablets needed per person. If I remember right, there is only one brand of chlorquine available in the U.S., so there are not generics.

Typhoid vaccine: can be given orally, and you could have a doctor write a prescription for it and you get it at the pharmacy too. It goes by the brand name Vivotif Berna. No generics available.

When I went to the rain forest of Ecuador, I went to the local Medical school. They had a clinic and gave reasonably priced vaccinations. Large groups of students on mission trips will sometimes use these facilities so they are used to making a lot of recommendations. Also Quovadis'suggestions about the local city, county health clinic is a good idea as well.

A footnote here: with the world opening up to easy travel, it is also easy to forget when you got your last tetnus, typhoid vaccinations etc. As you get your vaccinations, make sure you have the provider update your yellow "international certificate of vaccination". Keep it in a safe place and carry a copy of it with you when you travel. In case you have a medical issue when traveling you can always answer the Dr's questions about "when was the last time you had a tetnus?" No use in getting uncessary vaccinations just because you can't remember that you really had one more recently that what you remember.

Regarding denial of blood donor...

Red Cross Eligibility Guide:
Defer 12 months for travel to
• a malarial risk area (malarial risk information –
http://www.cdc.gov/travel.regionalmalaria which says:

Malaria risk area in Costa Rica: Risk in Alajuela, Limón, Guanacaste, and Heredia provinces. No risk in Limón city (Puerto Limón).