Shots? Who needs shots?

 

 

So my friend that went to India asks me, “Did you know you are supposed to have shots before you go to India?” My first response was to laugh and then say, “Of course.” It seems that the travel agent he used assumed since he lives in Japan he would know this so they did not mention it.

No matter where you go you need your tetanus up to date and a flu shot during flu season is highly recommended.

Off the top of my head I know I have had Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Dengue, Tetanus, Polio, Smallpox, Typhoid, and Diptheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccines. I have taken so many malaria pills that the mere mention of them makes me taste them. Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) is given now and it was not when I was a child we all just suffered through the measles and mumps. Not all vaccines are shots some come as pills as well.

So then my friend says, “The next time I go somewhere I will make an appointment a few days before at my doctor and get all the shots.” Again I laughed. I explained that your family doctor will not have the vaccines in the office they are generally given at the Health Department. Also, many of the vaccines must be given several weeks to months ahead of time to insure full effect.

The best source of this information is from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) website, http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/

It is simple to go to the website and they list all the vaccines you need and they give travel tips and safety information for the various countries of the world. It is easy to enter the country you plan to travel to and it will bring up a whole webpage for the country.

Anytime you travel outside of the US be sure to check this information when you make your travel plans so you can get the appropriate vaccines or medications you need. For example with Malaria you will given pills to start before you go into the country, take while you are in the country and to continue for sometime when you get home to the US.

Taking the proper precautions with vaccines can help you have enjoyable memories of a wonderful experience in another culture. Not taking them can result in illness and in extreme cases death. So as the saying goes an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Safe travels!