Vaccinations — yay or nay?
The Court Theatre jester sticks his arm out for a jab.
With my trip to Thailand just under six months away, I’m a little late in beginning to think about vaccinations. Twinrix, the jab of choice against Hepatitis A and B, requires seven months forethought — unless you go the fast track route which while possible in under 21 days, requires a FOURTH shot within twelve months.
With this in mind, I began investigating exactly what shots I needed to go to Asia. While Thailand doesn’t require you to have any vaccinations to enter the country, most information that I could find on the web strongly recommended that some precautions be made. Specifically:
- Hep A
- Hep B
- Tetanus/diphtheria booster (if you havent had it within the last decade; I havent)
- Typhoid
They also suggested rabies, measles/mumps/rubella and Japanese encephalitis. I did a little more digging, and the general consensus of health websites is that you really shouldnt spend any time in Thailand without at least the first four vaccinations.
Then I started asking around the interwebs and this where things got a little muddled. From the CouchSurfing Thailand group page, in answer to my question I received:
“dont be silly dont worry so much not that serious as you think dont worry be happy”
“buy more insurance :) ”
“No vaccinations needed! Just bring something against diarrhea ;)”
Not exactly responsible or adult replies. I did get an answer from an Aussie who, like me, felt it wise not take any chances with your health. The trouble is that none of these answers really helped me sort out WHICH jabs I really needed to take.
That was when I recalled that I have not one, but FIVE friends who are doctors (one who is an epidemiologist at that, and who I really should have asked this about at greater length when he was in Christchurch last week), another in med school, and a myriad of others in various health-related fields. I was already mid-email-conversation with my friend Dr Joe, so I asked him. Joe is one of my dearest friends and I trust him rather implicitly. I know he wont try and sell me on something I don’t need (especially since he is in the States, not NZ!) since there is no financial kickback to any recommendations he might make, I feel that confident in making my decisions based on his recommendations:
“Absolutely get Twinrix. Hep B is blood-borne, so less of a problem, but also sexually transmitted. Hep A, however, is fecal/oral, and is passed around the second you lapse on handwashing, or even in contaminated water. They’re both really nasty, too. I got vaccinated for work, but I wouldn’t dare travel without.
Having tetanus updated, in my mind, is a given for modern life, much less travel. I would also get the typhoid oral vaccine… it works better and lasts longer… the CDC agrees with me. I would also consider the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine, as is seems to happen endemically in the whole country, but more to the north, and more in May-October. I’d let a travel doc talk me out of that one, if he was really insistent, but not typhoid.”
Possibly related posts:
Holidaying abroad – especially in a poor country – poses some risks. Apart from disease, road accidents are a risk and so are loss of luggage etc. But you only live once, so go for it!
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