advice on vaccinations for long term

alonig

Apart from malaria tabs and typhoid & hepA and B, what else should we consider having for a six month trip to goa??
Should we have the rabies jab??

Also one of our party did not have their BCG at school and so is not vaccinated against TB, should we get this done too??

These are young people(not children) on a volunteer project so we have to give them as much pretection as we can.

many thanks

Merchant

You should talk to a doctor who specializes in diseases of the tropics, not people on the internet!

alonig

well i thought it best to ask people who actually are experienced in being over there NOT some dr who will charge huge sums to give me advice that he has probably got from a book!!!!

wonderwomanusa

Tetanus. Polio. Whooping cough. TB. All of those are good ideas if you plan to spend 6 months in India, along with the Hep A & B and Typhoid that you mentioned.

It's many years since I was in Goa. There were a lot of dogs running wild in those days and it wasn't always possible to find a rock to toss at them. Rabies vaccine doesn't prevent the disease, but gives you more time to get to a hospital for treatment. And yes, that one is expensive.

Merchant

Your jabs will depend heavily on what you're doing, where you are going, and when you go. You really should talk to a specialist if this is of great concern to you. It's not hard these days to find an Indian doctor . . .

goangoangone

You should have the TB. There are a lot of dogs and cases of rabies have increased but I don't think a jab is necessary......yet, unless you expect to be in contact.

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PeakXV

I wish the tropical medicine Dr.'s from around the world would get together for a powwow every now and then to get things more standarized.

Every Aussie I worked with and/or met had their rabies shots yet my Dr. always rolls his eyes at the suggestion.

Sometimes I think it's as much about the money as the risk or lack there of.

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We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started ...and know the place for the first time.
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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

michellew

I wonder that too. We recently went to a travel clinic and if we get alll the vaccinations recommended it will cost us $1600 NZD. Also the standards like HEP A and typhoid were considerably more expensive than through our local doctor eg. Typhoid $65 as opposed to $40. x's that by 3 and that is several nights accomodation!

My advice is shop around!!

TimMakins

Go to a travel clinic or specialised travel-doctor to find out what you should take. Then shop around for the best prices. Most vaccines last a few years, so if you spread the cost out over that period, you are paying very little for your protection and peace of mind. My advice would be to get everything you can, and then some. Its a no-brainer, really. As you are in the UK, some are free on the NHS anyway.

IMPORTANT: make sure you get an international vaccination record book, and record ALL your injections in it. Make sure you get the doctor's stamp and signature next to each one. Not only does it prove what you've already had, but it also lets you know when you need a booster.

Tim in England

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Travelling Tim - http://www.mapability.com/blogs/

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

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