Do I need shots?

DianeN. · Jan 19th, 2004, 07:34

I will be in India for 3 weeks in March, 1 week in Delhi staying with friends, and 2 weeks travelling in Rajasthan.
Do we need shots for such a short trip? If so, which ones are recommended?
Diane

Shannon · Jan 19th, 2004, 08:01

My *unmedical* opinion is that you should have the following:

Hepatitis A (this one I would make a high priority)
Polio booster (if you have not had this already since adulthood)
Tetanus (if you haven't had a booster in the last ten years)

The other two suggestions are:
antimalarial pills
typhoid shot or pills (my Indian friend had typhoid and nearly died; nothing to mess around with)

Of course, the best way to handle which shots to get is to see a doctor

mdchachi · Jan 19th, 2004, 08:12

Good place to start is http://www.cdc.gov/travel/indianrg.htm

Quote:

CDC recommends the following vaccines (as appropriate for age):

See your doctor at least 4–6 weeks before your trip to allow time for shots to take effect.

Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG).

Hepatitis B, if you might be exposed to blood (for example, health-care workers), have sexual contact with the local population, stay longer than 6 months, or be exposed through medical treatment.
Japanese encephalitis, only if you plan to visit rural areas for 4 weeks or more, except under special circumstances, such as a known outbreak of Japanese encephalitis.

Rabies, if you might be exposed to wild or domestic animals through your work or recreation.

Typhoid vaccination is particularly important because of the presence of S. typhi strains resistant to multiple antibiotics in this region. There have been recent reports of typhoid drug resistance in India and Nepal.

As needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria and measles, and a one-time dose of polio for adults. Hepatitis B vaccine is now recommended for all infants and for children ages 11–12 years who did not receive the series as infants.

flamingo2004 · Jan 20th, 2004, 06:33

Still the "I am not a doctor so don't listen to me" line first.
I would say:
-check your Tetanus (max 10 years old)
-Hepatitis A (You can choose among two methods: 1 shot that will cover a year or a more expensive shot with 1 shot now and 1 shot within a year that will cover you 20 years)
-Regarding malaria in the area you are going to, then you could go without - here in Denmark most doctors say there are to many side effects with the malaria pills compared to the coverage against malaria - better go with a mosquito net and some anti mosquito spray. And now we are at it - the darn little mosquitos probably carry another strain of malaria than the one you buy protection against.

Jan 19th, 2004, 07:34	#1
DianeN. Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Japan Posts: 255	Do I need shots? I will be in India for 3 weeks in March, 1 week in Delhi staying with friends, and 2 weeks travelling in Rajasthan. Do we need shots for such a short trip? If so, which ones are recommended? Diane

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Jan 19th, 2004, 08:01	#2
Shannon bunder Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Minneapolis, MN, US Posts: 154	My unmedical opinion is that you should have the following: Hepatitis A (this one I would make a high priority) Polio booster (if you have not had this already since adulthood) Tetanus (if you haven't had a booster in the last ten years) The other two suggestions are: antimalarial pills typhoid shot or pills (my Indian friend had typhoid and nearly died; nothing to mess around with) Of course, the best way to handle which shots to get is to see a doctor

Jan 20th, 2004, 06:33	#4
flamingo2004 Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Denmark Posts: 67	Still the "I am not a doctor so don't listen to me" line first. I would say: -check your Tetanus (max 10 years old) -Hepatitis A (You can choose among two methods: 1 shot that will cover a year or a more expensive shot with 1 shot now and 1 shot within a year that will cover you 20 years) -Regarding malaria in the area you are going to, then you could go without - here in Denmark most doctors say there are to many side effects with the malaria pills compared to the coverage against malaria - better go with a mosquito net and some anti mosquito spray. And now we are at it - the darn little mosquitos probably carry another strain of malaria than the one you buy protection against.

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