Immunizations for North India in January?

nixster · Nov 19th, 2007, 03:02

Hi all,

Have been a lurker/reader on the forum for quite a while.

Here goes my first post on IM!!

I have been to India previously (2 years ago) while I was on the Semester At Sea study abroad program. I visited Chennai for 5 days (including a homestay with an Indian family in a village in Eroda. I only spent time in South India. I took Malaria pills but did not get any other vaccinations, and I did not get sick at all.

On my next trip to India in January, I will be spending 3 weeks in North India from January 4th, 2008 until January 23rd. I will be in Dehli, Varanasi, Agra, Sarnath and Bodhgaya. We have been advised to get vaccinations for Typhoid, Rabies and Japanese Encephalitis (along with a few others such as Hep A & B, which I have already had for my previous trip).

What are your recommendations for these? JE was recommended last time I went, but I was advised that I did not need to get it for the places I was visiting (Chennai & Erode during March 2006). The CDC website states that transmission season for JE in North India is from July to December. I will be there starting at the beginning of January.

Any suggestions/help would be great!

Thanks from a student traveller!!

the opoponax · Nov 19th, 2007, 03:50

My understanding is that JE is not recommended unless you'll be spending a lot of time in rural communities. Which, if you're just going on vacation, for a few weeks, to those major tourist areas, it doesn't seem like you'd really need that. Similarly for rabies -- I've heard that it's not necessary unless you expect to be in a situation where you might be bitten by strays or wild animals.

But then again, I'm not a doctor. And presumably, your doctor is. I'd listen to the person with a medical degree, not just the dilletante who's done a thorough read-through of the "health" section of the Lonely Planet and a few travel health websites.

PeakXV · Nov 19th, 2007, 04:22

Rabies has never been discussed in any consultations I've had in Canada. Either Canucks are all immune to it or the serum is too expensive to keep in stock for the amount of takers or I don't appear the type that runs around pulling monkey's tails at random.

On an a slightly alarming side note, can't tell you how many times while walking along a street in India that I've almost stepped on a sleeping dog's tail. They seem to lie willy-nilly in the middle of the sidewalk, not that they'd bite you if you did or anything

.... but he/she probably wouldn't be too happy about getting awaken in this manner.

wonderwomanusa · Nov 20th, 2007, 11:27

I always get Polio, Tetanus, Typhoid. Those are the most likely ones for the way I travel. Oh, and I've had Hep A&B...

Nov 19th, 2007, 03:02	#1
nixster Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New York Posts: 5	Immunizations for North India in January? Hi all, Have been a lurker/reader on the forum for quite a while. Here goes my first post on IM!! I have been to India previously (2 years ago) while I was on the Semester At Sea study abroad program. I visited Chennai for 5 days (including a homestay with an Indian family in a village in Eroda. I only spent time in South India. I took Malaria pills but did not get any other vaccinations, and I did not get sick at all. On my next trip to India in January, I will be spending 3 weeks in North India from January 4th, 2008 until January 23rd. I will be in Dehli, Varanasi, Agra, Sarnath and Bodhgaya. We have been advised to get vaccinations for Typhoid, Rabies and Japanese Encephalitis (along with a few others such as Hep A & B, which I have already had for my previous trip). What are your recommendations for these? JE was recommended last time I went, but I was advised that I did not need to get it for the places I was visiting (Chennai & Erode during March 2006). The CDC website states that transmission season for JE in North India is from July to December. I will be there starting at the beginning of January. Any suggestions/help would be great! Thanks from a student traveller!!

Nov 19th, 2007, 04:22	#3
PeakXV Naan.tering Nabob Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Abode of Glooscap Posts: 3,786	Rabies has never been discussed in any consultations I've had in Canada. Either Canucks are all immune to it or the serum is too expensive to keep in stock for the amount of takers or I don't appear the type that runs around pulling monkey's tails at random. On an a slightly alarming side note, can't tell you how many times while walking along a street in India that I've almost stepped on a sleeping dog's tail. They seem to lie willy-nilly in the middle of the sidewalk, not that they'd bite you if you did or anything .... but he/she probably wouldn't be too happy about getting awaken in this manner. __________________ 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. T.S. Eliot Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions? Last edited by PeakXV : Nov 19th, 2007 at 10:02.

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Nov 19th, 2007, 03:50	#2
the opoponax Maha Guru Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Brooklyn, via New Orleans Posts: 1,054	My understanding is that JE is not recommended unless you'll be spending a lot of time in rural communities. Which, if you're just going on vacation, for a few weeks, to those major tourist areas, it doesn't seem like you'd really need that. Similarly for rabies -- I've heard that it's not necessary unless you expect to be in a situation where you might be bitten by strays or wild animals. But then again, I'm not a doctor. And presumably, your doctor is. I'd listen to the person with a medical degree, not just the dilletante who's done a thorough read-through of the "health" section of the Lonely Planet and a few travel health websites.

Nov 20th, 2007, 11:27	#4
wonderwomanusa Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 3,003	I always get Polio, Tetanus, Typhoid. Those are the most likely ones for the way I travel. Oh, and I've had Hep A&B...

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