Vaccination Questions! (again!)

mercedes10

Does anyone think I should have Japanese Encephalitis vaccination and/or Rabies injections? I've read lots of previous threads on this and I'm just becoming more & more confused. My GP recommended that I speak to a travel clinic about it, but they'll charge me £30 just to give advice! I'll be in India around 3 months, travelling all over but not massively off the beaten track I don't think. My Dr's concern stemmed from the fact that I will spend at least a month doing voluntary work with slum kids (and obviously in a slum area). I know no-one can give a definitive answer, but what would you recommend?? Argh! I'm so confused! (by the way I'm also going to Thailand, Vietnam & Cambodia).

All advice/comment greatly appreciated. I've had all the other obvious vaccinations and will be taking doxycycline as malaria prevention.

THANKS!

davey

judging by your job description and what you are going to do and where you are going to be, I would listen to your doctor . you pay heaps to travel there whats the point in it being screwed up for a lousy 100 quid or something.

Alan D

Just an observation - but Jap E seems to be spreading around a bit in India at the moment. It would be useful to know just how common pigs are in the slum area you are going to work in, as they are a vector for the disease. You could check with the local health authority for that area.

Uttar Pradesh seems to be having a serious outbreak at the moment.

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cfhi

yah depends.

i am here for just two weeks, but my job involve sitting inside the office most of the time so i dun see the need for the vaccination , time will tell though heh heh

seventies'hippy

I would have said no don't bother with either Japanese Encephalitis or Rabies shots and probably still do, BUT, sometimes reading posts on Indiamike makes you weak in the head,,,,

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edwardseco

Slums means stray dogs so..

Sama

if you're the type of person who can't resist petting a stray pup or kitten, I would suggest getting the rabies shots.

the yoga school where I studied had two cats, one whose kittens were barely two months old. one of the students was a cat person (as am I, I have three, however, I did not want to take the chance of getting bit or scratched) and she fed the kittens curd everyday. Then she tried to pick one up and it bit her. These cats and kittens did not look sick at all, acted like normal cats. However, that meant automatic rabies shots for the student, no questions asked. She had to get three (in the arm, not in the abs, like the old-fashioned way), a few days apart. (Student and cats are fine, at last report.)

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seventies'hippy

For anyone who hasn't had Rabies shots and does happen to get bitten,Don't worry unduly thinking that you've got rabies, especially if you're bitten by a families house/hotel cat or dog. You can be pretty certain that it's just a pet biting you ( like they do). The people around you when you' get bit should know about that pet & whether it has rabies or not.
Street dogs & beach dogs are a little different, Though just because they're on the street/ beach it doesn't mean that some locals won't know the history of it. The locals should be aware of the local rabies situation and you can be sure any suspect animals are quickly killed.
Of course there are always exceptions,so take care, I'm just trying to say don't panic unduly if you're unlucky enough to be bit,,,,,,,,,

GoanCanuck

In my opinion you don't need either of the two as far as Goa is concerned.

shanthi

Just finished my first course of rabies vacs - first time I've bothered - thought I'd go ahead this time as I'm a bit peturbed about all the dogs in packs on the streets in early mornings and monkeys that make themselves at home in my room when my back's turned! Must say that it really did knock the S**T out of me though - 1st jab was ok, 2nd was brutal, 3rd not quite so bad.

The Typhoid jab this time really gave me a good licking too - apparantly it can do that when you're having a booster even if the 1st jab months before never touched you (the 1st jab was ok and I felt fine - this time the typhoid had me at the ER at 10pm a week or so ago with parilysed jaw and neck - and a great deal of pain!)

BUT, I'd still rather have the jabs than the disease IMHO

Sama

I am curious, shanthi -- why did you opt for the typhoid shots instead of the oral vaccine? Availability in your part of the world? I did the oral (4 pills, every other day) and only felt a little queasy after the third one, nothing to write home about. I did not want the shot because I heard it can do some havoc at the injection site, and I could not be out of commission since I teach so much yoga....

imhere0905

Personally I went to The Travel Doctor to get his advice, I didn't get either but that was only after talking to him about where I was going and what I was doing.

shanthi

opted for shots as oral vaccinations really leave my stomach bad for days and days. I've never had any trouble with the injection site except the normal soreness for a couple of days. It's swings and roundabouts really, whatever one decides to do, of course we wish that we didn't have to have ANY jabs or pills and simply go and enjoy India - BUT, well.....we oughta be prepared eh!!

sticky

You can get Jab B and Rabies shots in Bangkok which is alot cheaper (you will need to be in thailand for around a month), and you can also buy Doxycycline much much cheaper.

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mercedes10

Thanks for all the advice folks. I think I'm going to fork out for the consultation with the travel doctor and see what they say. It's not that I particularly mind paying for the vaccinations (though it IS a lot of money), but I suppose I feel that with the rabies one it doesn't actually vaccinate you anyway (just buys more time), and with the JapEnc one I've heard that a lot of people have nasty side-effects. Hmmm..... decisions, decisions.

Sticky - thanks for the suggestion but I'm going to India first. I know I could probably buy doxy there (and for cheaper) but I'd rather just know I have it and know that it's the right stuff.