Vaccinations

What vaccinations will I need?

Hi culley and welcome to IndiaMike!

Have you looked at the similar threads in the Health Forum?

Are you registered with the NHS in the UK? If so your clinic will give you advice on what is required.

As it says in the good book, search and ye shall find.

Search here and, along with the information, you will also find lots of prejudice and controversy. You might want to start with the information for travelers your NHS publishes online. All guidebooks give the basic list too.

yeah, but my doc put me onto a private sector. All my jabs expired, so get new ones cost £150. Surely it shouldnt be this much?

I guess that the keyword there is private sector

Is the NHS not giving any of this free now? Some, like tetanus, you need even if you never go further than your garden.

Where did you get your quote? One of the travel clinics?

Nick

In my experience the advice is free but there is a prescription cost if you actually need any jabs.

On another thread the OP mentioned that he is a Kiwi passport holder. I'm not sure whether that might affect things for him.

It's been a long time. Hmmm... 1997, I think. It was all free then <nostalgia>

The old days before countries started going broke, Greece, California. I "suggest" Hep A & B and Typhoid & Tetanus. All else are judgement calls (note that I am not a real doctor). Any of these could make you suffer fiercely not to mention destroy travel plans & finances. I have seem impressive first hand arguments in favor of the Rabies pre-treatment. Still, I place it in the optional list (top). Don't even mention other precautions besides vaccinations that might be suggested..

The question shouldn't be what can I afford to miss. There are other things to economize on than your health.

Weigh the pros and cons with whatever professionals and their advice you have at your disposal, and indeed it's not like the info isn't out there, and you seem to be aware of it. Any guidebook worth its salt will adress it, anyone can contact their national health services about it, who or others will likely maintain professional websites on it, and so on. You will finally need to get your shots and/or pills with them, anyway, won't you.

If you can't afford what you yourself consider what reasonable health measures to take (think also of medical travel insurance and most notably including repatriation costs if needs be), then consider that in fact you can't afford your trip.

ps Another post of yours suggests you're planning on leaving this August. As you may know, many vaccinations need some time to kick in. I think in the Netherlands where I live it's advised to start looking into it at least a month before travel. That of course should be no reason to not look into it if you left it till later. But so get busy on it asap, get on the phone first thing this Monday morning.

That's about how much the entire series costs in the US -- that includes full Hepatitis A & B (which do not expire that quickly). The boosters shouldn't cost that much.

Your primary health care provider should be the first and last source for advice. Why ? Because only he/she is the person who knows (or should know) what you have been immunized for, what you should normatively take, and what you might be susceptible to catch. He/she knows your medical history.

Travel immunization is not considered a basic health right, and travel is not a right but a privilege or luxury for which the state (or country) balks to fund. Unless, you happen to be in a place where every procedure is nearly free (do such places exist ?)

Rights ...and economic common sense.

Which costs a welfare state the least? Vaccinating a person or treating them for something like Hepatitis?

But, after Conservative govt in UK for almost as long as I can remember (that includes "new" Labour), looking beyond the end of the economic nose is unlikely.

The jabs that we have had over the last couple of years have cost us less than £20. We didn't get the rabies shots and our Hep A was considered up to date but we got everything else suggested.

While I agree with the general premise, I think the City/State/Fed should not be giving I, the traveler, free Yellow Fever, Malaria etc. for I want to visit the Brazilian Amazon.

Hepatitis A,B,Tetanus etc. are within the realms of public health and immunization is and should be free. NYC Health Department walk-in immunization clinics provide immunizations recommended for children over 4 years of age, teens and adults, including:

And a few more vaccines. I could go to my primary health care provider and get some of them from him, since he knows my history better. Since Hep A is not administered to adults older than 59, or not in high risk category. Travel vaccine should be taken in conjunction with one's primary physician.