Vaccinations!?!

guerik

I saw my doctor today to talk about vaccinations and medication I'll need prior to and while I'm travelling in India.
She's recommended I be vaccinated for almost every disease in existence, from what I can see. And if I filled all of the prescriptions she gave me I'd be up for about AU$500 easily (aka 15,000 rps or US$330).
I'm sure I value my health as much as anyone but this seems like an insane amount of money and medication to me, especially considering I will be there for one month at the most.
My itinerary is Delhi, Amritsar, Chamba, Dalhousie, Shimla, Agra, Jaipur, Delhi. Could some of you more experienced travellers give me some advice on this one? If y'all really think it's necessary I'll get them, but I don't want to do it just so that my doctor covers her butt.

kipling

This site might be helpful
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/indianrg.htm

Cheers
Kipling

guerik

Thanks, that is great! Appreciate your help there
If I get (vaccinated for) Hep A and Typhoid, take Malaria meds of some kind and use DEET do you think I'll probably be ok?
I'm assuming I won't be in contact with blood, live animals, etc.

kipling

I don't think it's an appropriate topic for amateur advice, but I would add tetanus/diphteria to that list for sure.

There are others, some of which I have had.
Surf around the professional looking websites, medicos and govt etc.

Don't rely on this forum, or any other forum, for medical advice unless you know the person giving it is suitably qualified.

I'm sure you will sort it out.

Cheers
Kipling

wonderwomanusa

If I had not gotten Hep B in India some years ago, I'd get the Twin Hep vaccine... you never do know when you'll be around either blood or sex. <sigh>

Getting ready for an October trip, I've had polio, tetanus/diphtheria, typhoid (oral vaccine) and Hep A. And I'll have my anti-malaria meds, of course.

The cost in San Francisco for all the vaccinations is about US$200; have no idea how much the Lariam is going to cost me.

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guerik

Thanks guys

I'm not planning on using this advice instead of the doctor's, just wanted some input from people who are in the know and that don't get paid by the amount of injections they administer.

My doctor only looked it up in a book anyway so I'm not entirely confident of her opinions...

maree

Yeah, I often think that GPs don't really know too much about where these vaccinations etc are really needed but are just covering there asses (or lining their pockets). Before I went to India in 2001, I trekked in Pakistan with an American medical student who was doing an internship thing in Kerala. He drew my friend and I a map of India showing us where malaria could be a problem at that time (July-Dec)... and that was only small rural pockets of the country which wouldn't see a great deal of Westerners. So we didn't take any pills. JUst used repellent when appropriate.

jonnybardo

I'm wondering if anyone here has gone without any vaccinations? Or if anyone knows of any info available about percentages of folks who weren't vaccinated that got something vs. those who were vaccinated and still got something.

A friend of mine lived in India for a year and didn't get any vaccinations or take any anti-malarial meds or anything and never got (seriously) sick, just the usual occasional runs; she did take some natural medicines, like NutriBiotic GSE Plus, that has artemisia which has been shown to be anti-malarial.

jonnybardo

Of course there are individuals that we can cite for just about any experience across the spectrum. I feel that it really depends on what one feels comfortable with personally, given as much info as possible.

bijapuri

hep A & B gets my strong recommendation especially A

everything else, dunno . . .

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SitaParityaga

I'll be off on my trip to India in a few months, and believe me, I'm not looking forward to the travel clinic visit. I'll take my chances on nasty side effects of vaccines versus getting malaria or hepatitis....what kind of sick roulette is that! The CDC (center for disease control) has a great website with the lowdown on all the diseases, vaccines, and various vaccine options out there. No offense to any med students out there....but amongst health professionals, a med student with a map might not be where we'd go for vaccine recommendations!

maree

Hey... no offense taken!! We took his advice because he'd been living there for six months, he was almost finished his studies and had way more knowledge than my GP from home with no experience with tropical diseases. Malaria is definitely a problem in certain areas at certain times of the year but it is not a nation-wide problem, i.e. I doubt that Himachal Pradesh would have much of a problem. Last Dec/Jan I was in Varanasi/Madhya Pradesh/Maharashta and didn't even see a mosquito. When I go this December the only sure health thing I will do is to make sure my typhoid and tetanus injections are up to date (and I have immunity from Hepatitis after having it when I was five) and , of course, check the CDC site to see if there is anything else I should be really worried about at that time in the area I'll visit (off the topic.... were any of our regulars in India when they had that brief outbreak of plague in Gujurat a few years back?).

gabbalove

hi,
ii would like to informe you obout my experience: i suggest to everybudy to do the typhoid vaccinations., at list for who is intencioned to go to varanasi, where i actually took it.
infact in varanasi, probably because is the death city, you can see in many restaurants some rats ( i didn' t sow them in any other place i visited), and the typhoid is taken by eating rate escrements...(.......!)
i get hill when i returned in italy fortunatly, but i stayed in hospital for 3 weeks and totally one month of feaver.
i' m now coming back to india at the and of the month, whith my dear typhous vaccine. but i refuse anyway to take the malaria one, because i will stay there for at list 6 month and it mean that i had to take about 2000 tablets!
freedom to everybudy

turlapati

Not wanting to advise anyone, just merely adding our own decisions for the sake of conversation. As an MD and RN my husband and I have the usual vaccines up to date. We make sure that we and the kids have hep a and b, but especially a. Our first trip I took the malaria prophylaxis upon the advice of a book checking general practioner. Subsequent trips we have not bothered. I found the med to be harder on my system. Taking precautions using bug spray, and sleeping with mosquito nets when necessary, and listening for advisories are the best prevention for malaria. We do not give the prophylaxis to our kids either. If though you are worried, and this is anxiety is going to affect your trip, do whatever you need to for peace of mind. The old adage better safe than sorry always rings true.

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MissyT

Ron and I had the typhoid (we were sore for days), Hep A and the Tet/Dip/Polio. As well we have been taking Larium and have not any reactions (to date). We have been trying to be very careful but noticed this morning that we have a few mystery bites.......hopefully nothing scary.