What vaccinations do I need?

bewis

I am travelling to India with a friend on March 26th, with no real plans apart from that we are flying to Trivandrum, Kerala, and vaugely intend on travelling up the west coast to Mumbai, then on up to Delhi/Jaipur, and eventually on up to Nepal. Our arrangements are very loose so we're not entirely sure on where we'll be going. From what I've heard & from what's my friend's doctor advised, you need some basic vaccinations then some others depending on where you're going. My friend is ending up paying over £300 for all vaccinations. Should it cost this much? He's being very careful. What do we really need?

Thanks a lot,

Ben

seventies'hippy

http://www.indiamike.com/india/searc...earchid=651403
You'll find loads of info on vaccinations here,,,,,,,,,,

Non are obligatory to enter India

Incidently if you're in the uk most GP's will give you all the shots you'll need for free.
Rabies you'll have to pay for if you feel the need. Personally I wouldn't, but thats a whole new discussion you'll find elsewhere,,,,,,,,,

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SteamBuff

Your Doctor or local Travel Clinic is the best person to advise you about this.

When you know what you require, look on the web and get several quotes for what you need ... I saved over 50% by doing this.

Take a look at (and email/ring them if you want) 1st Contact, http://www.1stcontact.com/live/index...FR2yQgodDW9UtA for cheap prices.

I got my Anti-Malerials from Travelpharm.

But as a bare minimum you should consider:-

Combined Diphtheria, Tetnus, Polio (Revaxis)
Combined Hepatitis A * B (Twinrix)
Typhoid (Typhim VI)

and of course anti-malerials.

Others depend on what you are doing, where you are going and for how long.

By the way the 3 courses of Jabs listed above were all Free at our doctors.

Dave

I also had Meningitis ACWY, Rabies and Flu. (These cost me £95 at 1st Contact)

monkgonemad

agreed

a/b hep
dpt

good enuff for holiday -

bijapuri

We've had endless discussions here about what, where, and if concerning jabs and meds.
bottom line:
do what you most feel comfortable doing. If taking anti-malarials makes you feel safer, take them. they likely won't kill you, right? although most regular visitors do not take them. Same with innoculations.
hint: don't pet the dogs

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abfab

Hepatitis A vaccination is very much recommended for India, as it is highly infectious and easily caught from unsanitary conditions in restaurants etc.

Hepatitis B however, is normally only caught though direct exposure to the body fluids of an infected person; so unless you were planning on having sex or sharing needles with locals, then it isn't normally recommended (but do double check with your Doctor).

Also, if you are paying, Hep A vaccine is quite a lot cheaper than Twinrix (combined hep A and Hep B vaccine).

Not all GPs will give holiday vaccinations for free, but its definately worth checking before paying a travel clinic as they soon add up to quite a price!

mt.kailash

DEFINITELY... Malaria prophylaxis- chloroquine/proguanil
Vaccinations-Hep-A, and typhoid.
However you'd best check with your own GP.

bewis

Don't you just get everything/anything you want/need from your GP? Did you get some off the internet for cheaper?

SteamBuff

I got the following from my GP at no charge :-

Combined Diphtheria, Tetnus, Polio (Revaxis)
Combined Hepatitis A * B (Twinrix)
Typhoid (Typhim VI)

The GP could not supply anti-malerials, and Travelpharme were cheaper than my local pharmacy.

My GP could have given me my Meningitis and Rabies Jabs but he wanted to charge £192 for them. (There is a admin fee of £39 per vaccine course), he could not supply the Flu vaccine.

bewis

It sounds like it just depends on how safe I want to be. Unfortunately I'm quite a cautious person so I might have to pay the full whack!

SteamBuff

In my case it was not "How safe I wanted to be" ... I objected to my GP ripping me off by charging double what was being charged by a London Clinic.

beklemmung

If you're going to be in rural areas, you might consider Japanese Encephalitis. Be warned that it's quite expensive - I'm 2/3 of the way through the 3 shot process now, so I'll finish it, but in hindsight I would have passed. I won't be living on a farm and it's going to end up costing $450.

SteamBuff

Yep Japanese Encephalitis is the one I declined to get.

monkgonemad

japE is $$$ and is not really necc. i spent lots of time in rural loa around animals -no probs.

as w/ any jab - if you have the time and the coverage, it cant hurt and is best ins $ 4 $.


*i have had japE regiment on hmo ins plan, im not saying DONt do it. same for typhoid/cholera... (saeasonal).

abfab

Actually it can.

Although the chances are small, more so than with most other vaccines, the Jap. E. vaccine has the potential to cause some very serious side effects, and is more likely to make you generally unwell then other vaccines.

It is normally recommended that you stay in the doctors surgery for 30 mins after each Jap. E. vaccination as one precaution, and that you not travel too far from hospitals until 10 days after the final shot.

This is one of the reasons why doctors are more reluctant to recommend the Jap. E. vaccine than most others.