Travel to underdeveloped countries?

[LuvDaOcean]

While getting my medical clearance for diving, my doctor told me that our family (all 4 of us - ages 4yrs to 48yrs old) should get Hepatitis A Vaccine shots before travelling to Jamaica this summer as the incidence of contracting the disease is getting higher all of the time in places such as Central/South America, Carribbean, Mexico, Asia (except Japan), Africa, and southern or eastern Europe. It's to be given in two doses at least six months apart. First one to be given one month before travel.

How many of you world travelers have heard of this? Have you gotten the vaccines? Have you even heard of this before?

I'm just really curious since I hadn't ever heard this advice before and we've done a fair bit of travel to some of the places listed above. ????

 

[kent_1848]

I've never heard this, but I have the vaccinations b/c of work and my wife does as well. We take our son on a lot of these trips, and have asked the Dr. about any shots required, and have never heard of any of us needing the hepatitis vaccine.

 

[MoonWrasse]

Yes, I've heard this. Actually I'm surprised to hear you don't already have you Hep A+ B shots (a series of shots over months).

http://www.cdc.gov/nip/recs/adult-schedule.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/

 

[triton94949]

Before I go to a foreign site, I always check to see what immunizations are required/recommended, and also what local diseases are indigenous there. So far, I have been lucky, and no immunizations have been required. But it is worth checking, for every location that you are planning to go to.

http://www.cdnn.info/

 

[cdiver2]

Before I go to a foreign site, I always check to see what immunizations are required/recommended, and also what local diseases are indigenous there. So far, I have been lucky, and no immunizations have been required. But it is worth checking, for every location that you are planning to go to.

http://www.cdnn.info/

Hep A for travel to PNG

 

[MoonWrasse]

I would have hep A+B just to be in the USA.

 

[Stirling]

I have been vaccinated against all kinds of things over the years for travel in Latin America, but what is recommended and what is required varies a lot from place to place, and often depends upon what you will be doing, how long you will be staying, where exactly you will be going - traveling in the backcountry or to remote locations may call for vaccinations that would not be required if you were only traveling to major cities or well-developed resort areas - and who knows what else.

The CDC maintains a website with current information about the recommended vaccinations for travel to particular destinations; here is the link to the Destinations part of their site: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/destinat.htm

It also includes information about other health risks, and links to the State Department's travel advisories http://travel.state.gov/ which include warnings about other kinds of known trouble.

 

[ScubaSarus]

Ide expect much more than just Hep A Vaccination when traveling abroad.

 

[LuvDaOcean]

Thanks for all the links. I've read through them and have to admit that they did scare the **** out of me!

Both of my kids have had their Hep B shot series, but us "ole fogie" parents, well, we have no idea whether or not we ever received Hep B shots. And no way to find out either. Hmmm.

My son has already had his 1st Hep A shot. I'll get the rest of us done in a couple of weeks which will roughly be about a month before we leave.

Yikes, and to think of all the places we've been unprotected. Especially my daughter while she was an infant. {shudder}

Thanks again everyone. I've got the links bookmarked and will check them in future whenever we plan on leaving the country.

 

[happybuddha]

I've been living and traveling in various Asian countries for the last 16 years and have never had a shot for anything except about 10 years ago when I got a San Miguel bottle over my head in the Philippines. Unfortunately there is no prophylaxis for stupidity, only a tetnus shot to deal with the results.

Drew