Question Vaccines for Indonesia

[donnad]

Hi. Which of the following vaccines do most of you get before going to Indonesia ? I have not been there before (the CDC recommends all of these). Polio booster, Chikungunya vaccine, Typhoid vaccine, Hepatitis A , Hepatitis B, and take Malaria medicine. Thanks in advance.

 

[runsongas]

it depends a bit on your itinerary. Hep you should already be covered with boosters, if you will be doing some jungle trekking in borneo then you should get the chikungunya and malaris prophylaxis along with mosquito prevention. typhoid is not necessary as long as you will only drink treated/bottled water (which is a good idea anyways to avoid stomach trouble) and avoiding street food with questionable hygiene. polio is only for aceh province afaik, so unless if you plan on spending time on land there, likely also unnecessary.

 

[Scubagermany]

You should not miss out on Dengue fever, japanese encephalitis and rabies.

 

[Travelnsj]

I go every year (21st this year)....Just got my Covid Booster and flu shot (think that is more for here than there)....otherwise...Put Deet on in the AM and early PM...and enjoy the Diving!!!...take some Pepto with ya...

 

[donnad]

it depends a bit on your itinerary. Hep you should already be covered with boosters, if you will be doing some jungle trekking in borneo then you should get the chikungunya and malaris prophylaxis along with mosquito prevention. typhoid is not necessary as long as you will only drink treated/bottled water (which is a good idea anyways to avoid stomach trouble) and avoiding street food with questionable hygiene. polio is only for aceh province afaik, so unless if you plan on spending time on land there, likely also unnecessary.

Thx for your reply! I’ve never had hepatitis vaccines so maybe I should consider those? As for mosquitos we won’t be jungle trekking but I was just wondering about mosquitoes at a resort for instance or anywhere in general , as I’m a magnet for mosquitos. We’re doing a resort at Lembeh for several nights and will probably explore Manado. Then a flight to Ambon where we will get on a liveaboard. On the way to Indonesia we will stay in Singapore a couple of nights.

 

[Trilobite]

My two cents:

I always get the typhoid vaccine when going to developing countries – the oral version lasts for five years. A simple precaution; you could be exposed by a variety of routes even if you are careful, e.g. you don't know how your food is prepared.

I would get the Hepatitis A vaccine. To catch Hepatitis B you generally need to be exposed to another person's bodily fluids, e.g. blood or semen, similar to HIV. So unless there is a chance you will be engaging in sexual activity with the locals, probably not necessary.

Malaria prophylactics, e.g. malarone, would be advisable in some parts of Indonesia but not necessary for others. I would try to get local information if you can.

 

[drrich2]

Please let us know how easily you find it tracking down sources for these. The Hepatitis vaccines should be easy; I'm curious about the Chikungunya and typhoid vaccine availability.

 

[also_anon_dc]

I would recommend going to a travel clinic. They can look over your itinerary and help you decide which vaccines to get based on your itinerary and your risk factors.

 

[living4experiences]

Definitely take Typhoid vaccine orally. I also got the Hepatitis A. Hepatitis B is not necessary. Polio has almost been eradicated from the world, so I doubt you'd need that. I've heard that the malaria prophylaxis treatment can react weirdly with diving, like psychologically, weird dreams, messes up your brain. I have no personal experience with this...just what I've heard. So I've never taken it.

I'm a mosquito magnet, too, and I wear a lot of mosquito repellent and permethrin treated clothing, stay in the air-conditioning at dawn and dusk, and travel with a small fan. I place the fan on the table when I'm eating to keep them at bay. Air movement helps to keep them out of your face while you're eating.

For good measure, it would be a good idea to get your vaccines at intervals before your trip so you don't have any adverse effects of mixing all those vaccines into your body at once. Also, if you happen to have an allergic reaction to a vaccine, you can pinpoint which one it is if you've only done them one at a time.

 

[Trilobite]

I've heard that the malaria prophylaxis treatment can react weirdly with diving, like psychologically, weird dreams, messes up your brain. I have no personal experience with this...just what I've heard. So I've never taken it.

Psychological issues have been noted with mefloquine; there are several other options for malaria prophylaxis, and they don't have a risk of such side affects. I have used malarone on many trips; never had a side effect of any kind from it.