Vaccines for Kenya/Tanzania

bella c

Ok so I am very confused about vaccines for Kenya / Tanzania
We are going in July and so far there are so many different opinions on just what you need.
CDC reccomends some but are they overdoing it. remember they are a government agency and we all know
that sometimes they are not working as well as you might expect.
Yes, for sure, Yellow fever. However, Polio, Hep A<B<t..typhoid???
If I were to be working in a medical surrounding or a drug abuser I could see some of these
As I read it from these forums, we will be staying at first class hotels with clean water and
proper handling of food. So why the Hep?? If we are drinking contaminated food or water
yes, typhoid . If thats the case I will cancel now. I don't think Tauck would risk exposure so
my feeling is some of these are un warented. Malaria pills I will bring . But not sure I will take as
I hear they can make you feel pretty miserable.
So please let me hear from anyone who has done this trip or has positive input.
I am not going to get vaccines that are really not necessary.

British

Ive taken all four 'safari' tours that Tauck offer. I have all vaccines under my belt for the world travel I do, except for Rabies. I've nursed people with Malaria and know people who are Hep B, and Hep C positive. There are many extra reasons for having the vaccines you mention, but in the end it is up to you to manage and decide about your health protection. There is so much about vaccine opinions on this website, but it remains no substitute for talking to Drs who specialize in Tropical diseases or Drs who specialize in Travel medications. If you do not trust the CDC, try the WHO website, or even the Canadian, Australian and U.K. Travel websites, they are all similar and good. It's cheaper to give preventative medicines than treat people with these diseases when they return home. I see you are going in July, so it is too late for you to receive the full compliment of Hep B vaccine before you go anyway.

mazalea

"An ounce of prevention..." is my usual guideline. That said, Rabies is the one vaccine that I wonder about - the others I have or am in process of obtaining. Interested to hear from your experience.

Putt for Par

Bella c, I would heed the advice from British & mazalea (“an ounce of prevention”).

I am a little incredulous that you would trust hundreds of unknown food service workers that you might encounter in the impoverished countries of Kenya and Tanzania….but you wouldn’t trust the CDC, an agency developed to specifically look out for your health. Before you make the decision to skip the vaccines, I would encourage you to google ‘complications of hepatitis’; reading about cirrhosis and liver cancer can have a sobering effect on your day.

As for malaria, the disease is endemic in Kenya & Tanzania. You probably won’t get bitten, but if you do (and you are unprotected) are you willing to risk seizures, coma, pulmonary edema, kidney failure, aplastic anemia, “Blackwater fever”, and death? Seems like a big risk to avoid a minor cost and inconvenience.

I am a physician, and my wife and I are experienced travelers. We are up-to-date on all of our vaccinations but are currently taking the oral booster for Typhoid in anticipation of an August trip to K&T. [For others reading this forum, the oral active virus offers 70% efficacy….the injectable typhoid has 50% efficacy]

Mazalea, 99% of all rabies transmissions to humans are the result of contact with dogs. If you avoid all dogs, I believe you are likely safe even without the vaccination.

Again, I would echo the recommendation from British: talk to your doctor about your requirements/risks before you travel.

Sealord

Sorry if this comes up more than once. I feel like I'm being blocked. But, anyway .. one more time. For 'future' travellers, just be advised that if you do want all the vaccinations, it takes about six months. We got the full boat minus polio and rabies. The yellow fever shot is not easy to get, and you will not find it at your local CVS. Some Docs don't recommend it for older peiople, which we are, but we had the shots with no ill effect. The requirement to have the shots can pop up with little warning, whcih will means you might get it in Arusha before you proceed anywhere else. We did not want to do that. I love Africa, and we are going back for our third Tauck Africa trip in July '18. That being said, it is more comfortable if you feel like you have done the proper planning. It is not Miami Beach. (;-).

joycesw

Okay, so we have Kaiser and they recommended the full course of shots, which we had (including Yellow Fever). It is our feeling that we want to be proactive rather than reactive. I guess if one has issues with vaccinations, then you need to evaluate which ones you will have. Yes, you are staying at first class accommodations, but that is not necessarily a protection against contracting some bug. I guess I am perplexed as to why you would not want to take every precaution. A vaccine is not really necessary until you contract some bug while on tour, and who knows where that bug can come from! While the hotels are first class, you still are in vehicles roaming about the countryside. Furthermore, we have taken malaria meds on a number of tours (three so far), and have never had an issue with them. We suffered NO ill effects, so I do not understand your reluctance to be proactive. We went on this trip in October, but have you researched the possibilities of contracting something during the time period you will be traveling? (July...tsetse flies???)

TLady

I also do not understand why anyone would travel to a third world country and not be up to date with recommended vaccines. The people in these countries would take the vaccines if they were available and they could afford them. I will be traveling to Tanzania in July and I will be visiting the travel clinic tomorrow for the medications. I'm an RN, and the CDC recommendations are considered trustworthy. I've only been sick once with travelers diarrhea in mainland China, but another traveler required intravenous fluids to recover. I think everyone in our group was sick after our Yangtze River cruise. Prevention is always better. FYI, Yellow Fever is not currently recommended for Tanzania - it's optional.

mlgibbons

My husband and I will be embarking on this adventure in September. We are both 63 years old, and our doctor provided us with a yellow fever waiver because she didn't want us taking the vaccine at our age. Has anyone gone to Kenya or Tanzania with a waiver? Have there been any issues?

British

Note: A vaccination waiver can be issued by your medical practitioner if the Yellow Fever vaccine is contraindicated for medical reasons. Be aware that problems may arise when crossing borders and the vaccination waiver may not be honoured. Take meticulous anti-mosquito bite measures during the daytime in Yellow Fever risk areas. More details on insect bite prevention.

I pulled this above quote from one of the many information sites for travel and yellow fever. So even if you have a waiver, it may not be honored. And whereas in the US border officers,one would hope are consistent, they are certainly not in other countries, it depends on the individual's mood and your attitude at borders. If you thoroughly research bad reactions to Yellow fever vaccines, the incidence of adverse reaction has been highly over exaggerated by all and sundry. The real risk is minuscule. Also, if you intend on traveling to many other countries, many ask for proof. You are only 63, are you in poor health and maybe allergic to eggs and those kind of things? Does your family Dr have access to up to date and good research on Yellow fever vaccine?
I did mention on the other safari, Botswana .... an officer got on our bus and asked to see certificates, our particular Tour guide had not had that happen before, it's totally random. Not enough Tauck customs use this forum to give you a real answer to your question. I'd hate to be sent home or risk a shot in Kenya with possibly an unsterile needle or a vaccine that has not been stored in optimum conditions or is out of date, and then be detained for several days until it is deemed effective.

bella c

Just a follow up on my vaccine questions.
I went to Walgreens for the shots and the pharmacist was great. She said her husband had been to Kenya and Tanz.
and he got the yellow fever, typhoid and hep A . I have had hep C shots already. As I said before I would be more concerned about a bacterial infection in the gut. I read that taking Imodium will stop the runs but not let the bacteria out of the gut, Lactic acid wafers will slow down the runs and allow the infection to move out. Got them and tried them. No side effects so they will come. Yes, I know, no ice, only bottled sealed drinks, bottled water for brushing teeth and lots of hand sanitizer. Yes, and cooked food not salad or anything that could come in contact with water. These precautions are scaring me but hope to go and forget about all this stuff.

British

Bella, so glad you were able to get advice from a pharmacist, they are an underused resource. Are you sure you had a Hep C vaccine, I did not know there was one available. By the way, it is safe to eat salads in the hotels, we eat everything at the hotels will no adverse affects. It's probably safer eating foods prepared in these hotels than it is here in the US because hotel jobs in developing countries are presrigious and better paid than they are here and there is little turnover of staff.

AlanS

I would talk to a Dr and get a prescription for CIPRO or other antibiotic to take if you get bacterial or amoebic issues in your gut. As you say (and I experienced) Immodium and other anti-diarrheal medications may only impact the symptoms, not the cause.

bella c

cant take cipro. causes GI distress. Will talk to doctor as I have to get Malaria pills . See what he says about antibiotics that dont kill your stomach.
Also, the Hep C was a 3 shots that I had to have for my job.

Mary Ann and Jeff Thomas

My husband and I are going in July. You all have me worried now. I was told by Tauck that you do not have to have had any shots before entering Tanzania. After reading these posts I hope it is not too late for us to receive vaccines. Thanks for all the valuable information.

Wayside

It's not too late but you should see a travel physician soon. For Tanzania he wanted to see us six weeks before leaving.

British

bella c wrote:

cant take cipro. causes GI distress. Will talk to doctor as I have to get Malaria pills . See what he says about antibiotics that dont kill your stomach.
Also, the Hep C was a 3 shots that I had to have for my job.

Sorry Bella, please check with your Dr. I think you are mistaken and you got Hep B shots

MomJones

We are traveling in July and saw the travel clinic doctor. We had yellow fever and typhoid shots and got prescriptions for zpack and malaria to take. According to them...one of the big concerns with not getting the yellow fever shot is that you are relying on the local government and guards to not insist that the shots are now being required at the border. You would have to get the shot there and then to enter the country. No thanks.

British

Exactly! Or be refused entry and sent back to the US. Tauck clearly state they take no responsibility if this happens!

AlanS

And not that it would ever happen at a port of entry in another African nation . . . . . . but you certainly don't want what happened recently in South Sudan to happen to you. 'Supposedly' according to a recent online CNN report, 15 children died after receiving routine measles vaccine inoculations because a contaminated needle was reused.

Angel Medina

In regards to Yellow Fever immunization over age 60, has anyone had any reaction after the injection?

I do not want to receive the YF at the border if the government of Kenya and South Africa refuse entry. I have a back-to-back tour. Has anyone been on the Tauck tour to Africa encounter refusal at the border with a YF waiver?

AlanS

Angel Medina wrote:

In regards to Yellow Fever immunization over age 60, has anyone had any reaction after the injection?

I do not want to receive the YF at the border if the government of Kenya and South Africa refuse entry. I have a back-to-back tour. Has anyone been on the Tauck tour to Africa encounter refusal at the border with a YF waiver?

Neither my wife nor I had any reaction to any of our inoculations, whatsoever, including the one for Yellow Fever.

British

We didn't have reations, but it was almost ten years ago when we were not sixty. But we have been to quite a few countries since that require or suggest having the vaccine. I can't imagine having to go through the added anxiety every time we visit a country if we had just a YF waiver.

susietb

We are way passed 65 and when we went to K/T last year the doctor at the travel clinic said that this yellow fever vaccine given now is much more refined than in previous years. It is given in the soft tissue in the arm not the muscle and my husband and I had no side effects whatsoever. I wish we could have said this with the "flu" shot.

We also took the typhoid vaccine (oral pills, every other day for five days) We started the malaria meds 2 days prior and five days post trip. The clinic recommended "malarone", not larium and we had no adverse reaction.

Going to India this year as everything is still current except for malaria and we will take a new course when we depart.

Of course your own doctor's advice is important.

Bellasgigi

My husband and I are on the Oct. 28 trip. On the recommendation of our doctor we both received the Hep A vaccine. It helps prevent illness from contaminated food or water, both of which can be found in Kenya regardless of where you are staying. It's a two part vaccine, the first injection needs to be followed up with a 2nd shot six months after the first. We were also told that the pill form of the Typhoid vaccine has better efficacy than the injection. It's just 4 pills you take I think about a month before you leave. Wasn't sure about yellow fever but from all indications it looks like we should also get that one. Also, we received our Hep A vaccines from Costco, way lower price than both the doctor's office and Walgreens.