Vaccinations

menahelen

Hi folks,
My husband and I are headed for this trip in August. I was wondering if people get all the reccommended vaccinations. We have all the basics like the Hep shots, tetanus, etc etc, but what about things like typhoid, yellow fever, cholera. Are they all necessary?

AlanS

menahelen wrote:

Hi folks,
My husband and I are headed for this trip in August. I was wondering if people get all the reccommended vaccinations. We have all the basics like the Hep shots, tetanus, etc etc, but what about things like typhoid, yellow fever, cholera. Are they all necessary?

Get them all! This topic has been severely flogged in the past, beyond the "dead horse" phase. You can see what others have said by checking out the K&T and other Africa forums. Search on "shots", "inoculations", "Yellow fever", etc. or any related term.

But, the bottom line is it doesn't matter what "other people" have done- go to a travel doctor- only he/she will have access to your medical history and can make informed, appropriate recommendations.

Derek

Regarding Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa vaccinations, etc.

My primary physician referred me to Passport Health in February 2018 for evaluation of my African itinerary (May, June & July 2018) and sent them the required prescription for Yellow Fever.

When I arrived they had prepared a 68 page detailed report of recommended and/or required medications, vaccinations, preventive measures, travel documents, health alerts, US Embassies and other health information.

The LVN provided a 45 minute consultation with recommendations to my specific health assessment.

Following the consolation the LVN administered the Typhoid Fever vaccination, sent the Malaria prescription to my pharmacy and recommended I wait unit mid April for the Yellow Fever vaccination.

The following week my primary physician and I reviewed the consultation binder and set a follow-up appointment for the end of April after I have received the Yellow Fever vaccination.

This was a very professional, thorough and easy process.

I will be participating in the June 16th to July 11th Tauck Back to Back Kenya & Tanzania: A Classic Safari and Botswana, South Africa and Zambia journey.

AlanS

Derek wrote:

I will be participating in the June 16th to July 11th Tauck Back to Back Kenya & Tanzania: A Classic Safari and Botswana, South Africa and Zambia journey.

We gotta come up with a name for that- like "Iron Man" or if Tauck hadn't just come out with a tour using the name, how about "The Tauck Great Migration" or "The Almost Great Migration. : )

I wonder if anyone has done a triple, back-to-back? There was a couple from New Zealand on our Romantic Germany tour last summer- they had a 3+ week break between two cruises so their TA booked them on back-to-back Tauck tours to fill the gap.

British

Derek, did you get any up to date info on whether the Yellow fever vaccine is still in short supply?

suebec

I just talked with my travel advisor. She says Yellow Fever is still in short supply. We are getting one that is manufactured in Europe and is not FDA approved. It has been approved for years (maybe she said 35 years) in Europe. We will get it after reading and signing a lengthy form. After receiving the vaccine we will be monitored for half an hour. It is a live vaccine and we might get flu like symptoms in 3 to 5 days. The direction our tour goes we do not need the vaccine - it is required going into Tanzania from Kenya - but we go the reverse. Regardless of that - Since we will be in Kenya I want to be protected from Yellow Fever so choose to get the vaccine.

Derek

British wrote:

Derek, did you get any up to date info on whether the Yellow fever vaccine is still in short supply?

British
Passport Health required a prescription from my primary physician. When I arrived the vaccine was available. There was no discussion of a short supply. It is a live vaccine and the LVN recommended I wait to mid April to avoid a conflict with an antibiotic that I had been taking.

hellokelly

Go to a pharmacy with a travel clinic (walgreens, rite aide). Tell them you are going to Africa and you need vaccinations. I just asked for yellow fever and hepatitis A. It is run through your insurance so you just pay what your insurance doesn't cover and you don't have to pay extra for the consultation. Hepatitis A was free and yellow fever was $50. Your primary care doctor should be able to prescribe you malaria pills.

British

Not all pharmacies offer a free consultation, check before you choose the pharmacy.

mil

Costco does a lot of the vaccinations needed for traveling and the cost is 1/2 of any pharmacy or travel clinic. I got the YF shot ($100.00) last Jan. as soon as I find out and before they would run out and also asked about malaria meds. for a 21 day supply is only $80.00 , chech them out.
MenaHelen, I'm going next August 25th.

douglassue

For the anti-malarials, we went to the GoodRx website or used our app to get the cheapest price and coupon in our area. And look through the threads about anti-malarial choices and side-effects -- three in our group got REALLY sick from the anti-malarials. I was one of them, and the MD in Arusha said it was about a 12% chance. Alan S. did an excellent reply.

Don't forget to have your International Vaccination Certificate signed and stamped -- it was on a different portion of the certificate.

Doug

menahelen

Thanks for all your responses everyone. We have an appointment at Passport Health next week and will get whatever is necessary.

David Cashbaugh

None of you mention your age. Did anyone over age 65 get the vaccine? I am having trouble finding someone to write me a prescription for the Yellow Fever shot because I am 66 (since someone here died from the vaccine). I am willing to get the YF shot, but cannot find a doc to prescribe it and the clinics here are requiring that. I am uncomfortable with the idea of going to Kenya without the YF shot.

susietb

We are way past 69 and we went to a local travel clinic to get all our immunizations. The doctor in charge said that these are new refined vaccines with minimal or no effects! She was right, we had none! The YF vaccine is given in the soft tissue as opposed to the flu shot which was given in the muscle.(ouch)

All we had to do was sign a release and pay.

Sealord

David Cashbaugh wrote:

None of you mention your age. Did anyone over age 65 get the vaccine? I am having trouble finding someone to write me a prescription for the Yellow Fever shot because I am 66 (since someone here died from the vaccine). I am willing to get the YF shot, but cannot find a doc to prescribe it and the clinics here are requiring that. I am uncomfortable with the idea of going to Kenya without the YF shot.

We were both over 65 when we got our yellow fever shot. Neither of us had any reaction at all. And our health care provider did fully inform us about possible reactions. I know travel clinics gladly provide a prescription for a fee, but our normal health care provider had no problem with arranging the vaccinations. It did, however, take some time. I have actually had the yellow fever vaccination twice, but after a bunch of years I ground up my shot record thinking non of them could still be valid. The yellow fever is supposed to be good forever. So I got another one not for fear of getting yellow fever, but to avoid the possible inconvenience of not being able to prove it. We have our shot records and copies of our shot records.