Any inoculations needed
We will be traveling on a tour to South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe this summer. Some people have told us we will need to get extra inoculations for things like malaria, yellow fever monkey pox etc. others say they have not done this. What had been the experience of those who have made these tours. Thank you
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I recommend that you review the CDC website for the recommended immunizations and precautions for the three countries you will visit and consult with a medical professional experienced with travel medicine. You should also review the requirements for each country.
FYI - for malaria prevention, there is a prescription for tablets to take, not an injection. We took this tour last June and took Malarone. We had the yellow fever immunization a few years ago and carried the proof of vaccine with us, but it was not requested. Monkeypox immunization was not recommended at that time. We were up to date on the standard immunizations, such as tdap, hep A and B, adult polio, yearly flu shot, etc, so did not have to deal with any of them. We did need to get a typhoid vaccine. In addition to malarone, we did bring an antibiotic, as a precaution ( a Z pack).
Lotusgirl, you may be incorrect about not requiring Yellow Fever vaccine. While we have not taken this particular tour, we have taken the other tour that includes Botswana. When we went, we crossed over from Zambia to Botswana and when we got there, the border agents came onto our bus and wanted to see everyone’s Yellow Fever card. We all had them, so I don’t know what the consequences would have been without them. If you cross borders in different orders, it may be different but many countries require it for entry, so if you continue to travel, it might be worth considering it.
Look at the CDC website and talk to your Doctor who has all your medical history. Are you at high risk of getting Monkey pox?
This may certainly not apply to all African countries, but when we went on a cruise that stopped at a number of African ports, we had an "excuse form" (I forgot the official name) that indicated the yellow fever vaccination was not recommended for us. We had no problems with that in any country. We're both a good many years over the CDC recommend age to not get the vaccine.
I probably had the vaccine years ago when I was in the Army but don't have any record of it.
Yes, people do get those letters, I read recently there has to be a new letter every time you need one. The side effects of the vaccine are rare, but doctors want to cover their backs.