Vaccines
I have read what everyone says about vaccines, that it is my health and I am responsible. I didn't see mention of required vaccines, or if anyone had opted for the suggested vaccines. I spoke with my doctor who referred me to the CDC website. Not helpful, other than to make me rethink taking this tour! It still remains unclear to me what the travelers to this area do as mandatory and as voluntary. I'd appreciate hearing what experienced Tauck passengers have done. Thank you ~
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We have done five safaris. In addition to all the normal vaccines, we got yellow fever, typhoid, and all the hep vaccines. We got malaria pills, but the ‘complications’ caused us to stop taking them on our last safari. Others will tell you to talk with your doctor, which is sounds like you have done. If you call Walgreens or vac clinics they will try to vaccinate you for everything including moon dust.
My PCP always refers me to the local travel clinic, which is part of the health care network that I use for my primary care. Neither Medicare nor my Medicare supplement pays for my travel clinic visit, but to me, it's well worth the price. At this point, I find it difficult to rely on the CDC for guidance.
I rely on my infectious disease doctor rather than my primary care physician when I am embarking on a trip to Africa. Educate yourself before you go to see an infectious by reading as much as you can, but a good one will know exactly what medications you need.
Thank you!
Some regular family doctors are clueless about travel related vaccines and so on which is why they refer you to the CDC. From there, it’s your decision. It is totally irrelevant what other people do about their health, that may be not the same that you would wish for yourself. Or you could contact Robert Kennedy jr
We did not go on this specific trip, but our group of 4 took Malarone for the Kenya and Tanzania trip. We took it with yogurt every morning. My husband got mild diarrhea on day 2 which lasted for one day, likely due to environmental change and "overindulgence". He continued the Malarone and was fine. All of us did fine with it. I have known 3 individuals with Malaria in my life. It is serious. We did not want to take any chances, especially since I am a mosquito magnet. We also used the Sawyer PIcaridin lotion on exposed skin and treated our clothes with Permethrin or used pre-treated clothing. Make sure your routine vaccines are up to date. Some of the more common travel vaccines like Hepatitis A and Typhoid Fever are very well tolerated. Yellow fever vaccine should be discussed with a doctor, after reviewing the risk in the areas where you are going. We traveled last August and our health plan travel clinic uses the CDC for travel vaccine recommendations. I personally feel that travel advice from the CDC is reliable and they are still monitoring disease outbreaks. Having said all this, I do hope you will be able to find reasonable medical advice and not rely on the forum. (Not trying to start a debate here but I'm pretty confident that the CDC is still a better resource for travel advice than this forum.)