First time cruisers and hepatitis

[Anne76]

My husband and I are going on a cruise in may and it's our first cruise :). We are going in the Caribbeans and we are not really confortable with the hepatitis stuff that I keep hearing about :confused: . It's now too late to receive some vaccination...So I would like to know if the touristic places are really "safe" for tourists (in terms of food and beverages) and if they say they have purified water and ice, do you consider it "OK"?

 

 

 

 

Thanks!

[doone]

I have been sailing to the caribbean for well over 20 years and have never had a problem. But if you feel better, contact your local Travel Clinic and get your shots. If you don't have a Travel Clinic, check with your doctor.

[glgolfer]

We've been cruising since 87 all over the Caribbean, Hawaii, Alaska and a 2 week tour to China with time on the Yangtze River and the only shots we make sure we have are Tetanus/ Diptheria boosters when needed. So far no problem. We are thinking we should get Hep A and B shots as there was an outbreak of Hepatitis in a neighboring county from employees in a restaurant. There seems to be a large number of meth labs there. Looks like we need them more here at home than on a trip.

[ckrobyn]

My husband and I are going on a ...cruise in may and it's our first ...cruise :). We are going in the Caribbeans and we are not really confortable with the hepatitis stuff that I keep hearing about :confused: . It's now too late to receive some vaccination...So I would like to know if the touristic places are really "safe" for tourists (in terms of food and beverages) and if they say they have purified water and ice, do you consider it "OK"?

 

 

 

 

 

I understand and appreciate your concern about hepatitis....it's a pretty serious concern.

 

The hepatitis vaccines are done in sets of 3. In Canada the vaccine is called "Twinrix" and you need to have it 3 times before you are "fully" immune.

 

After the first shot, the second one is administered 30 days later, and the final one 6 months later.

 

We chose to vaccinate ourselves so we wouldn't have the same worries you outline in your post. Yes, you can contract hepatitis from ONE infected ice cube.

 

I am not meaning to frighten anyone, but there are certain ports/countries where hepatitis is a real issue....Mexico is one that comes to mind first.

 



 

Speak with your Doctor, he/she will be able to give you the advice you are seeking.

 

 

 

 

[Happy ks]

If you are worried, try not to eat or drink on any of the islands. We will take our own bottle of water off the ship and return to the ship for any meals. I'm not paranoid, mostly cheap.

[CaptData]

Also check with your doctor how effective the first shot is. I was told that after the second shot, I had about 70% protection on my cruise. I finished the last shot after I got back.

[Are we there yet?]

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/322/7296/1194

 

Formerly, the addition of human normal immunoglobulin was recommended for those travelling within four weeks of receipt of vaccine, because of concern about the time taken to develop neutralising antibodies. However, data in chimpanzees suggest that vaccine protects against infection even if it is administered shortly after exposure.6 Although the effect of vaccination on virus shedding in exposed individuals remains to be more widely tested,7 the curtailment of Alaskan and Italian outbreaks through vaccination with a single dose, without concurrent administration of immunoglobulin, provides supportive evidence for the efficacy of one dose, post exposure prophylaxis. 8 9 Ideally, travellers should receive vaccine at least four weeks before travel, but, on the basis of available evidence, they should be vaccinated even up to the day of travel, particularly as the unavailability of human normal immunoglobulin now leaves vaccination as the only option for prophylaxis.

 

An economic appraisal of prophylactic measures against malaria, hepatitis A, and typhoid in travellers showed an unfavourable cost benefit ratio for hepatitis A prophylaxis.10 The analysis is, however, sensitive to the incidence of disease and suggests that hepatitis A vaccination can be made more cost effective by targeting travellers at particular risk. The communicable disease centres in both Britain and the US advise that travellers are at risk if they travel to regions of intermediate to high endemicity (which include Mexico, parts of the Caribbean, South America, Central America, Africa, Asia (except Japan), the Mediterranean basin, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East; http://www.cdc.gov/travel/diseases/hav.htm). The risk of infection increases with duration of travel and is highest for those living in unsanitary conditions,11 although hepatitis A may also occur in those staying in luxury hotels.

 

According to the site above you could just get the Hep A vaccine up to the day you travel. We (my dh and I) only got the Hep A as our doctor said if we were not going to have sex with someone down there we should be safe from Hep B. Our kids get the Hep B vaccine in school so they are covered. I would call your doctor and see what they think. Good luck!:)