Jabs - Mayan Treasures / Pride of Panama

[CRUISIN LINDA]

I agree with Geo. I think the worst that would happen would be that you were not allowed of the ship. I'm sure it wouldn't stop you flying home.

 

As Geo says lots of people have done this itinerary and never been asked for any papers. I know Thomson did a similar itinerary before. Didn't Kruzseeka do the one to Roatan and Mexico. I do remember this subject being brought up before.

 

I know you can get some jabs on NHS, but I'm pretty sure you have to pay for the yellow fever one (about £70 I think)

[gillhalfpint]

Well we are back from the doctors and he has underlined Jamaica, Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia that we need cover for.

 

We will not need Hep B but he will do a combined Hep A and Typhoid for us both.

I don't need the Tetanus, done in 2000 for a dog bite, but Ray needs that.

Yellow Fever they don't do, but we will need it done.

They don't do Rabies.

Dengue Fever - buy deet.

Malaria - get tablets at the chemist.

 

I think we will have the ones he will do, and get the yellow fever ones done at Boots or Superdrug. They both charge £58 each for that.

Will forget rabies, and buy some Deet and Malaria tablets.

 

I will start everything early though so any after effects will go before Christmas.

[geomagot]

malaria medications need to be specific to the area(s) that you will be visiting (there are different strains of malaria in different areas)...hopefully superdrug/boots should be able to advise which medications are currently recommended for the areas on your itinerary

 

we have visited all of those countries and never taken malaria tablets.... its wise to use deet for dengue fever it is the only protection available....using that deet will protect against malaria at the same time

[gillhalfpint]

Thanks Geo. I was so panicked with all this, but it is getting easier to deal with now.

 

My biggest fear now is my cases have gone onto the plane at the end of the cruise and someone in Jamaica is not happy about any documentation we should have but haven't. That is why I think the yellow fever certificate takes away the "what if" worry.

[geomagot]

good luck with the jabs gill... your doc has cleared you and you will have peace of mind...all should be well:cool:

 

I didnt realise mexico is in.... 'the zone'....we are going to cozumel, costa maya & playa del carmen:eek:

[Vitalsign]

We travelled on Ocean Village in Feb 2008 and checked with our doctor before we went to Colombia Panama Costa Rica Roatan and Belize. He recommended boosters on normal jabs but no yellow fever required.

Obviously deet necessary and we did take malaria tablets but everyone on the ship we told said they weren't taking them cos we weren't on land at night so haven't bothered on future trips. Not necessary in Cuba when had an overnight as not a malaria area. I give blood and was told it was ok.

If you look at the World Health Organisations maps you'll see that North Panama ( or West Panama to some people) including the Canal Zone, Costa Rica, Honduras are risk free zones and Columbia is 'transitional' and if you stick to the coastal areas around Cartegna there is no problem either.

We flew to and from Montego Bay and were never asked for a certificate in fact we were fast tracked through the airport both arriving and leaving. The wording on the quoted website is that a certificate is needed if you have travelled to a risk area or through an airport in a risk area I believe.

We will be travelling to Panama etc on Dream Jan 2015 and if Thomson can't answer this question for us perhaps they should ring the Jamaican embassy and find out

[gillhalfpint]

I think this is the big problem. Thomsons should have an up to date fact sheet to give everyone who books these cruises that they have got from the relevant authorities, and then leave it to the individual to act on these facts.

 

As it is, everyone has the opinion of their own doctor or health nurse, and like the various websites, different answers can be found.

 

I am happy to wait a month or two now and look forward to my cruise again.

[Vitalsign]

I have contacted the Jamaican High Commission in London who replied promptly for me to contact the Dept of Health in Jamaica and gave contact numbers On the site I found an email address and sent an email over a week ago to which I have had NO reply. My booking confirmation from Thomsons TA states Health Requirements None. I think I'll bite the bullet and ring Jamaica Will post their reply.

[goose30]

I run 3 surgeries and we get no funding for giving these, we get the cost of the vaccinations reimbursed only

 

So the time and cost of paying the nurse to give the advice and the jab which is a 20 minute appointment, we foot the bill for

 

We use this website http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home.aspx in practice

 

20 minutes for a jab? No wonder the health care system is going broke!

[Sheila49]

It's not the jab which needs 20 minutes, it's the advice! The nurse has to find out which countries you are going to, look them up individually for the most recent recommendations as they can change, then check your medical records for any contraindications to having any of the jabs/medication and any allergies you may have. She may have to arrange private prescriptions for any which are not available on the NHS. Then she'll give you the jab(s)!

[skioncruises]

It's not the jab which needs 20 minutes, it's the advice! The nurse has to find out which countries you are going to, look them up individually for the most recent recommendations as they can change, then check your medical records for any contraindications to having any of the jabs/medication and any allergies you may have. She may have to arrange private prescriptions for any which are not available on the NHS. Then she'll give you the jab(s)!

 

This doesn't happen in our surgery in Tayside.:( We have to make an appointment with a nurse, who consults once a week, at a well known store (S-------g) in town, and take a filled-in form of where we are going. She has no access to our medical records and doesn't even ask what surgery we are registered with so that they can be advised of what has been pumped into us.:eek: All jabs, including those which are supposed to be free on the NHS, are chargeable.:confused:

[Sheila49]

Strangely enough skioncruises it was a surgery in Tayside I used to work in! However that was a few years ago, things may have changed! I haven't been to an area where I needed injections since I went to Tunisia many years ago so I don't know what happens at my own Doctors surgery nowadays.

 

I would have thought they should at least notify your GP what they have given you though!

Edited September 5, 2014 by Sheila49

[Little Nell]

Our surgery has a travel clinic which you pay £10 for but the vaccines are free. The nurse calls you and asks where you are going, she downloads the information relating to where you are going, discusses what you should get done and orders the vaccines in. You pick the vaccines up from the pharmacy on the day off your appointment and she administers them. Works very well.

[geomagot]

our travel consultations are conducted over the phone (you have to make an appointment for the phone call then the travel medic will call at a specified time and date)...if the medic decides that you do need some inoculations you are directed to their (attached private) clinic where the jabs are given on a private prescription (about £55 per jab) however they will give boosters for tetanus, diphtheria, polio etc for free on nhs (if you can convince them that they are needed?).... they do have access to our nhs medical records

[Little Nell]

our travel consultations are conducted over the phone (you have to make an appointment for the phone call then the travel medic will call at a specified time and date)...if the medic decides that you do need some inoculations you are directed to their (attached private) clinic where the jabs are given on a private prescription (about £55 per jab) however they will give boosters for tetanus, diphtheria, polio etc for free on nhs (if you can convince them that they are needed?).... they do have access to our nhs medical records

 

Expensive when the whole family need them, Geo :eek:

[geomagot]

[quote name='Little Nell']Expensive when the whole family need them, Geo :eek:[/QUOTE]

too true nell.....luckily we were advised that y/f was not required/not recommended....saved ourselves £300:cool: (although we did get through a lot of insect repelant)

[Little Nell]

[quote name='geomagot']too true nell.....luckily we were advised that y/f was not required/not recommended....saved ourselves £300:cool: (although we did get through a lot of insect repelant)[/QUOTE]

We booked too late last year to get the jabs but it did worry me a bit. I will be better prepared this year though but not sure if I will need any for the Eastern Islands.

I didn't use the insect repellent until after I was bitten....doh....lesson learned. I honestly didn't think you would get bitten during the day and won't make the same mistake next year :eek:

[gillhalfpint]

S-------g did advise us to go to our own surgery to find out what was needed, get any done there that were free on NHS then we could get any others done with them on a booked consultation.

Doctor doesn't do the yellow fever one and said we wouldn't need the Hep B one. Thinking of getting yellow fever done in the next month to get it over with, then book the surgery 8 weeks before departure to sort out the NHS ones.