Yellow fever vaccine

[Sdbulla]

Has anyone used Passport Health to get their yellow fever vaccine? Looking for info about the overall experience.

 

[KirkNC]

Yes, we have used them several times over the years for yellow fever shots, malaria pills 💊 other boosters.  They have been fine, not cheap but not sure how many places even carry yellow fever vaccines.

Edited August 19, 2019 by KirkNC

[Sdbulla]

Thanks for the reply. What did they do in the consultation?

[KirkNC]

2 hours ago, Sdbulla said:

Thanks for the reply. What did they do in the consultation?

 

You take them your itinerary and they input it into their system.  They then print out a summary of all the areas of concern, what CDC recommends etc.  Then you talk through it and decide what you will do.  We usually follow their advice.  The one we did not was related to Japanese encephalitis, the shots were $800/pp and it was not a major issue where we would be in Japan.  

 

It can get pricey really quick but as Tony Soprano said, what are you going to do???

[Cruise NH]

An alternative to the expensive Passport Health people may be found in your local hospital.  We were surprised to learn that ours had a 'Travel Office' that consulted for those going abroad and had all the necessary shots.  An added bonus was that they had access to all our records and could update them as well.

 

Also, after consulting with the Doctor and reviewing our itinerary and ages, she gave us a letter saying the yellow fever shot was, counter-something or other, forgot the official word but bottom line we didn't get the shots.  They are not there to sell shots, they are there to give advice (and provide the shots only if needed).

 

It doesn't hurt to check it out (and we live in rural NH not near a major city).

Edited August 19, 2019 by Cruise NH

[Sdbulla]

Thanks. I checked out all the locations listed on the CDC website. I have a local hospital with my records that has a travel clinic, but they only will do the consultation and wrote the Rx for the immunization. Then I have to go to another hospital in the same network 90 minutes away for the actual shot. Total cost for both is the same as the cost for one appt at passport health 45 min away from me. The advantage of the 2 appt thing is that it would be documented in my health records. I also called the pharmacies in several Jewel Oscos that will give the immunization. They were all out of it and said to call back monthly. It is half the cost of the other two, but I have no idea if they do the consultation too. 

[Hawaiidan]

5 hours ago, KirkNC said:

Yes, we have used them several times over the years for yellow fever shots, malaria pills 💊 other boosters.  They have been fine, not cheap but not sure how many places even carry yellow fever vaccines.

If you have Kaiser HMO.... no charge for both a consult and all shots and meds.     Consider too Hep-A and Hep B    as well as Polio booster for so-pacific/aisia.       Someone charges $800 for that???    Good  lord

Edited August 19, 2019 by Hawaiidan

[sail7seas]

6 hours ago, Sdbulla said:

Has anyone used Passport Health to get their yellow fever vaccine? Looking for info about the overall experience.

 

 

Just a suggestion but  maybe you would do great to ask your  regular  doctor whom you know an trust?     

 

Some folks have been known to have a bit of difficulty from  that  vaccine.

 

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

For our Yellow Fever shots and Hep A and Hep B, we had to go to the county health department.  Family doctor doesn't give those shots.

[sail7seas]

14 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

For our Yellow Fever shots and Hep A and Hep B, we had to go to the county health department.  Family doctor doesn't give those shots.

 

 

 

  Where to get  vaccinated  well could vary by region, city   etc

 

To deny some people have had problems with i,t  are either misinformed or  mistaken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2019 by sail7seas

[cowmilker]

We live in KY.  Our choices were two: either Passport Health or the University of Louisville's Travel Clinic. We chose the latter, even though there was hardly any difference in the price, solely because the U of L is not for-profit.

The consultant (a nurse-practitioner) went through everything with us in great detail. We are 70 and 80, and therefore could have gotten a waiver for the YF vaccine.  We opted to get the shots though. We are both healthy right now. Who knows what our health will be like two years from now and we thought it was a bad decision to effectively limit our access to the world over a shot. 

She gave us all the pros and cons, went over the risks we were facing either if we didn't get the shot, or if we did. The decision was ultimately ours to make.

The situation right now is that there is an acute shortage of the vaccine.  The one that has been through the FDA approval process is unavailable.  The substitute is made by the same company and is called Stamaril.  It has NOT been through the whole FDA approval process, and thus has provisional approval (or something like that). Stamaril is used all over the world except in the USA, but because we don't have our usual vaccine and are using Stamaril, well, that's caused a shortage of Stamaril.

The FDA restricted the places where you can get Stamaril.  This has been the situation for the last two years and our consultant believes it will probably be the situation for the next year or so.  Who knew it could take so long to build a new lab and make more vaccine, but that's the case.

In addition to Stamaril, we also got typhoid vaccines.

The cost was $75 for one of us (for the visit), and $50 for the other one.  The vaccines, however, were pricey. The total bill was $755.  That is cheaper than getting yellow fever, but still caused me to gasp slightly.  The good news is that once is forever.  In addition, we are getting TDAP tomorrow (we had to wait a full month to get that after the Stamaril) and at some point, Hep A (which has to be given in two doses), although those are available at pretty much any pharmacy. And in the fall, we'll get flu shots to boot (we've already had the pneumonia series).

We got our doses of Stamaril on July 19.  It's given subcutaneously (it's a live virus, which is why it can have some side effects) and does not hurt or make your arm sore.  A couple of days later, I ran a slight fever and had a pretty serious headache which lasted about 24 hours.  My husband had no side effects of any sort.  The risk of more serious problems is real, but very slight (and if you're under 60, the risk is very, very slight).

[sail7seas]

1 hour ago, cowmilker said:

We live in KY.  Our choices were two: either Passport Health or the University of Louisville's Travel Clinic. We chose the latter, even though there was hardly any difference in the price, solely because the U of L is not for-profit.

The consultant (a nurse-practitioner) went through everything with us in great detail. We are 70 and 80, and therefore could have gotten a waiver for the YF vaccine.  We opted to get the shots though. We are both healthy right now. Who knows what our health will be like two years from now and we thought it was a bad decision to effectively limit our access to the world over a shot. 

She gave us all the pros and cons, went over the risks we were facing either if we didn't get the shot, or if we did. The decision was ultimately ours to make.

The situation right now is that there is an acute shortage of the vaccine.  The one that has been through the FDA approval process is unavailable.  The substitute is made by the same company and is called Stamaril.  It has NOT been through the whole FDA approval process, and thus has provisional approval (or something like that). Stamaril is used all over the world except in the USA, but because we don't have our usual vaccine and are using Stamaril, well, that's caused a shortage of Stamaril.

The FDA restricted the places where you can get Stamaril.  This has been the situation for the last two years and our consultant believes it will probably be the situation for the next year or so.  Who knew it could take so long to build a new lab and make more vaccine, but that's the case.

In addition to Stamaril, we also got typhoid vaccines.

The cost was $75 for one of us (for the visit), and $50 for the other one.  The vaccines, however, were pricey. The total bill was $755.  That is cheaper than getting yellow fever, but still caused me to gasp slightly.  The good news is that once is forever.  In addition, we are getting TDAP tomorrow (we had to wait a full month to get that after the Stamaril) and at some point, Hep A (which has to be given in two doses), although those are available at pretty much any pharmacy. And in the fall, we'll get flu shots to boot (we've already had the pneumonia series).

We got our doses of Stamaril on July 19.  It's given subcutaneously (it's a live virus, which is why it can have some side effects) and does not hurt or make your arm sore.  A couple of days later, I ran a slight fever and had a pretty serious headache which lasted about 24 hours.  My husband had no side effects of any sort.  The risk of more serious problems is real, but very slight (and if you're under 60, the risk is very, very slight).

 

 

 

 

What    a  great post,  full of so much good information.  Your reasoning for having the shot   now   makes good sense and is sound  logic.   (  IMO)

 

 

 

 

[KirkNC]

Just to clarify one point being made.  We have made several visits to two separate PH locations and have never felt pressure to “buy something “.  They have made recommendations, some we have followed, some we have not.

[Iamthesea]

2 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

For our Yellow Fever shots and Hep A and Hep B, we had to go to the county health department.  Family doctor doesn't give those shots.

That's what we did!  Got the whooping cough vaccine, as well.  Our family doctor, and friend, recommended the Yellow Fever vaccine.  He went on the trip with us.

[cowmilker]

1 hour ago, sail7seas said:

 

 Your reasoning for having the shot   now   makes good sense and is sound  logic.   (  IMO)

 

 

It made sense for us.  Other people might come to a completely different decision. The important thing is knowing that when you go to a travel clinic (and it doesn't matter if it's Passport Health or any other clinic) you will get the information you need to make the best decision for you and your circumstances.

If you go to the CDC website (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellow-fever-vaccination-clinics/state/kentucky), you'll see 41 places in Kentucky where you can get the YF vaccine.  The problem is that isn't true right now.  There are actually two places, and both of them are in Louisville.

That page is obviously not correct. 

The correct page is this one: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/search-for-stamaril-clinics

 

Our consultant said that the determination as to who got the Stamaril vaccine was made based on the sheer numbers of YF vaccines that had been given by any facility prior to the shortage. The higher-traffic clinics got Stamaril, the lower traffic ones (in Kentucky, that was 39 out of 41 clinics) did not.

 

 

 

[Hawaiidan]

according to CDC  sources  the only place  your going to need Yellow Fever  is in Africa.... You might check...  Our travel MD's out west said no need if your on a cruise and not spending weeks ashore.

[iflyrc5]

38 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

according to CDC  sources  the only place  your going to need Yellow Fever  is in Africa.... You might check...  Our travel MD's out west said no need if your on a cruise and not spending weeks ashore.

I am not at home now to check but as I recall on the HAL documents it stated the we needed the Yellow Fever for Devils Island.  When we did the Amazon in 2008 HAL required it for our stops in the Amazon and if you didn't have it you could not board the ship.  Some folks tried to say that they would just not get off in Brazil and that was not allowed - you could not board without the shot or a letter from your doctor.   You need to check with HAL for the current requirements so you won't be surprised in FLL when trying to board the ship.

[AncientWanderer]

1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said:

according to CDC  sources  the only place  your going to need Yellow Fever  is in Africa.... You might check...  Our travel MD's out west said no need if your on a cruise and not spending weeks ashore.

 

There are many countries that don't themselves require the shot -- unless you have recently traveled in other yellow fever problem areas.  So you really have to look at the whole itinerary, and, yes, as suggested by the prior poster, ships won't let you board if the shot is required at any one place.  Due diligence -- always  due diligence.

[Naismith]

On 8/19/2019 at 11:33 PM, KirkNC said:

You take them your itinerary and they input it into their system.  They then print out a summary of all the areas of concern, what CDC recommends etc.  Then you talk through it and decide what you will do.  We usually follow their advice.  The one we did not was related to Japanese encephalitis, the shots were $800/pp and it was not a major issue where we would be in Japan.  

 

Not only is it pricey, but the Japanese encephalitis immunization available in the US is an inferior product:  less effective and for fewer years, and two doses required.  In Asian countries, the Imojev vaccine is available--only one shot, and I paid $75 on Java.  

 

It is a nasty disease, so I wouldn't want to spend much time in the Far East without it.  But if you had a morning free when you are out that way, and the hotel could recommend a walk-in clinic, something to consider.  

[Shawnino]

If you are over 60 please consult your family doctor and perhaps a properly qualified immunologist before deciding to get this vaccine.

We lost a top researcher this year to the YF vaccine:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jan/11/top-cancer-scientist-prof-martin-gore-dies-after-rare-reaction-to-yellow-fever-vaccination

 

As someone who must travel unvaccinated, I depend on "the herd" being vaccinated for my own immunity, but I do hope everyone is careful and makes a very informed decision. 

[sail7seas]

20 hours ago, iflyrc5 said:

I am not at home now to check but as I recall on the HAL documents it stated the we needed the Yellow Fever for Devils Island.  When we did the Amazon in 2008 HAL required it for our stops in the Amazon and if you didn't have it you could not board the ship.  Some folks tried to say that they would just not get off in Brazil and that was not allowed - you could not board without the shot or a letter from your doctor.   You need to check with HAL for the current requirements so you won't be surprised in FLL when trying to board the ship.

 

Thank you.  What you wrote is my understanding and reading this thread, I startred to think i was the only one who wast hinking re  :  Brazil

 

 

 

 

[Loreto]

On 8/19/2019 at 12:31 PM, Hawaiidan said:

If you have Kaiser HMO.... no charge for both a consult and all shots and meds.     Consider too Hep-A and Hep B    as well as Polio booster for so-pacific/aisia.       Someone charges $800 for that???    Good  lord

We got all necessary vaccinations and meds from our Kaiser Travel Advisor.  Health Dept. would have charged $110 , so we really saved.  Hep A&B shots are a good idea as well.

Karen

[sail7seas]

On 8/19/2019 at 3:31 PM, Hawaiidan said:

If you have Kaiser HMO.... no charge for both a consult and all shots and meds.     Consider too Hep-A and Hep B    as well as Polio booster for so-pacific/aisia.       Someone charges $800 for that???    Good  lord

 

I don't think Kaiser has much of a presence here in Boston,  New

 

 

England.     No  one here ever mentions them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 22, 2019 by sail7seas

[Despegue]

Sorry, but 800 US$ for some quite standard vaccinations is just robbery. Why on Earth would anyone pay such a ridiculous price?!

Take a flight to Brussels, see Belgium, visit Amazing Antwerp and get an appointment at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in the centre. You will be off cheaper 🙄

 

note that Yellow Fever vaccination is now valid for the rest of your life .

 

[sail7seas]

15 hours ago, Despegue said:

Sorry, but 800 US$ for some quite standard vaccinations is just robbery. Why on Earth would anyone pay such a ridiculous price?!

Take a flight to Brussels, see Belgium, visit Amazing Antwerp and get an appointment at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in the centre. You will be off cheaper 🙄

 

note that Yellow Fever vaccination is now valid for the rest of your life .

 

   Maybe one needs a referral rom a Belgium docor?  and needs to  be from EU/ Belgium??

 

 just asking