Immunizations

[Hawkeye75]

Has anybody recently checked with their family doctor to see if any immunizations were recommended for travel to the Caribbean?

[ckrobyn]

Has anybody recently checked with their family doctor to see if any immunizations were recommended for travel to the Caribbean?

 

When we decided that we would be travelling to the Caribbean at least yearly, we consulted our family doctor with the same question. The recommendation was that we get vaccinated against Hepatitis - the vaccine is called TwinRix and it is administered on a 3 dose basis. The first dose is followed by a second one a month later and then a third 6 months later. It has been proven that you can be infected with hepatitis by a single ice cube in your drink - if the vaccine is available to protect you, why not take it?

[SheltieLady]

We checked with our family doctor and he recommend Hepatitis A & B and we have never had them so he really strongly recommend it. We both had our first shots this month than we go back in July for our second and November for our final shot. We would rather be safe than sorry, we also had teitanus shot as are were done along time ago.

 

If you check the www.cdc.gov/travel site they recommend Hepatis A & B shots.

 

Christine

[daveky]

We checked with our family doctor and he recommend Hepatitis A & B and we have never had them so he really strongly recommend it. We both had our first shots this month than we go back in July for our second and November for our final shot. We would rather be safe than sorry, we also had teitanus shot as are were done along time ago.

 

If you check the www.cdc.gov/travel site they recommend Hepatis A & B shots.

 

Christine

 

Same here, just got back from my Doctor for my annual checkup. Recommeded a Hepatitis A & B shot due to my travel outside the country, better safe than sorry. He did blood work also to check, everything turned out fine. But with everyone traveling these days, better be safe than sorry.

He commented Hepatitis A is generally food borne.

 

Dave

[Twaincruisers]

EVERYONE should have Hepatitis A & B shots if you are coming to south Florida. The problem is so rampant here that the legislature funds a program through the county health department for the shots.

[Fun1]

Has anybody recently checked with their family doctor to see if any immunizations were recommended for travel to the Caribbean?

The family doctor will charge an office fee and a nurse's or shot administration fee in addition to the actual vaccine. I recommend going to your nearest local health dept. The fees are usually much cheaper (read half) and sometimes just a straight one-time administration fee (mine was $25.00) to get you into the system. They can then track your immunizations. You can give them your past history to store, also. They may only take cash or check.

 

This year, there has been a person on a ship contract Typhoid, another has German Measles, and Hep A and B are also common. Iowa had a mumps breakout. Sorry, but they haven't made a vaccine for the Norovirus. It was advised to me to get Hep A and B seperate as the immunization is supposedly stronger that way. Hep A is taken at 0, and 6 months whereas Hep B is 0, 1 month, and 4-6 months for the third. I chose to do the third at 4 months to speed it up for travel. The Hep A just has to wait for that 6 months.

 

I purchased the CDC "Health Information for International Travel" book from Elsevier Mosby. You can get the info. for free off the internet but I liked being able to thumb through it and write notes. Even health officials have made mistakes and tried to turn me away on some things so when I had the book, I could show them why I wanted it. It saved me some drive time. There is a recommended Polio booster now. I would recommend Meningitis, personally. The CDC recommends it for teens entering college. It may be required but I don't have a child entering college so I don't know. Don't forget about Influenza and Pneumococcal. Pneumococcal will also help with strep throat! Didn't know that until an allergist recommended it and neither my son or I have been sick with it since. Yeah!

 

Bottom line, try looking up all possible locations of travel on the CDC website and start your immunization program now. It can take 6 months or more to complete some of this stuff. If you even think you might visit some place in the future and the immunization is lifetime then why not get it now. These series take a lot of time to complete before travel. Oh, and malaria medicine comes in more than one type so it will depend on the area of travel. Your doctor will have to write the perscription for that and you should be able to just call in a request for that without booking an office visit. Most doctors will.

 

Always remember, ships don't carry the disease, people do.

 

Just wanted to help. Thanks for reading.

[elleluv]

DH and I have different doctors... they both recommended Hep A and B and Typhoid vaccine. My doc actually said he recommends the Hep vaccine for everyone... they are requiring one the Hep vaccines (I don't remember which) for kids entering school up here now.