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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Travel Vaccination Question

As I've mentioned previously, my wonderful mother is planning to travel to Haiti with me next month. She is trying to get things in order and my question is, How important is it for her to have travel vaccinations for a one-week visit?

9 comments:

Amanda said...

Well....I'm not gonna be there a week and we still made sure to get ours.

They highly recommend the HepA but she would need to do that pronto and ask about what type of immunity she would have after just one. It's a three series shot.

She could still do Typhoid, and I would recommend oral...we didn't have any side effects, it lasts longer than the shot and it's cheaper.

We were told we DID NOT need the malaria pills because we were going into PAP, not the back country. (I still question that a bit, but my friend who just went said she didn't see one misquito)

We also got a booster for DTP. (Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis) If she knows when her last tetanus was, that's good (every 10 years).

Hope that helps. I would definitely try to get what I could just to be safe :~)

Jill Wilkins said...

We went back and forth (and found out late that we "should" get them.) I was there 3 days, my husband was there 3 weeks... and we had nothing. Did fine. :-) So, it's really a personal decision. I would alwasy err on the side of safety if you have time to do do (we just ran out of time before-hand!)

sea salt MOSAIC said...

Last year we (meaning me!) went with nothing. Joel is ALWAYS vaccinated with everything and he's been on malaria meds for three years straight now. I just got tired of waiting on the guy in travel to order the meds and said "who cares!" But I'm such a mother hen that I think I would insist my mama got her shots whether she needed them or not! I'm good without, but my mama? - no way, she'd be getting them! (so would my father and my sisters and my children and anyone else I remotely know!) So, tell your mama that I insist!

sea salt MOSAIC said...

Last year we (meaning me!) went with nothing. Joel is ALWAYS vaccinated with everything and he's been on malaria meds for three years straight now. I just got tired of waiting on the guy in travel to order the meds and said "who cares!" But I'm such a mother hen that I think I would insist my mama got her shots whether she needed them or not! I'm good without, but my mama? - no way, she'd be getting them! (so would my father and my sisters and my children and anyone else I remotely know!) So, tell your mama that I insist!

Leah Spring said...

I think the one chance of picking up malaria would do it for me as far as malaria pills are concerned. Mosquitos don't really care about invisible boundaries. My doctor's wife passed away from Malaria 2 years ago, picked up while on a missions trip. She started not feeling well on the flight home, and was gone within 2 days. They found out afterward that she hadn't been taking her malaria pills. (nobody knows why). As for the vaccines, my mom travels all over South Africa, and she says there is NO WAY she would travel to that kind of area without vaccines.

Brandon said...

When we went in March we had gotten everything and with the Malaria pills you just need to start taking them a couple of weeks before and for a little while after. From what I remember from our doctor is the hep a & b shots should protect you for a short term even if you haven't completed the full series of shots.

Rebekah Hubley said...

everyone else has said it: but it is very important!!! one cut, one mosquito, one encounter with a sick person that is not vaccinated and is carrying something, one bad glass of water... I wouldn't risk it... When going to GLA some do not take malaria meds, because supposedly the malaria mosquito does not live that high up, but I would never risk it... who says that I am not going to get bit on my way up there or when I am in PAP. I am a doctor's daughter, so I am sure that I am over pre-cautious!!! :-)

Melissa said...

I know someone who was in Haiti for just over a week and didn't take his malaria pills and ended up in the hospital with Malaria. I don't think the amount of time matters, I agree with Rebekah it only takes one cut, one mosquito, etc. I don't think it would be worth the risk.

kayder1996 said...

Malaria meds do not prevent you from getting malaria. They only lessen the side effects once you have it. That may factor into your decision on whether or not to get the malaria pills. There is also supposed to be a high incident of side effects with the malaria meds. (Although I do not know anyone personally who has had the side effects.)