Traveling? Check Your Shot Records

It is advisable to find out about vaccines well before the date you intend to travel. Your doctor or practitioner nurse will be able to tell you which vaccines you will need. Standard vaccines such as tetanus, polio and diphtheria should be kept up to date with 10 year boosters.

Some travel vaccines are compulsory and some are recommended. Whether or not vaccines are recommended will depend on:

• Your present state of health and your age

• The length of your stay abroad

• The country you will be visiting

• If you intend to visit urban or rural areas

• Your activities while in the country

• The time of year you travel

Hepatitis A and B are found worldwide, but endemic are in areas where the food or drinking water may be contaminated. A typhoid vaccine may also be recommended in these areas.

A course of three Hepatitis B shots over a period of six months will give ten years protection. They are especially recommended for anyone who is intending to work in a hospital or school.

A Hepatitis A vaccine two to four weeks before departure will offer 12 months protection. A booster gives twenty years immunity. A typhoid vaccine can be combined with hepatitis A or given separately two weeks before departure. It gives 80% protection over three years.

People living in or visiting rural areas in Central and Eastern Europe may be at risk of developing Tick Borne Encephalitis in the summer. Farm and forestry workers are at particular risk. Vaccines are given six weeks before travel.

If you are travelling to Africa, South East Asia or South America ask your doctor for advice on Malaria at least eight weeks before you travel.

Vaccination against Yellow Fever is recommended for travel to tropical areas in Africa, South and Central America. It can be given 10 days before departure, and is compulsory in some areas.

If you plan on visiting some parts of South East Asia, there is something called the Japanese Encephalitis virus. It is spread by mosquitoes in rural areas of South East Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. Protection is obtained by a course of three vaccines six weeks before departure.

If you are planning to visit remote areas, it may take over 24 hours to access medical facilities so it may be advisable to have a rabies vaccine. This is especially important if you are likely to be in contact with animals. A course of vaccines is given over one month.

TALK your doctor before taking vaccines. These are not required vaccines you need. These are not to be used as a source of medical guide. This is to help you plan and research if you decide to go over seas.

Happy travels!

-Daniel Mun