Travel Vaccinations


Today was the first of 4 vaccination days over the next six weeks. Rabies, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Typhoid, done and dusted with no major meltdown from Michael, although getting him back there next week could be a challenge.

You will find lots of debate and differing opinions on some of these vaccinations on line which can be confusing and leave you feeling none the wiser. In fact 'to do or not to do' discussions tend to go the same way as the MMR debates, best avoided ! The best advise we read was talk to a Travel Nurse, get the facts and if still unsure just do it. $700 is nothing compared to piece of mind. Having experienced a pack of aggressive stray dogs on an isolated beach in Turkey and seen nasty bites from Monkeys in Gibraltar, we decided to plan for the unexpected.

The first 'unexpected' however was the cost!! Our first visit to the Travel Nurse setting us back nearly $700.00.

Rabies at $160 a vile x 3 Talk to your Travel nurse as they may be able to find other travellers happy to the share the vile and share the cost.
Hepatitis B $ 50 x 3
Polio $80 x 2
Yellow fever $120.00 x 3
Typhoid and Hepatitis A $166.00 x 2
Hep A Junior $75.00
Typhoid $70.00 x1
Blood Test $30 each

Lets not forget Rabies is still fatal. Rabies vaccinations consists of 3 pre-exposure shots over a month. If you get bitten / scratched and have had the vaccinations, you will just need two follow up shots. If not you are faced with the additional dilemma of finding a medical facility within hours that has the immunoglobulin injection in stock. If off the beaten track in a remote location this would involve additional travel inconvenience and cost. The treatment would then require at least 5 further shots around the bite itself and from all accounts an extremely painful process.
The prospect of travelling hours with a hysterical 10 year old who's been bitten and convinced himself he's going to die, didn't appeal to us and would likely traumatise us all. So we have decided to suck it up and just pay the bill!

First tip for other potential world travellers - Factor in the cost of travel vaccinations early into the budget.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kiwi See the World through my eyes - Cambodia

Image
Kiwi See the World “through my eyes”- Cambodia We took a bus over the border into Cambodia and with quiet trepidation surveyed the view from the window. In many ways it reminded us of Lao. Lots of dilapidated villages, wooden shacks and extremely poor, a sharp contrast to the more affluent Vietnam we had left behind. We were however pleasantly surprised to arrive into Phnom Penh, which was a bustling, relatively clean glittering city, much to Michaels relief who had fretted and questioned us about our likely accommodation the whole way. Our first day was to tour the Killing Fields and S-21 genocide museum. A former high school converted into jail where thousands of Cambodians we're brutally tortured, starved and murdered by the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 -1979. A graphic and harrowing experience to look into the eyes of the men, women and children catalogued and photographed on entering the jail never to leave. 3 million victims over quarter of the population murde...
Read more

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to begin

Image
A coffee with a friend a year ago, reminded me that you have to chase your dreams and live a life with no regrets. It dawned on me that the only way I was going to achieve mine, was to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. So we are.................  With my husband Jason and my son Michael (10), we are going to backpack around the world. Travelling on a budget through 20 countries in 14 months, we depart the 1st Feb 2018 leaving everything we own in the care of our two elder sons. A scary prospect in its self!  With Jason and I being slightly over the typical backpackers age, along with a young man who also has Asperger's and doesn't like change, this could make for an interesting journey!  Travelling with only back packs, a desired route and a sense of optimism, we have booked our first flight heading for Singapore.   So join us on our adventure and follow our exploits as we embark on the unknown.  Michael will also be contributing t...
Read more

See the world through my eyes - Here we go

Image
Kiwi See the World - Through my eyes Rather than write another article on Asperger’s, we decided to keep a running diary on how Michael copes travelling for a year and share some of the problems we face, as well as the successes on our journey as we go. This isn’t intended to be the answer to managing his ASD. The saying you’ve met one person with ASD is correct. You really have only met one person with ASD. Everyone is individual and different. We are sharing our experience of travel, good and bad in the hope that it has a positive impact on Michael's life and will have value to another parent faced with the same or similar issues to our selves. Michael is fully involved in this blog and approves every thing before publishing. January 2018 A week to go! Michael 10 is smart, articulate but lacking in empathy, has limited social skills around his peers and has extremely high levels of anxiety. Faced with the prospect of travelling around the world for ...
Read more