Vaccinations Can Prevent Deadly Overseas Diseases
By Stephanie Gamboa | 09.18.09 2 Comments » News , Tips and AdviceWith flu shots in full swing here in the US and all of the information on the H1N1 virus and prevention, our staff thought it was a good time to remind our international travelers that there are certain immunizations required for entry into specific countries and / or recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. We’ve listed the most common required and recommend vaccinations/immunizations below:
Hepatitis B vaccine, Hepatitis A/B vaccine, Typhoid vaccine, Tetanus vaccine, Diphtheria vaccine, Polio vaccine, Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, Meningococcal meningitis vaccine, Rabies vaccine, Japanese Encephalitis vaccine, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Chicken pox (varicella) vaccine, Flu shots, Tuberculosis (TB) skin test, Yellow Fever
We’ve also developed our top four questions to help travelers get proactive about preventative care before they leave town:
1. Have you received all required to recommended travel vaccines?
2. Have you inquired about protection against malaria?
3. Are you aware of how you protect yourself against food and water-borne diseases?
4. Are you equipped to handle medical emergencies or injuries while traveling?
Our advice is to chat with your travel insurance company assist unit. Seven Corners assist unit is happy to talk to clients before they travel and are in an urgent situation. If you have information in advance about the medical care that is available in the area where you are traveling and the closest hospital with the appropriate level of care to go to IF something happens, you are much better prepared to deal with medical emergencies and even smaller medical needs.
Oct 2, 2009 at 11:55 AM Hello Stephanie,
This is my first time travelling outside the US and I am very concerned about having unexpected diseases while I'm oversea. Do you have any recommendation regarding H1N1 vaccination and regular flu shot? Should I take both? Should I wait on the H1N1 vaccines for is possible side affect? In addition, should I get vaccinated for food and water-borne diseases, too? Please advice on where I can get it. I just enrolled my travel medical insurance today; however, I wonder if it would cover my medical needs in the states as well.
I appreciate your time. Thank you
Vivienne
Oct 2, 2009 at 11:58 AM Hello Vivienne,
Thank you so much for your comments on our Well Abroad Forum post. Your comments and concerns are very common among most overseas travelers, especially first-timers.
Which countries will you be visiting during your travels? This is an important starting point in determining which vaccines and precautions will need to be addressed before your trip. You can either look through the country list (as the profiles include the recommended & required vaccination information from the CDC), create a profile including all of the countries of your trip (so that you can receive health and security alerts specific to your destination), or you can send me the countries and I will gladly forward you that information specific to your trip.
With regards to the H1N1 flu epidemic, the threat levels vary greatly, depending upon your destination country. At this point, the immunizations are not available in most all countries. I've just seen a story on Well Abroad indicating that the Australian government will begin distributing the Influenza A H1N1 vaccine shortly. In the US, the seasonal flu shot is now available and can be obtained in most CVS, Walgreens or other pharmacy locations. The vaccine for the H1N1 flu is not yet available to the public, it is still in trial and research. At this time in the US, the campaign against H1N1 is focusing on prevention (hand-washing, staying home when you are sick, avoiding close personal contact with those who are ill, etc).
Two of the best sources of reliable information regarding the H1N1 outbreak are the CDC (http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/content/novel-h1n1-flu.aspx) and the WHO (http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/).
I hope that this information helps to clear up some of your concerns. Please let me know if you would like me to send you country(ies) specific information for the immunizations or pills needed for travel to your destination country(ies). You are welcome to call me at 800-690-6295 or by e-mail, responding to this message.
Kind regards,
Stephanie Gamboa
Seven Corners International Assistance Dept.