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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Travel Vaccinations

Who new that after the excitement of FINALLY buying one way tickets, the next most obvious step would be...the doctor? Yup, extended traveling apparently includes some not so glamorous bits. Yellow fever in Ghana? Rabies in Argentina? Sounds GREAT!

(Personally, I'd like to think of Ghana like this...)

Well, not really. Which is why Justin and I are beginning the long list of round-the-world-trip check-boxes by looking at how we should monitor our health while we're traveling. We've come across some great resources during our research, so we wanted to consolidate to make the search easier for the next guy or gal.

In putting together our budget, it occurred to us that we'd completely forgotten to account for any medical expenses, other than travel insurance (more on that later) and that we'd likely need to get A LOT of shots before we left. Well, we were right, and we heard a lot of warnings that this can be incredibly expensive. Trying not to feel downtrodden, we started gathering information.

As it happens, its actually pretty simple. First, you've got to figure out where you want to go. Second, investigate what sort of nasty diseases are the worst case scenario there. Third, get vaccinated for all of them. Or, put more simply, find a map like this one, click on the places you plan to visit, and jot down a list of the vaccinations they recommend. Then consult your physician and get movin'!

Once you've got a general idea of what you could be exposed to, get a consultation at a travel clinic. Justin and I were certain we knew what vaccinations we'd need, but our appointment this morning with Dr. Michael Bolton (no joke) was quite educational. We had no idea that its easier to avoid dogs than get a rabies shot, while mosquito nets are worth their weight in gold.


What's more, once we knew what vaccinations we'd need, we decided to get the more common ones at our regular doctor (think Tetanus and MMR) and save the less common shots for the travel clinic. Travel clinics don't typically work directly with insurance providers, so the less money out of pocket, the better.

Speaking of...be prepared to spend a pretty penny. While I know our insurance provider will reimburse us for most of our shots, spending $1000 on vaccinations before finishing my morning coffee was a hard pill to swallow. Hopefully my typhoid medication will be a bit easier...

And while this post is heavily vaccination focused we should point out that its also a good idea to visit various doctors to ensure you're set for your trip:

-optometrist (updated prescription, glasses, contacts)
-general physician--a physical isn't a bad idea at this point
-dentist
--ensure all prescriptions are up to date, filled for the year, etc.

Dr. Bolton also recommends the CDC's Traveler's website and Fit For Travel, a UK based site. The latter has handy resources like malaria maps and other region relevant health risks.

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/
http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home.aspx

All this is to say, getting immunized is a necessary evil to avoid some really unnecessary evils. Get your tickets, get your shots, and get going!

Until next time --
  Crystal and Justin

Disclaimer: We are not medical professionals and do not claim any responsibility for the health of any of our readers. Please visit your doctor for medical advice--this post is merely a discussion of our experience and in no way should replace professional medical vaccination and travel advice.

1 comment:

  1. Update: We were able to get our malaria medication covered by our insurance. Be sure to refill as many of these prescriptions as you can if/while you are insured. It made brought a one-month supply for one person down to $6, from $180. Massive savings!

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