Yowza! Vaccinations for Southeast Asia.

breadmonkey

I just checked the Tropical Medical Bureau site, and if I were to get all injections recommended (including trekking and rural), it would cost me a whopping €313, including a scandalous €45 consultation fee.

Are these all necessary? Oviously, I don't want any mad diseases, but is the list a bit OTT?:

Meningococccal Meningitis: €50
Hep A: €46
Tetanus/Diptheria: €17
Hep B: €30
Japanese Encephalitis: €50
Rabies: €25
Typhoid: €35
TB: €15
Consultation: €45

MiCr0

look @ the cost of getting any of those while in Asia - and it makes sense

Rabies

It works out cheaper than paying for hospital bills if you do catch something. Worth it in my opinion.

Why are you getting a vaccination against me? I'm disease free, I swear.

adrian522

Most GP consultations are at least €50, €45 is not over priced.

I think there is a dual HepA/B that is probably cheaper than getting them seperatly.

You have to dcide which you need, for example Japanese Encephalitis: €50
may be unneccessary for a short trip as Meningococccal Meningitis: €50 may also be.

That is why you speak with a doctor to make those decisions. I would imagine that the others are certainly needed.

Also remember that many of these vaccinations last up to 10 years so dont think of it as a cost for this trip but something that needs to be done and wont have to be done before every trip,

Anyway good luck.

breadmonkey

Thanks for the replies so far.

What about Malaria?

breadmonkey

MiCr0 wrote:

look @ the cost of getting any of those while in Asia - and it makes sense

Well the amount of bad things I have read about the standard of medical care over there doesn;t exactly make me thrilled at the possibility. Have you ever gotten vaccinations over there? Was it ok?

adrian522

breadmonkey wrote:

Thanks for the replies so far.

What about Malaria?

There is no vaccine for Malaria, you can take tablets that help minimise the risk of contracting Malaria but do not eliminate the risk.

Again this will be covered as aprt of your consultation,

I bought my malaria tablets in Bangkok in Boots on Khao San Road, as they were considerably cheaper than here, but if you do this ensure you go to a reputable chemist out there as there are a lot of conterfeits around....

Larianne

I was told by a few people not to bother with Malaria tablets as they have bad side effects and that using insect repellent should be ok??

breadmonkey

Larianne wrote:

I was told by a few people not to bother with Malaria tablets as they have bad side effects and that using insect repellent should be ok??

Jesus, don't rely on fúkin insect repellent!

randomname

I got vaccinations over there before. It depends where in Asia your going and if there will be problems with languages. I knew the language of the country i was in so i was fine.

Saying that last time i went over to asia i didnt get vaccinated and i was fine. TBH the list isnt OTT you dont wanna pick up Diptheria or some other random diease becuase that will feck you up for a while not just your holiday.

randomname

Larianne wrote:

I was told by a few people not to bother with Malaria tablets as they have bad side effects and that using insect repellent should be ok??

Dont rely on insect repellent the malaria tablets would be better option.

Larianne

breadmonkey wrote:

Jesus, don't rely on fúkin insect repellent!

Well that's what I was told by two friends. They went over in Thailand and got bad side effects and people were laughing at them for taking the stuff.

The insect repellent to use should contain 'Deet'. And it says on the tmb website that it should contain 30-50% 'deet'.

I'm going to the doctor tomorrow so I'll ask about the tablets.

breadmonkey

OK, this site is aboslutely full of shít. I looked up Ireland for the craic.

Recommended for all visitors: Tetanus
Rural: Hepatitus A WTF??

randomname

your probably just going to your GP and see which ones you need. Your GP may have a better idea of which shots you need.

ferdi

my friend paid a tenner for some strangly sugarry tasting homeopathic malaria pills which we dubbed 'sweeties'...and he is still alive today!

breadmonkey

ferdi wrote:

my friend paid a tenner for some strangly sugarry tasting homeopathic malaria pills which we dubbed 'sweeties'...and he is still alive today!

Only time will tell how many years he threw away with those "sweeties"!:D

wer*

MiCr0 wrote:

look @ the cost of getting any of those while in Asia - and it makes sense

Some of the vaccinations have to be administered 4-6 weeks in advance of departure in order to be effective when you get there so leaving it until arrival is probably not a good idea.

Unless you are going very far off the beaten track a dual HepA/Hep B shot and a Typhoid shot should be enough. Check out when your last Tetanus shot was, you might still be covered by it

Larianne wrote:

I was told by a few people not to bother with Malaria tablets as they have bad side effects and that using insect repellent should be ok??

Get a Doxycycline based anti-malarial drug. Larium based drugs can have nasty side effects for females. Doxycycline can make you more susceptible to sunburn so be wary of that. Generally if you are going to the more "touristy" spots like Bangkok, Ko Samui or Phuket you would probably be fine not taking the anti-malarials. However, if you plan on going to more rural spots or spending a few days trekking in the jungle then I would recommend taking the anti-malarials. DEET based repellants are a must regardless, just for your own comfort, but wont be sufficient as a preventitive measure in high risk malaria areas

PunyHuman

Two things:

1. Doxycycline is an antibiotic so it will help you with stomach upsets and diarrhoea and so on.

2. All GP visits, malaria pills and other vaccination expenses are tax-deductible. If you're PAYE, check the Revenue site and look at form Med1. Might not get much, but you're entitled to it.