Travelling to India, precautions

JK91

I'm currently planning a holiday to India next summer and sorting out my finances etc. However, there is one main area of concern for me, and it is not in relation to costs as I will have more than enough for money for up to a month in the country. However, I am concerned about this from a heath perspective as I am only a young male in my 20s and I feel as if I may be less immune from certain illnesses such as TB, Malaria etc. as older generations would be. I'm also a smoker, so I don't know if this makes a difference, but part of me would say it does given that my lungs would be more exposed to toxins and chemicals and bacteria etc.

Could anybody who has been to India, or similar countries please explain in exact details what vaccinations I should get before my trip? Also, would it be advisable for a lone traveler to travel by rail around India, even if it is in first class carriages? They are not very expensive by our standards of transport costs anyway.


Thanks.

MadYaker

I can't remember which ones I got, diphtheria, hepatitis A and C and a few others. You'll probably have to take Malaria tablets while your there. Everybody gets sick during the first week or two because your body is coming into contact with pathogens its never met before. Some get it worse than others but it generally manifests itself in vomiting and diarrhea.

You need to talk to your GP before you go, that is very important. I didn't travel first class and I wasn't alone but there are pickpockets everywhere so you need to watch your stuff at all times.

cerastes

Go to the tropical medical bureau (TMB) in town, look its location up online, its on or near Grafton st, depending on what you have received, if anything, you will likely be given a small course of injections, generally they spread them out a bit, I still have my booklet.
Ring and book an appointment.

Look for advice from TMB (leaflets/pamphlets in the waiting room/online) about medicines you might need to bring (e.g prophylaxis for malaria depending on region and time of year could be very important as Ive read of counterfeit medicines being rampant) ie counterfeit medicines would be useless or worse.

Check out travelling websites regarding advice and safety for travelling in India, lonely planet had one with a forum I think, could be wise to book into a group thing, then you get to meet people travelling too.

India is a strange, weird interesting place, I thought, but dont let the surface of things let your guard down. it can also be very dangerous, its possible to see, but take precautions.

I would not recommend getting an open faced shave on the side of the street as its available in places.

ProudDUB

JK91 wrote: »

Could anybody who has been to India, or similar countries please explain in exact details what vaccinations I should get before my trip? Also, would it be advisable for a lone traveler to travel by rail around India, even if it is in first class carriages? They are not very expensive by our standards of transport costs anyway.

Am pretty sure that asking for and giving medical advise is against boards rules. You really should go and see a doctor who specializes in international medicine, and/or visit a travel clinic where the staff are specifically trained in dealing with issues that may be faced in certain parts of the world. People on an internet website, will just not have the level of expert knowledge that you need, no matter how well traveled, or well intentioned they are. There is also no "one size fits all" advice to be given for that part of the world, as each country and region of that county can have very different different risks and health threats to be concerned about.

Gatica

What ProudDUB said.
Best advice is visit a travel clinic or your GP. Personally we found the TMB group the cheapest with an additional 15% discount if you're with VHI (book appt through their website). The doctor can advise you on vaccines and medicines you'll need depending on the areas you're planning to visit, length of stay and types of activities; e.g. if you're going trekking through a jungle for 2 weeks vs staying in a city for 2 days...
Whatever you're prescribed, best to get it with the drug payments scheme card, as anything above a certain amount per household per month is free (120 or 130 Euro, can't remember and might've changed in recent budget), and worthwhile especially for expensive drugs such as anti-malaria tablets.

cerastes

As above regarding TMB, but make an appointment well enough in advance, partly as a course of whatever injections they deem necessary can be spread out, I believe you can get them closer together and with less time before departing but there could be conditions and limits on it too, also, certain malaria tablets (confirm this with whomever is prescribing, as they will, but so you are aware) need to be taken in advance of going to an affected area and after leaving.