Vaccinations for Thailand

mr_motivator

I'm heading to Thailand in about 2 weeks, everythings organised apart from the fact i left it too late to get shots. I got the tetenus, typhoid and hep a ones but couldn't get hep b or raibes ones because of the need to get them 3-4 weeks in advance. Anyone know how much of a risk it is to go without these shots?? I'm planning on taking an elephant trek up north near Chang Mai so i've some worries about not having the rabies one, seeing as in the small chance of something happening i could be days from any medical help...

Culchie

If you heading to Chang Mai, then I think you are taking a bit of a risk.

You didn't say anything about Malaria ones either, which is recommended for there as well.

jimbling

as long as your staying in the southern areas you should be fine... the further up north you go the dodgyer it gets...

and don't worry about the malaria tablets... unless as above, you are going up north.... and even then I would be warry.... ill never take them again anyhow.....

nj23

i'm heading to thailand in 4 weeks and got vaccinations couple of weeks ago. told gp going up north to chiang mai and all he said i needed was typhoid and hepatitis vaccination and malaria tablets. is this enough? he seemed to think it was but it wasnt a tropical disease centre or anything, just local doctors.

Culchie

Yeh, that's sound nj23.

Malaria tablets are no fun .... but neither is Malaria I suppose.

As jimbling says, rule of thumb is ... further north, further risk.

nj23

thanks, you had me worried for a minute!

Still haven't got much of plan together. Starting in bangkok but was only going to spend one day there. after that want to visit chang mai, kok samui etc. people seem to be saying good things about pai, maybe there too. dont know about down south, people are saying krabi is lovely but dont know how badly it was affected by tsunami. Also we're only going for two and a half weeks so all that is probably too much

Any ideas where would be best to go first and any idea of a rough itinary.

Culchie

Your plan sounds cool.

One Tip ... when you hit Bangkok, with the jet lag and huge time zone difference, you will be zonked.

Try and stay awake on the flight over, you will be shattered when you arrive in the morning over there.

Mooch around Bangkok as long as you can stay awake ... if you can make it till 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening, you'll sleep for 12 hours, but from then on, your body clock should adjust pretty quickly.

Better use that first day and set yourself up for the trip, than to be all over the place for a few days.