Wednesday, June 23, 2010

vaccination talk

{only 11 days left until our giveaway!!}

in order to travel to ethiopia, vaccinations are pretty much a necessity. although, i don't think any shots officially required for us as americans traveling to ethiopia, there are many vaccinations, including yellow fever, that are highly recommended. here's what the center for disease control (CDC) recommends for travelers going to ethiopia:

Vaccination or Disease

Recommendations or Requirements for Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

Routine

Recommended if you are not up-to-date with routine shots such as, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, poliovirus vaccine, etc.

Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG)

Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in countries with an intermediate or high level of hepatitis A virus infection (see map) where exposure might occur through food or water. Cases of travel-related hepatitis A can also occur in travelers to developing countries with "standard" tourist itineraries, accommodations, and food consumption behaviors.

Hepatitis B

Recommended for all unvaccinated persons traveling to or working in countries with intermediate to high levels of endemic HBV transmission (see map), especially those who might be exposed to blood or body fluids, have sexual contact with the local population, or be exposed through medical treatment (e.g., for an accident).

Typhoid

Recommended for all unvaccinated people traveling to or working in South Asia, especially if staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities, villages, or rural areas where exposure might occur through food or water.

Rabies

Recommended for travelers spending a lot of time outdoors, especially in rural areas, involved in activities such as bicycling, camping, or hiking. Also recommended for travelers with significant occupational risks (such as veterinarians), for long-term travelers and expatriates living in areas with a significant risk of exposure, and for travelers involved in any activities that might bring them into direct contact with bats, carnivores, and other mammals. Children are considered at higher risk because they tend to play with animals, may receive more severe bites, or may not report bites.

Polio

Recommended for adult travelers who have received a primary series with either inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) or oral polio vaccine (OPV). They should receive another dose of IPV before departure. For adults, available data do not indicate the need for more than a single lifetime booster dose with IPV.


after evaluating CDC's recommendations and comparing our vaccination histories, we have decided to get vaccinated for the following before our treks to get our sweet bundle:

*typhoid (good for 2 years)
*tetanus (good for 10 years)
*yellow fever (good for 10 years)
*hepatitis A (2 shot series, good for life)

ryan and i have both already had the hepatitis B and meningitis vaccines so we should be in the clear on those. also, we are going to be staying in addis ababa {ethiopia's capital city} during our entire time in country which is at a high elevation, so it is not recommended or required that we get anything for malaria. i priced the above vaccines out with a couple local travel clinics and our cheapest option seems to total up to $806. wowsers! i don't think i was expecting vaccines to be quite that much!!

however, while i don't love the price tag of the vaccines or thinking about actually getting the shots, i am weirdly excited about this step in our process. i feel like getting the vaccines will make us officially ready to travel {minus all the packing!!}...whenever that might actually be :) the clinics recommend that we have complete our vaccinations, at the latest, approximately 4 to 6 weeks before traveling. i think we will probably go ahead and plan to get the vaccinations in about a month or so just to be ahead of the game. {plus, out of curiosity, i just checked CDC's recommendations for Afghanistan, and most of the same vaccinations are recommended for my trip there as well. whoops! i guess last time i made it without them but i don't think i want to risk it again!!}

so, any fellow adopters have any tips or recommendations for me on vaccinations? i'd love to hear if you recommend or received something different, or if you have any tips on getting the vaccines more cheaply!!!

thanks y'all~

6 comments:

Anna K. said...

Geeze oh petes! $800+!?!?

Start making more of those t-shirts girl!

Maybe you could write an editiorial to your local paper asking for donations? You have such a wonderful and worthy cause...

my life: said...

Although we adopted locally...I traveled to Africa for a medical mission nearly 3 years ago. I got ALL those Vaccines! O.U.C.H is what I have to say. We did get them a little less expensive by finding an organization willing to give them at cost. *just over $500* I would definitely call around and not hesitate to ask for favors! This IS exciting!!!!

Unknown said...

I have not adopted, but I have traveled to Africa, so I too got all the vaccinations. I wanted to mention that my doctor also sent me with a prescription for Doxycycline and Ciprofloxacin. Both treat bacterial infections, and both were treated like gold within my travel group. Doxy is also used as a preventative measure for malaria. Best of luck.

Nicole

JT, Natalie, Tedi, & Chernet said...

Lesli~
JT went to the travel clinic yesterday.... He leaves on Friday for Ethiopia to get Tedi. He had already received meningococcal, dTap, and Hep a/b. They (and I) recommended he get polio and typhoid injections. They did NOT give him the malaria scripts or yellow fever because he IS NOT leaving Addis. If he was going leave Addis, they would give him those. He got ciprofloxacin. I also got him a muscle relaxer to help with sleep on the plane (weaker than an anxiety med).

Just wanted to tell you our experience. Maybe we can meet up while he is gone. I would love to see you at the airport. Going to homecomings made it real for us and may do the same for you all.

Meliski said...

I haven't visited your blog for a couple days and I am laughing right now because I JUST checked these vaccination stats for myself last night! :) I guess we're all thinking in the same direction these days, aren't we?

Holly P said...

Whew! I got those vaccines too before I went to africa - the next morning I thought I was dying but I felt better in a few hours. SO EXCITING for you all