Vaccinations for International Travel

When traveling internationally you check into things like what flights to take, what is the weather like in the country when you are going, what kind of currency do they have and many other things. One thing people might forget is preparing for possible diseases and health issues you might encounter when traveling. When heading to a sunny tropical beach thinking about have I got the recommended shots is probably the last thing you are thinking about but it is something to consider.

While most likely you will be just fine, but I always like to prepare just in case because getting sick while abroad is no fun and you really don’t want to catch something that can really harm you. As we prepare to visit countries in South America in the future we have started getting vaccinations such as Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid Fever, and routine boosters such as MMR, TDAP and Polio. The pandemic has taught us all that while we shouldn’t be afraid and live life closed up at home you should take some precautions if there are risks. I know some might say “Why visit places that you could get sick from an more rare disease”. To me getting the chance to learn about the cultures and peoples and having the chance to help their economy just a little bit is well worth it as long as you travel smart and prepared. Its up to each of us to determine how much risk you are willing to take.

Here are some resources I use when looking at travel vaccinations:

  1. The CDC Travel Page: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel – This page gives you a lot of good information about what you might encounter in the country you are visiting. Check this especially if you are going to visit a developing country.
  2. Check with you Primary Care Physician as they can help recommend the needed shots based on your health conditions and the destination.
  3. If you don’t want to go to your PCP or want additional look at your travels Costco has a great service where a travel specialist doctor reviews your information and destination and gives a lot of great information. You can then get your vaccines at the Costco Pharmacy and they have a lot of the vaccines even including Yellow Fever. We used this in conjunction with our PCP and got the Yellow Fever Vaccine from Costco. https://www.costco.com/immunizations.html
  4. It might be wise to contact your insurance as not all vaccines are covered so you might have to pay some out of pocket.

Its up to each individual to decide what they want to do to prepare for a trip but to me its important to guard your health as well so your trip isn’t ruined or even worse you have health issues in the future. Do not be afraid to travel internationally as there are so many amazing things out there but do travel wise!