Vaccinations - Rabies? japanese encephalitis? Hep B
Replies: 3 - Last Post: Feb 11, 2013 1:00 PM Last Post By: Nateljack
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Vaccinations - Rabies? japanese encephalitis? Hep B
Hi guys,In 6 weeks i'll be leaving the UK and heading to Peru to begin a trip around South America. I'll be visiting Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil and possibly Venezuela. I'll be doing some trekking and getting a little off of the beaten track but nothing to extreme.
I've already got all of the compulsory vaccinations but i'm now debating the optional vaccinations. It's all well and good talking to a travel clinic and the information i've received has been useful to an extent but at the end of the day they're medical professionals and of course they would recommend all possible vaccinations to cover all eventualities. I'd be very interested to hear of other travellers opinions and experiences. Anybody travelled with or without certain vaccinations. The ones i'm most seriously debating are;
Japanese encephalitis
Hepatitis B
Rabies
Malaria tablets (I know that the necessity varies depending where I am but I've travelled to various malaria zones in the past and while i've been dosed up on expensive tablets a lot of other travellers I meet haven't bothered.)
It's worth noting that in general i seem to get bitten by mosquitoes and insects a lot less than the average person.
Thanks in advance for any input.
2
You will get a wide range of opinions on this; mine are:Japanese B encephalitis - not needed anywhere outside Asia
Hepatitis B - South America is a low-prevalence area so not really needed. The usual precautions against infection via body fluid transmission are sufficient.
Rabies - I no longer maintain Rabies immunisation and rely on post-bite treatment.
Malaria tablets - this is probably the one attracting most dispute. My approach is both to minimise exposure to bites (insect repellent, long sleeves, etc.), and also to take prophylaxis wherever recommended. You can find specifics on this on many websites including http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/travelers/drugs.html.
You haven't mentioned Dengue, for which there is no immunisation available. Avoiding bites is key, so the steps taken to avoid bites to prevent malaria infection are the same.
3
Thanks for the replies! I must say that i'm leaning towards missing the vaccinations and taking the malaria tablets whilst i'm in the most severe areas.Like I say - i'm normally really lucky when it comes to not getting bitten (or maybe they just don't show up as easily on my skin) and I normally use minimal preventative measures for mosquitoes. I'll be taking preventative measures a lot more seriously if I don't take malaria tablets all the time this time around. Plus as you mentioned theres dengue fever to be aware of.
Thanks for your opinions guys. I've got a week or two left to decide so if anyone else has any input then it would be most welcome.
