Immunisations for Salvador

Hi all,

I'm leaving for Brazil at the beginning of August, to stay in Salvador for 4 months, travel more in Brazil for 2 months (not sure if I'll stay on the coast or head to the Amazon), then about 3 more months travel in South America - so far unplanned.

As I don't really know what I'll be doing after Salvador, I figure I'll just cover myself for there.

I have had yellow fever and DDT? the diptheria and tetanus injection.

The doctor also recommended:

Hep A
Hep B
Polio
Anti-malarial
Typhoid
Cholera
As well as taking anti-diarrhoea and antibiotic medication.

This seems a bit much, and would be extremely costly. Any recommendations for the ones I really, really need? What did you get?

Any help would be fantastic. I've also posted this on the Health branch.

I would get Hep A and typhoid at least. These are food and water borne diseases, and there are certainly problems with contaminated food in Salvador. I remember one night after eating in the Cantina de Lua buffet I had a violent reaction to the food and threw up. This is because some restaurant owners just recycle the food the next day in the buffets.

Hep B is only really necessary if you are going to be sharing fluids with the locals.
You won't need anti-malarials unless you are going to the Amazon.
Polio is easy. It is just a few drops in your mouth. You should get this due to its ease.
I got the cholera vaccination, which was taken orally (you drink it) twice. I don't think you will need this one.
I wouldn't worry about anti-diarrhea and antibiotics. If you need them while in Brazil, then you can buy them at a Pharmacy.

Agreed with stevejoh, albeit I have never had a problem withe food here and I eat in all sorts of odd places. You could have saved yourself the cost of Yellow Fever by getting it here at the airport for free. Your doctor is clearly looking at a new Mercedes or a patio extension if he is advocating Polio, Typhoid and Cholera. I'm surprised you got a tetanus jab, most docors now recommend it is administered only in the event of actual infection. To this end booster shots for adults are a rare commodity. I'd look at another medico personally.

BTW rabies is potentially a bigger risk factor than polio. But if you have minimal animal contact I wouldn't bother.

If you are in the healthbuisness and your personal pholosophy is "to get more shots than better", go for it but I am not sure if your body will think the same. All these shots have some side effects as well, some more some less. Getting all these shots without a real reason is ridiculous and by the way you will make more resistant some disease to the remedies like malaria. As long as you don´t go to an infected area you don´t need yellow fever neither Malaria. Cholera is not present in Brasil actually and the vaccine does not give a real protection. Rabies is only an issue if you go really off the beaten track. If you get the shot for rabies you just will have more time for more shots in the case of a risk after having been bitten by an animal, because the rabies shot you will get don´t give you a real protection. Its really very bad to take antibiotic or anti- diarrhea as prevention and in the case you will get ill, go to see a local doctor before taking remedies without knowing whats going on. This could be only justified in an emergency if you are really ill and no doctor is avaible. I stayed for more than 6 months in Salvador without any shots and I never got ill.

Good thing everyone has to show a medical license before signing up for the TT, so this is just the place to get knowledgeable medical advice, with your money cheerfully refunded if the advice turns out to be wrong. I would at least check the travelers health section of www.cdc.gov. I did not know anyone still gave cholera injejctions. Anti-malarial prophylaxis depends of course on where you will go. In the Amazon area, a definite yes. Dengue is more of a problem currently in more parts of the country (endemic in some areas), but there is no prophylaxis or vaccination. Just do not get big by the particular type of mosquito (keep covered when possible-- that mosquito is active during the day). I live in Ceara and have gotten sick from the food many times, even at nice restaurants, as has my wife, but it usually passes quickly. Definitely get checked if a problem persists. Now, I take cash or most major types of medical insurance.

Sorry, but this post made my eyes roll 180 degrees. I suggest you look up the word "hypocondriac" in the dictionary.

whoops....make that "hypochondriac"!

Friebentos1,

I've been living in Salvador for several years, when not on the road (see TT profile). I've taken only Hep A, Hep B and Polio.

There isn't malaria, typhoid neither cholera here.

The last case of human rabies in Salvador occurred five years ago, among a population of 2.7 million people...what are your odds?