traveling to Dominican Republic

[cera]

We are going to be traveling to the Dominican Republic in the next few months with our children to get married and everyone keeps asking me about vax'ing the kids. Eldest ds was vax'ed but not up to date and we do not vax our youngest though he did have his 2 month shots at 7 months b/c I was pressured into it. I have no idea what vax's are needed and I really would prefer not to vax unless it's absolutely necessary. Does anyone have any experience or help or advice or know anything about this? I do not even know who to ask about this besides my doc and he does not agree with my decision to not vax so he might not be the right person to ask iykwim. Please enlighten me.

eta:
according to the cdc these are the recommended vax's do we or the kids really need them? Do you have to get them? ugh, we would be going to an all inclusive resort, most likely Punta Cana though that is still up in the air.
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinati...nRepublic.aspx

[Marnica]

I don't know why you feel the need to vax because you are going to an all inclusive resort??

The only thing I might be concerned about is Hep A. I would concentrate on being careful about what you eat and drink. Don't drink the water, don't eat at raodside stands, Don't eat the veggies washed in the water blah blah blah..... Precautions you would take anyway right??

check this out http://www.who.int/vaccines/globalsu...cfm?C='DOM'

now this data is from 2007, but look at the trends...the last significant outbreak from any disease was in 2000 when there was what looks like a measles/mumps outbreak.

Personally I wouldn't worry about it. Go and have fun getting married!!!

[mrsskeffington]

And don't eat the bacon!

[amnesiac]

LOVE DR - hope you have a great time. We're planning to go back & take our kids summer 2010. Clearly you need to be mindful of what you eat & drink. It's also a global tourist attraction so I suppose I'd consider what my comfort level is with traveling without vaxes in general but no, you don't have to get anything.

[mommy2jonah]

From my experience with taking a baby and toddler to Central America unvaxed I would just not worry about it. (I would do what the pp say about food and water.) What I say to people about my kids vaxes is that our ped says we don't need any special vaxes and leave it at that. Most people do not know that we don't vax and I am not about the get into it with them. The one thing I would take into consideration would be to take mosquito nets (or see if where you are staying has them) to sleep under. We go to Honduras and the area we go to has had malaria outbreaks recently so we bought a mosquito net to sleep under and made sure we were protected with bug spray during the day. Because my DS was so young we were able to find a bug spray that was all natural and it smells really nice too. That is where my concern would be. Our ped knew we were going and had no problem with us not vaxing. HTH.

[cera]

I understand what everyone is saying but if we avoid drinking the water and eating the fruit etc then what will we drink and eat? I mean I understand there are other options but my toddler drinks water a lot and eats a lot of fruit. Pardon me for being naive but if it's an all inclusive shouldn't the water and food be safe? What if he consumes water in the bath or shower? He always tries to drink that water. What about brushing our teeth??

[anewmama]

The problem with going to other countries is that your gut is used to the stuff in our water and not necessarily what's in theirs. The reverse is true as well. People coming here can get sick also. I am mostly referring to diahrea and other tummy bugs. This happens when eating uncooked veggies/fruit that has been rinsed. I am sure you will find bottled water there such as Evian water.

I wouldn't worry about teeth or even a small amount in tub/shower. But if you can ever order bottled water, I would do it. Maybe even visit a local supermarket to buy it if you can't get it at the resort.

For what it's worth, I lived in Haiti for over 4 years and traveled to the DR once. I only had the childhood vaxes from 1964 (MMR/DTaP). Though I guess I did get a few oddball ones from when we moved to Africa 6 years earlier. But it was for things that I am not sure they have in Haiti or the DR. I am thinking yellow fever? I am very vague on it though I could check my Vaccination booklet. I have a little yellow book from when I was a child with all the dates and stamps in it.

Anyway, my point really is I lived in those areas for a long time and didn't get anything special to go. It might not be a bad idea to take a good supply of anti-bacterial wipes. Normally, I wouldn't use them but if you are touring about, you might not find decent bathrooms so they would be good to have.

[Marnica]

All inclusive resorts are usually fine, but to be safe for drinking water drink bottled water. They have plenty and are used to tourists requring it. As for fruits the general rule is if you can peel it it's fine. so bannanas, mangos, papayas anything where you don't eat the skin is ok. With other things like strawberries or other berries where they are washed in water, well its up to you. i have eaten in many a all inclusive resorts in Mexico, Costa Rica, the carribean and have eaten the fruit and been just fine.

I would stick to bottled water and not worry about it. Bring probiotics in case of any tummy upset.

[cera]

Originally Posted by Marnica

All inclusive resorts are usually fine, but to be safe for drinking water drink bottled water. They have plenty and are used to tourists requring it. As for fruits the general rule is if you can peel it it's fine. so bannanas, mangos, papayas anything where you don't eat the skin is ok. With other things like strawberries or other berries where they are washed in water, well its up to you. i have eaten in many a all inclusive resorts in Mexico, Costa Rica, the carribean and have eaten the fruit and been just fine.

I would stick to bottled water and not worry about it. Bring probiotics in case of any tummy upset.

Thanks for this. The closer it gets to our trip the more dh is making me paranoid about not vax'ing the kids for the trip.

[carriebft]

Originally Posted by cera

I understand what everyone is saying but if we avoid drinking the water and eating the fruit etc then what will we drink and eat? I mean I understand there are other options but my toddler drinks water a lot and eats a lot of fruit. Pardon me for being naive but if it's an all inclusive shouldn't the water and food be safe? What if he consumes water in the bath or shower? He always tries to drink that water. What about brushing our teeth??

Having family in Central America, I know it is impossible to follow the "don't eat the food from stands, don't drink the water, etc" stuff since, many times, that is all there is!! But a resort situation is going to be different than my experiences because you have access to a lot of touristy stuff like water bottles.

But the water quality is not the same in all areas or all countries. I would drink Panama tap water before doing the same in the USA, for example.

So I would look into the individual country and area and you can even call the resort and see what kind of food and water safety information they can give you.

[gbailey]

Most all inclusives will have bottled water and you can request more be brought to your room. Remember to use it for teeth brushing as well.

Technically the only vax required is yellow fever if you're visiting Bolivia and a U.S. citizen. I'm a selective vaxer and we're traveling to Jamaica with DD next month. We were only concerned with Hep A at first but it's such a mild and harmless disease in infants we're not worried anymore. Have fun getting married. Your kids will be fine.

[cera]

Ok queen paranioa here again. We are leaving in 8 days. I was at the doctors today for an unrelated matter and today and there were signs everywhere saying that you can get hepatitis A and B from all inclusives. The signs say you can get hepatitis A from swimming in the water! Is that true?

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by cera

Ok queen paranioa here again. We are leaving in 8 days. I was at the doctors today for an unrelated matter and today and there were signs everywhere saying that you can get hepatitis A and B from all inclusives. The signs say you can get hepatitis A from swimming in the water! Is that true?

I suppose if you swallow the water and it is contaminated than yes you could get Hep A....as for Hep B, I guess if you guys are going to be shooting up, getting tatooes with dirty needles or having tons of unprotected sex with infected people at the all inclusive than yes you could get that there as well...

Go and have fun! Just be smart about what you out in your mouth and you'll all be fine.

[cera]

Originally Posted by Marnica

I suppose if you swallow the water and it is contaminated than yes you could get Hep A....as for Hep B, I guess if you guys are going to be shooting up, getting tatooes with dirty needles or having tons of unprotected sex with infected people at the all inclusive than yes you could get that there as well...

Go and have fun! Just be smart about what you out in your mouth and you'll all be fine.

Thanks I am just so worried b/c the fiance and everyone else who vax's around here is making me second guess myself at every turn!! Is hep A cureable? Someone above says it's mild in infants does the same goes for toddlers and preteens? Should we get treated for hep a?? Or am I just being silly and paranoid?

[CHoney]

Originally Posted by cera

Ok queen paranioa here again. We are leaving in 8 days. I was at the doctors today for an unrelated matter and today and there were signs everywhere saying that you can get hepatitis A and B from all inclusives. The signs say you can get hepatitis A from swimming in the water! Is that true?

I went to the DR for 2 weeks and ate at small restaurants, food from a beach stand, and stayed with friends in a small town and did not contract anything. I avoided eating lettuce and drinking water from the tap. I might have went overboard, but I used bottled water to pour on my toothbrush!

I don't know if this will make you feel better, but you can also get Hep A without leaving Canada! (That made me feel better).

Have a wonderful trip!

[cera]

Do I need to avoid all vegetables? What about ones that have been cooked? Does cooking them prevent transmit of the hep a and hep b? Sorry if this is a silly question just hoping to make a note of everything to avoid and not avoid.

[CHoney]

I just avoided the lettuce and salad because my friend prepared them and rinsed them in tap water at her house in the small community. I would think if you ate fruit and vegetables at the hotel they would be ok.

In my Vaccine Book (Dr.Sears) it says "Only 30% of infected children six years and under even act sick with Hep A, and if they do, it's with mild intestinal flu symptoms. Kids 6-12 have mild symptoms." Dr.Sears feels it is a benign disease in young children, but can be tough for teens and adults.

Hope that helps!

[Yulia_R]

We are going to Dominic Republic on June, 3rd (till June, 10th). Who knows maybe we will meet there

Anyway, vax is the last thing on my mind. Enjoy your vacation! Where are you staying?

[Magali]

FWIW, I lived in Central America for years and have spent time in the DR. I ate from street vendors, ate fruit and veggies washed in tap water, used tap water to brush my teeth, and lived in rural areas and from what I experienced I would have no trouble taking my unvaxed 2 yr. old to any of the places I have been. The first couple of weeks I was there I avoided anything I had always heard about to avoid but after that I figured I was going to be there for a while so "when in Rome" and all that. Not suggesting you do anything like what I've mentioned because I know people can and do get sick, but by the end of my time in CA I didn't think twice about anything and I was a lot healthier there than I feel here in Canada.

[amnesiac]

Not sure if any of this is helpful for you:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=899093
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBoo...aterRisks.aspx
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSafeFoodWater.aspx

The things I tend to be concerned about while travelling like that aren't things you can vax for anyhow.