Thoughts on vaccines for travel..

[kissum]

I'm having a tough time with this one.

In general, we don't vax. My dd had her last shot around 6 months old.

That said, we travel extensively and she's now big enough to do it with us. I just took her on a tour of England, Scotland, and Ireland without any additional medical stuff, but I'm worried about our upcoming trips.

We're thinking Japan and Thailand in the fall, and safari next spring in Africa (we haven't nailed this down yet).

My thoughts on vaccines have always been that it's better to build natural immunity, but since you have no natural exposure in the US to say, malaria, it's a whole different ball game.

I think we'd skip anything already suggested in the states- hep, mmr, etc, but I worry a bit about things like typhoid.

Also, she's recently weaned (she's 3) and so we no longer have that additional protection either.

Thoughts?

[Marnica]

Well....I would look at where you will be going in those countries. Will you be going to very rural areas where there may not be acess to medical care?

or Will you be staying in nice hotels while doing touristy things?

Unless you are considering going to very impoverished areas, I would skip it.

As for malaria, there is no vaccine. You would need to take the anti-malarial drugs

I travelled to Japan and Africa. I was not vaxed for anything special.

[bubbamummy]

I agree with the PP, if there is a chance you might be 'roughing it' coming into contact with untreated water, staying in rural areas with little 'protection' that I would say yes, get her vax'd.

[kissum]

Originally Posted by Marnica

As for malaria, there is no vaccine. You would need to take the anti-malarial drugs

Oh, I know that. But IMO, the drugs are the same basic idea. Preventative chemicals.

[ammiga]

Originally Posted by kissum

Also, she's recently weaned (she's 3) and so we no longer have that additional protection either.

I just wanted to point out that her protection from bfing didn't end when she stopped bfing. The fact that you nursed dd for so long gave her an incredible immune system that she will benefit from for the rest of her life.