Travels to Ghana

[nevaehsmommy]

I am considering going to Ghana with my church. We are there to dig a water well and help construct a church. I am more interested in the medical part of the trip, seeing how women give birth and cultral acceptance of breastfeeding and such.

Anyway. There was mention of vaccinations. Can you opt out of this or are they mandatory? would you get them anyways? I was not given a list of diseases for which they are trying to prevent transmisson.

[Marnica]

Most vaccines are only reccomended for travel...however Ghana requires that ALL travellers get a yellow fever vaccine and you would need to provide proof of having had this in order to enter the country.

check out this for current reccomendations http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/ghana.aspx

[nevaehsmommy]

I was just at the CDC website and saw about the yellow fever. Humm.

[nnaemeka]

i've been to Ghana back and forth for years and no customs officer or anyone at the airport has EVER asked to see any proof of the so called mandatory yellow fever shot. just my experience and i was there in 2007/2008.

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by nnaemeka

i've been to Ghana back and forth for years and no customs officer or anyone at the airport has EVER asked to see any proof of the so called mandatory yellow fever shot. just my experience and i was there in 2007/2008.

hmmm That is interesting. I guess it would be a gamble. Go with no YF vax and hope you have the same experience as you did, but also be prepared to not be able to go if you were asked for proof. Persoanlly I think Id go and take my chances that nobody would ask!

[tiffani]

I'm heading to Uganda in a few weeks to adopt two kids, and I actually have a yellow fever vax appointment in a few hours that I'm freaking out about... my kids are totally unvaxed (7 and 9) but I don't really feel like I can risk being denied entry into the country, or held in quarantine on my way home... I'll be returning to New Zealand, I guess I should find out their rules first... I don't think they check for proof of vax on the way into the country very often (most people say they aren't checked) but it's exiting the country that is sometimes the issue... I hate difficult decisions!

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by tiffani

I'm heading to Uganda in a few weeks to adopt two kids, and I actually have a yellow fever vax appointment in a few hours that I'm freaking out about... my kids are totally unvaxed (7 and 9) but I don't really feel like I can risk being denied entry into the country, or held in quarantine on my way home... I'll be returning to New Zealand, I guess I should find out their rules first... I don't think they check for proof of vax on the way into the country very often (most people say they aren't checked) but it's exiting the country that is sometimes the issue... I hate difficult decisions!

Bummer...did you end up getting the vax?

[tiffani]

Funnily enough, they had run out, so no I didn't, but I do think I will get it in a week or so. It's one of the better vax's (as in, pretty high effectiveness rate, low side effects rate) and the disease is quite deadly and common where I'm going. If it weren't an adoption trip, I would probably not get it, and just be more vigilant about mosquitos, but with two new kids, my focus will be on them, and the last thing I need is to either get a really awful disease or run into bureaucratic issues... I'll be taking malaria meds for the same reason -- traveling on my own I wouldn't worry about it, but for this type of trip I feel compelled to be more protective of my health... ok, of my *short-term health*