Best supplements for living internationally?

[bluedaisy]

I have a 3.5yo dd and 4 month old DS - we are moving to Kampala, Uganda.  What supplements are most important for building their immune systems, and also for healing in case of sickness?

The most common illnesses in expats are diarrhea diseases - measles and pertussis are also a risk.

I'm thinking probiotics for everyday use, and then Vit C (sodium ascorbate) and Vit A in case of illness.  Anything else that would be useful?

[sbgrace]

I'd think A would be very good to have in case of measles. You'd want quality probiotics that aren't heat sensitive I'd think. Florastor and epicore are very good and build the immune system too. So is culturelle. All would need to be taken continually though to maintain protection. I would think probiotics important. I'd want a good base probiotic (names escape me right now) to build up in the system that colonizes before I left.

Will deworming and the like be available to your children while there or would you need to bring those types of medications with you? Do you need to bring things like antibiotics?

Are you getting vaxed against those things prevalent there or not?

Vitamin D is very important for the immune system. You'd want a D3 form.

[bluedaisy]

Thanks sbgrace, I appreciate it!

There is a good clinic by our house so all the conventional medicine will be available - deworming, antibiotics, malaria meds, etc.  I'm not sure how many natural supplements are available which is why I want to get those here.

We decided not to vaccinate for measles or whooping cough because we feel that the risks of the vaccine for our children is higher than the risk of those diseases (we have a family history of vax reactions) so we want to be prepared to naturally support their immune systems if they do get either illness.  Neither is extremely common but there are periodic small outbreaks so we want to be prepared.
 

[sbgrace]

Ah! I'm glad you've got access to good medical care.

In that case: vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D3, and good probiotics would be my top choices.