NVR Vaccines/ Costa Rica questions
This is not a debate about the ethics of vaccines, it's just an off topic question to my smart online friends.
My husband & I are going on vacation to Costa Rica in a month (yay!) and just remembered we may need to get vaccines (boo). I'm having trouble figuring out what vaccines we should actually get. Neither of us goes to the doctor's regularly. I remember getting a bunch of shots before going to college about 10 years ago. To complicate things this will be both of ours first appointment at a new doctor's because this job I have has weird insurance.
We are going to be staying on the West coast in a town called Quepos if that matter at all. From what I can gather, they recommend "routine" immunizations along with Hep A + B, Typhoid & Rabies (we will be hiking in the rainforest). So my questions are, is it ok to get these within 4 weeks of traveling? do these sound right? Is there anything else? If I had the vaccine for Hep A & B ten years ago do I need it again? If my husband had the Typhoid vaccine & rabies vaccine when he was younger would he need it again?
I will be traveling to Cuba next spring. I am curious to the responses.
Just found this http://vegancuba.com/
I'm not sure exactly what vaccines you should get, but whatever ones you do end of getting, try to get them spaced out as much as you can (i.e. don't get all these shots on the same day--you will feel like crap and that's overloading your immune system). Good luck, and have fun!
I don't know specifically about Costa Rica, but I know that certain countries require certain vaccines to even get in to the country. My buddy Vince is going to a bunch of South American countries this Summer, and he has to have vaccine certificates (in English and Spanish). Check out the CDC website, they have really great travel sections. Have fun!!
Hep A is good. Unless you plan on having sex with locals and sharing hairbrushes etc., Hep B is not necessary.
Rabies only if you are going off the beaten path and plan on touching wild animals.
I would call a travel clinic though to check on Malaria. I took pills while I was in Roatan, Honduras as people that worked at my resort had recently gotten it. From a damn mosquito.
As all bugs bite me, I wasn't willing to take the risk.
Thinking of vaccines 4 weeks ahead may not help.
I did not take any prevention for Malaria in Costa Rica. Mainly because I didn't think of it. I also didn't have any vaccinations for Costa Rica. Hep A is good for many years so wouldn't hurt to take it although you need a booster.
As for Cuba, never took anything. Same goes for Mexico. Basically, I took Hep A and Malaria prevention for Honduras. The Hep A is still good but I have travelled to Mexico 7 times and so only had Hep A for about 4 of those trips.
I have been to many tropical Caribbean destinations and have never gotten sick. If there is a bug, it will bite me.
Although, I am glad I got Hep A and glad I took Malaria prevention in Honduras.
Not sure if this helps but Google what shots are needed for different destinations.
I have an appointment for a basic checkup & if I'm not fighting off a cold or anything, I'll get the basics (tetnus, measels, mumps, etc) tomorrow. Then make an appointment for next week for the Typhoid & Hep A & possibly rabies (I want to get rabies anyway because when I come back I want to start volunteerinf at a wildlife shelter). Thanks for your help everyone.
I'm not going to be in an area with Malaria or Yellow Fever.
My biggest problem was that I didn't have a regular doctor, so I had to talk to secretaries about being a new patient & they were not very helpful. I think I found an office that has their act together though.