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| Author | Message |
| Travel1221 backpacker Posts: 15 |
#1 Posted: 20/11/2009 - 17:12 Hi there. I've been told that it is not necessary to get any vaccinations for Thailand. We are travelling from South Africa, and even though I have had the standard Hep A & B shots which covers me for about 15 years, my boyfriend has not had any.... Please advise. |
| gillerz960 backpacker Posts: 16 |
#2 Posted: 20/11/2009 - 17:34 I was told that it depends where in Thailand you go. If you stay in Bangkok then apparently you won't need anything. I was told to get Hepatitis B and Typhoid for rural areas and Rabies was recommended but I decided against it. |
| sirhalberd tuk tuk driver Posts: 164 |
#3 Posted: 21/11/2009 - 07:10 I think your boyfriend ought to get caught up with you on the Hep B and Typhoid. Consider a JEV shot too! http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0140673607617802 http://esciencenews.com/articles/2008/07/07/japanese.encephalitis.virus.causes.double.trouble.brain I have managed care and get the shots my docs say I should! http://www.guidetothailand.com/thailand-travel-faq/thailand-shots.php Good luck. |
| Thaiman tuk tuk driver Posts: 175  |
#4 Posted: 21/11/2009 - 13:37 I have been to Thailand many times and never had any vaccinations for anything.You just have to be sensible about what you do.Don't put your hand out to touch a 'Soi Dog',use mosquito repellant if they're around,drink only bottled water- etc etc. |
| pia2am flashpacker Posts: 35 Located in: Denmark |
#5 Posted: 21/11/2009 - 18:31 I can only recommend Hep A and B. You can get Hep A from food and water everywhere except in western Europe and the US. If you are in an accident and need bloodtransfusion then you have a risk of getting Hep B, same for casual sex, but when it´s your boyfriend I hope he doesn´t stray of :-) Typhoid - maybe, I´ve had it. Pia |
| chriswotton flashpacker Posts: 39 Located in: United Kingdom  |
#6 Posted: 21/11/2009 - 21:38 I would definitely get the HEP A and B, and make sure you're both up to date on childhood vaccines like diphtheria, tetanus, polio and meningitis/MMR, but beyond that I wouldn't bother. When I first went I took the advice I was given and got rabies and Japanese encephalitis shots, plus the BCG I had missed at school, but if I were doing it over again I wouldn't bother. This is particularly true with rabies, where it doesn't actually protect you from rabies, just gives you a little longer to get treatment - if you don't have it, you only have 24 hours to see a doctor, compared to a couple of days if you've had it. But in Thailand you're unlikely to be more than 24 hours away from a good hospital anyway. Enjoy your trip! |
| whizbang newbie Posts: 1 |
#7 Posted: 22/11/2009 - 20:03 Blood transfusions are a risk of more than just Hep B, consider Hep C which can be a death sentence if you cannot get a liver transplsnt down the road, and that is only if you are healthy enough. The CDC also lists Hep C as an STD. More risks than you want to know about with transfusions. If you think you can just get an antibiotic for Hep C forget it - it's viral and only about 40% of people that are healthy enough to go through a brutal year of chemo come out negative. Been there - done that and still recovering from the chemo five years later. Believe me you don't want to go there. |
| idreamofdurian adventurer Posts: 312 Located in: Singapore  |
#8 Posted: 22/11/2009 - 22:44 Twinrex (Hep A/B) is a good idea for any travel. Otherwise there's really nothing necessary for Thailand. Just to repeat the good advice from everyone else: - malaria mosquitoes bite at night (low risk in Thailand, anyway) and dengue mosquitoes bite in the morning. Use repellent, mosquito coils, nets, whatever you like to protect yourself. - don't pet stray animals. If you do, wash your hands!! (or antibacterial gel) - drink bottled water. If you want to be extra careful, brush your teeth and rinse your toothbrush with bottled water too. - Be reasonably cautious about fruit juice (may have been watered down) or raw fruit/vegetables (may have been washed with non-bottled water). If you're worried about cleanliness of fruit, choose one that has an outer layer that you remove before eating (ex. banana, mango, mangosteen, rambutan). |
| MADMAC mahout Posts: 1546 |
#9 Posted: 23/11/2009 - 05:53 Idream The tiger mosquito (mr Dengue carrier) is also very active at night, and sometimes during the day too. He's a bugger. We have Dengue in my neighborhood, so I did some research on the little bastard. |
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