BootsnAll Travel Community

Hello everyone!

I have a couple of questions about vaccinations.

I'm definintly going to get my HEP A and TYPHOID vacs, but what about yellow fever. I have a consultation appt at a travel clinic next week, but I know I can get good advice here as well. The information I've read says you only need yellow fever for SA if you are coming from a country that is known to have yellow fever (i'm coming from the us, so that doesn't apply here). I was wondering though if I was to go into naimbia, lesotho, or swaziland if I would need prove of yellow fever vac to get back into SA (again the literature I looked at seemed to indicate that I didn't need it, but I thought I should double check). ANd lastly, what about malaria pills. I'm going to be coming when its winter, so I know that lowers the risk, and I'll mostly be in cape town, but I do want to go to those other countries I mentioned and up the garden route into durban and kzn etc. maybe go to a game park as well (not kruger though) Umfolozi probably...anyways, any opinions on whether or not I should take malarial pills, and if I do should I get them in the US or in CPT, because I've heard they are cheaper in South Africa. Thanks so much for all your help, I really appreicate it!!

Janelle

Hey,

well since you have a travel clinic appt next week, i'll tell you what my travel clinic told me. Yellow fever is NOT needed because you will not be going to a sub-saharan country...the countries you will be traveling too are below that line so no yellow fever...I got hep a and typhoid as well as tetnus cause my child vaccine was up...they will ask you when you got things like polio, meningitis and other child vaccines because apparently they run out by adulthood and are recommended to get once during adulthood.

malaria pills - i'm not going to tell you not to get them and I think anyone who does puts you at risk of death...I'm taking doxycycline...It is actually very cheap in america if you go to costco...i paid 14 dollars for 105 pills! If you get malarone you pay about 300 dollars and larium is a lot also...now those two are made specifically from malaria prevention, doxy is an antibiotic that acts as malaria propholaxis but is not designed for that...

again, ask at the clinic all the questions you have but I recommend everything you mentioned besides yellow fever

I'm not going to tell you not to get them, but i was in South Africa for about a month and a half (including safari in the Kruger) and I didn't take malaria pills because of the side effects! But I used a high deet repellent and wore long sleeve shirts and trousers at dusk and dawn! My aunt is an airhostess for British Airways and their medical advisors recommend they do not take malaria pills and say that prevention is better! So if you decide not to take the pills (please note I am not telling you not to take them, that has to be your decision, I am just telling you what I did), make sure you have a repellent that has a high DEET content, make sure you cover up at dawn and dusk especially, where possible get hotel/hostel rooms with air con or at least a fan as this deturs mosquitos. Also you might want to invest in a mosquito net!

To be honest with you, because of the time of year you are coming in and where you are going, malaria pills are not needed... mainly cos it's to cold and you'll be wearing long sleeves most of the time!

not long now