BootsnAll Travel Community

Hello to everyone who reads this. Hope you're all having fun in whatever country you're in at the mo.

Im off to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in May for six months, very excited. I just cannot decide what to do about the vaccines that i've been told to have: japenese encephilitis, rabies, and malaria pills. My choices are - 1) go for the conventional doctors medicines which have some nasty side effects and cost a bomb (£350!!! dont know what that is in $'s im afraid), or 2) go for homeopathic alternatives,which i prefer the sound of.

I was really wondering if anyone could tell me how they have found it taking either the conventional medicines, or if anyone has experience of taking the homeopathic ones. Even what it is like travelling in those countries would be helpful to know. Has anyone come across rabid dogs in Vietnam? Or got a nasty bug from those bloody mosquito's? Would any of you who have travelled there recommend that i get them.
Any info would be great.
Cheers,
Eve

evie

its a simple question of how much you value your health - the so called natural remedies might sound good but they are no where near as good as the real thing. Personally I think not taking the correct precaustions is stupid...I once had to rescue a guy with Maleria from the Amazon so maybe I have an axe to grind..

My local travel clinic tells me that japenese encephilitis and rabies are not common jabs...the JE is really expensive..however, if you are in remote or rural areas you really need to have them done.

Your local docs might be able to sort them out for you too!

Philip

Hi Evie,

Definitely go with conventional medicines! The risk is just too great. Catching malaria in the middle of nowhere is no fun and can be fatal (not that I want to sound alarmist...)

We left a team member behind on a trip to Venezuela because she refused to have the recommended jabs/medication.

Check with your doc re. JE risk. I think rabies vaccination has come down in price quite a bit since my day but we still had it done for that Venezuela trip.

It's a bit tricky when it comes to schedules and time intervals for the shots, but you could look into getting a few needles stuck in you at a hospital in a major urban area within the region. More specifically, I received the booster shot for JE at a first-rate hospital in BKK for 1/10 of what it would have cost me in Sydney (my previous location).

Cheers for replying guys, it's really handy to know other people's opinions.

Eve

What did you decide on? Im off to Vietnam in June and the doctor was pretty unhelpful. Didn't mention any of your list? Not sure what to do now.?!

Doctors are so confusing. How can one recommend one set of vaccinations, and another not even mention them?? it baffles me.
Im going with my gut feeling and taking the homeopathic remedies. i know a lot of people dont agree with them, most of my friends think im dumb not to have the jabs but i've given it a lot of thought.
I went to a talk about vaccines by a guy called Trevor Gunn which was really interesting. I'd be happy to go over what he said (in my own non-scientifically-brained way) if you'd like me to. Just let me know......

6 months is a fair amount of time. Are you going to be off the beaten path? If so, it's probably in your best interest, at the very least, to invest in some Doxycycline for Malaria. It's a good idea even if staying on the beaten path.

Having said that, you don't want to take it for 6 months straight. And you're only protected (and even that's not 100%) when you take it. Doctors will recommend taking it after you've returned home as well.

Anti-malarial medication does not stop the parasite from getting into your body. The medication stops the parasites from multiplying. If the medication is not taken for the recommended length of time after you leave the area at risk of malaria, the parasites may again start to multiply in your blood and make you sick.

A couple of side notes: Doxycycline is an anti-biotic, so it will interfere if you are taking the pill. It'll also cause your skin to burn easier, so wear sunscreen. And from personal experience, if I take it on an empty stomach, I'll throw it right back up.

Your other (more expensive) option in the Malaria department is Malarone, which is taking over for the side-effect riddled and potentially hazardous Lariam. I personally wouldn't take either bc of the side effects.

Rabies is a different animal. With the exception of this year's miraculous case from Wisconsin, infection with the rabies virus has always been 100% fatal. But you have a small window between being bitten and onset of symptoms. So, if you are bitten or slobbered on even, you still have a chance of survival if you seek out the vaccine.

From what I've heard from US doctors and those abroad, the JE vaccine isn't worth it. But everyone's got their own opinion. The doctors @ the traveler's clinics will try to pump you up with all they have to offer.

FYI, I'll be going to China and Vietnam later in the year and I'll be taking Doxycycline, nothing for rabies, and nothing for JE and I've already been vaccinated for Hep B years ago when I was in nursing school.

thanks for telling me that stuff. Doxycycline was what i was recommended to take, but 7 and a half months of it!!!???? I dont like the sound of that! I dont even really like to take anti-biotics if im ill. Id rather just sweat it out and let the illness run its course. Anyway, i have also heard that you can take malarone as a cure if you start getting malaria symptoms so i might buy some just in case.
enjoy your travels dude!
Eve

My oh my. This is such a hard decision! I'm tempted to err on the side of caution. All it takes is a few shots that could save my life... and control my anxiety. I'm going to SE Asia and hopefully to Africa (don't know where yet). I'm planning on working on farms for a good deal of the time, and hopefully seeing a lot of the rural areas. So, if I understand correctly I'm at a higher risk.

I'm a little nervous about my travel clinic appointment now... I don't want to be pumped full of things I don't need so they can make money.

I took Malarone for several weeks while in Cambodia and Myanmar. No side effects for me. None what so ever. No issues on the price, either, as it was (mostly) covered by my health insurance.