Travel Vaccination Article Published in Meet, Plan, Go!

Hello friends! We have been published! We have had the amazing privilege of getting our article on travel immunizations and prescriptions published through Meet, Plan, Go! website on Monday, May 28th, 2012. Meet, Plan, Go! is more than a nationally recognized website providing inspiration and travel advice for anyone interested in taking a career break or extended travel. They offer networking opportunities across the country for like minded individuals to learn from each other. So, we are very honored to have this opportunity to share what we learned during our planning phase. Here is our article titled, 10 Steps to Knowing What Travel Immunizations You Need.

Japanese Encephalitis - Part 1

Another vaccination step closer to our departure date! You, too, can get yourself a Japanese encephalitis vaccine if you scrounge up $250/shot. Still cheaper than the who-knows-what-cost of actually getting this disease from the pesky mosquitos when we visit any rural areas of Southeast Asia. To be repeated in 28 days...Thanks to David and Helen, our parents for giving this vaccine as our January birthday gift!

So Lucky...$35 for All Oral Travel Meds

As a healthcare worker, I am definitely fortunate to have one of the best healthcare plans. The benefits will truly be missed when I have to give it up for my trip, but not before I take full advantage of it! The Travel Immunization Clinic we consulted with, wrote out all the recommended scripts for malaria, altitude sickness, and traveler's diarrhea. However, for insurance to cover the meds, they have to be prescribed by an approved provider, so I made an appointment with my primary care doc and she sent all those in to the pharmacy.

All my worries about the total cost was unfounded when it came out to $35! That includes the co-pay for almost 100 pills of the generic form of the malaria drug, Malarone, which usually costs ~$500 for even the generic version (just recently became generic in October, lucky us.). The other scripts included Cipro, Diamox, azythromycin (those pesky bugs in Thailand are resistant to Cipro), and a topical prescription strength ointment for bug bites (I get major welts from the most innocent of bug bites).

We are nearly done with our immunizations. We just have our Japanese Encephalitis vaccines left and Mike has to complete his Hepatitis A & B series. You can find a very detailed write-up in a previous blog entry regarding all the ins-and-outs of travel vaccinations: 9 Steps to Knowing the Required and Recommended Travel Immunizations and Pills.

9 Steps to Knowing the Required and Recommended Travel Immunizations and Pills

Another major item on our 6-month to-do list was figuring out the necessary travel immunizations.  6 months ahead seems like a long time, but with over 20 countries we plan on visiting, there are bound to be immunizations that are required, or at least highly recommended – some vaccination series requiring at least a 6-month head start such as the hepatitis series. 

If we were 20-something backpackers, would we even care about vaccines?  Maybe, maybe not.  We certainly wouldn’t be as cautious about the possibility of acquiring a number of deadly diseases abroad, had we been 20 years younger!  Alas, the wisdom (or paranoia) that comes with age.  One main reason for taking extra precautions is Akiko’s tendency to attract mosquitos no matter where in the world, and her tendency to have allergic reactions to their bites.  Many of these diseases abroad are carried by mosquitos.  If any of them could be prevented by a few shots or pills, it seems a worthwhile endeavor.   

There are a couple of vaccinations that are required for entry into certain countries or to obtain a visa.  However, most of the time, the choice to be vaccinated is ultimately up to you.  Our advice is to at least research what is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and even make an appointment with a Travel Immunization specialist for a consultation so you can make an educated decision by weighing the pros and cons.  The major ‘con’ being cost, of course, and specifically for malaria – the side effects of some of the drugs. 

The following outlines the steps that we took to research the immunizations for our upcoming travel sabbatical.