Are Rabies shots essential before going to Thailand?

[LandOfSmiles99]

Here's the ones I'm getting:

 

Hep A

Typhoid

Diphtera

Choloera

Tetanus

 

Given how many stray dogs there are in Thailand I'm wondering if a course of Rabies shots are needed too? I'm told these will be needed to be spaced out over three weeks with one shot a week

 

I won't be anywhere in Thailand that's crazy remote, so I'm wondering if this course of Rabies shots are really needed? If I get bitten by anything there I've upto 8 hours to get to a hospital for a shot?

 

Surely that's plenty of time in the non remote parts of the country

 

 

 

 

[jackdd]

That's completely up to you ?

I didn't get any vaccines other then the ones you get as child and i didn't die yet

[ukrules]

If you get bit by a dog or some other animal get the rabies shots at that point.

[Kwasaki]

Personally I wouldn't bother with Rabies shots they can have some nasty after effects by all accounts which may mess with your holiday, wait until you get bitten.

There are warnings given of Thai areas with rabies problems.

[LandOfSmiles99]

2 minutes ago, ukrules said:

If you get bit by a dog or some other animal get the rabies shots at that point.

 

Yes this is what I'm thinking. That unless I'm going somewhere there very remote and away from a hospital hours and hours away, that a course of Rabies shots before I leave to go to Thailand isn't essential

 

 

[Buffy Frobisher]

No, they're not at all necessary unless you are bitten by a stray dog, cat, or as in my case, a squirrel. Same applies if an animal licks an open wound on you. Rabies shots aren't a vaccine, they just work to stop the virus taking hold in your body, and you should get the first shot within hours of being bitten.

 

Vaccinating pets here is more common, but I've not met anyone who had a rabies vaccination before being bitten. I've had the course of shots four times in the past 10 years after squirrel and dog bites and all were in Bangkok - they're no hardship except for the time spacing between the three shots. 

[Jingthing]

No, generally not needed.

It would be in certain cases such as a person moving to Thailand to work with stray dogs.

[ukrules]

4 minutes ago, LandOfSmiles99 said:

 

Yes this is what I'm thinking. That unless I'm going somewhere there very remote and away from a hospital hours and hours away, that a course of Rabies shots before I leave to go to Thailand isn't essential

 

 

If you were bit by an animal with rabies they advise that you get shots but it can take many weeks or even much, much longer to develop rabies.

 

What I'm saying is, it's not an emergency to get the shots, you don't need to call an ambulance or taxi minutes after the bite and go straight to the hospital.

 

It's something you can do when you have the time and opportunity.

 

[impulse]

18 minutes ago, LandOfSmiles99 said:

Here's the ones I'm getting:

 

Hep A

Typhoid

Diphtera

Choloera

Tetanus

 

Just out of curiosity, who recommended that list?  Because I just hopped on a plane in Beijing 7 years ago, bound for Bangkok.  And 10 years before that, I hopped on a plane in Houston, bound for Beijing.  Nobody told me to get any shots.  And my old fart doctor in Houston suggested I'd be better off swimming in sewage than get the vaccines available at that time.  (He didn't really mention sewage, but I didn't want to get into skanky hookers on a family friendly forum.  He was a colorful character.)

[jak2002003]

23 minutes ago, jackdd said:

That's completely up to you ?

I didn't get any vaccines other then the ones you get as child and i didn't die yet

Me too.  I got vaccines as a child.  But in my day they were fewer than today.  I got the childhood disease and survived... mumps, measles, chicken pox etc.  

 

I was out of date with all vaccines.  But got a tetanus shot last year when I got a rusty barbed wire stuck in the heel of my foot from inside my chicken pen.. as I considered that a high risk lol.  I also get anti rabies shots after getting bitten by a street dog, again to be on the safe side.  

 

So OP you don't need the rabies vaccination if you are just coming here as a tourist.  If you were working with wild animals, street dogs then you should get it though.  If some animal bites you while you here (chance in a million) then just go to the hospital the get the jabs.  

 

 

[Jingthing]

To add, while here, use common sense. Stray animals aren't pets.

[LandOfSmiles99]

3 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Just out of curiosity, who recommended that list?  Because I just hopped on a plane in Beijing 7 years ago, bound for Bangkok.  And 10 years before that, I hopped on a plane in Houston, bound for Beijing.  Nobody told me to get any shots.  And my old fart doctor in Houston suggested I'd be better off swimming in sewage than get the vaccines available at that time.  (He didn't really mention sewage, but I didn't want to get into skanky hookers on a family friendly forum.  He was a colorful character.)

 

Hep A and Typhoid shots are extensively recommended from the research and reading I've done on Thailand. And it's about 3 weeks of research and counting ?

 

I'm getting a Tetanus as I take the odd tumble and better to have this in case that tumble cases a cut or scratch

 

Diphtera and Choloera were both recommenced by a travel agent

 

"And my old fart doctor in Houston suggested I'd be better off swimming in sewage than get the vaccines available at that time"

 

Eh? As in the travel vaccinations would do more harm than good?  He sounds like a character ?

 

 

 

[impulse]

1 minute ago, LandOfSmiles99 said:

"And my old fart doctor in Houston suggested I'd be better off swimming in sewage than get the vaccines available at that time"

 

Eh? As in the travel vaccinations would do more harm than good?  He sounds like a character 

 

There have been times in recent history when some defective batches of vaccines were marketed before being recalled.  It's a little off the topic, but he specifically called out some French made vaccines.  Maybe he didn't like the French, maybe someone else tuned in will know what was going on in 1999.   I wasn't really that curious at the time.  Too busy packing for China- the company didn't give me a whole lot of notice I was going.  

[jvs]

2 minutes ago, LandOfSmiles99 said:

 

Hep A and Typhoid shots are extensively recommended from the research and reading I've done on Thailand. And it's about 3 weeks of research and counting ?

 

I'm getting a Tetanus as I take the odd tumble and better to have this in case that tumble cases a cut or scratch

 

Diphtera and Choloera were both recommenced by a travel agent

 

"And my old fart doctor in Houston suggested I'd be better off swimming in sewage than get the vaccines available at that time"

 

Eh? As in the travel vaccinations would do more harm than good?  He sounds like a character ?

 

 

 

Its all about the money!!!You better make sure you have a good travel insurance,the chances you will get in an accident are a lot higher than contracting some kind of illness.

[Sheryl]

Not essential, but advisable - if bitten (which can occur even in a city) you will then need fewer shots plus nto need the immune globulin, a definite plus.

 

Cholera and typhoid vaccines are unnecessary. And not very effective.

 

You should get the combined Hep A/B vaccine nto just Hep A. Hep B is highly endemic here.

 

The other vaccine needed if you will be out in the countryside, but not necessary if only in cities and beach resorts, is Japanese B encephalitis.

 

 

 

[grollies]

52 minutes ago, LandOfSmiles99 said:

Given how many stray dogs there are in Thailand I'm wondering if a course of Rabies shots are needed too?

Only for your dog, preventative rabies shots, like for cholera, etc are not done as far as I'm aware.

 

31 minutes ago, impulse said:

And my old fart doctor in Houston suggested I'd be better off swimming in sewage than get the vaccines available at that time

That'll be apt if the OP is visiting Pattaya

[grollies]

4 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Not essential, but advisable - if bitten (which can occur even in a city) you will then need fewer shots plus nto need the immune globulin, a definite plus.

 

Cholera and typhoid vaccines are unnecessary. And not very effective.

 

You should get the combined Hep A/B vaccine nto just Hep A. Hep B is highly endemic here.

 

The other vaccine needed if you will be out in the countryside, but not necessary if only in cities and beach resorts, is Japanese B encephalitis.

 

 

 

After 10 years at sea, West Africa, South America, Far East and keeping up all the required jabs at the time I got a job ashore.....and got Hep B from working on pipeline construction, in the UK.

[LandOfSmiles99]

11 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

You should get the combined Hep A/B vaccine not just Hep A. Hep B is highly endemic here.

 

 

 

 

Is Hep B really that essential? It's the first I've heard of it for Thailand

 

I'm reading here I'll need 3-4 shots of it at 40 euros each. Cost aside, if those shots need to be spread over 3-4 weeks it just adds hassle to my plans

 

" Hep B is transmitted through infected blood products, unprotected sex, infected items such as needles, razor blades, dental or medical equipment, unscreened blood transfusions, or from mother to child at birth. " https://www.iamat.org/country/thailand/risk/hepatitis-b

 

All of that seems so very low risk

 

 

 

 

 

[grollies]

35 minutes ago, LandOfSmiles99 said:

 

 

Is Hep B really that essential? It's the first I've heard of it for Thailand

 

I'm reading here I'll need 3-4 shots of it at 40 euros each. Cost aside, if those shots need to be spread over 3-4 weeks it just adds hassle to my plans

 

" Hep B is transmitted through infected blood products, unprotected sex, infected items such as needles, razor blades, dental or medical equipment, unscreened blood transfusions, or from mother to child at birth. " https://www.iamat.org/country/thailand/risk/hepatitis-b

 

All of that seems so very low risk

 

 

 

 

 

In that case it was Hep A I got.

[Tambs2020]

A penicillin shot a cpl of weeks after you get home may be required also [emoji16]

Sent from my X9079 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Sheryl]

58 minutes ago, LandOfSmiles99 said:

 

 

Is Hep B really that essential? It's the first I've heard of it for Thailand

 

I'm reading here I'll need 3-4 shots of it at 40 euros each. Cost aside, if those shots need to be spread over 3-4 weeks it just adds hassle to my plans

 

" Hep B is transmitted through infected blood products, unprotected sex, infected items such as needles, razor blades, dental or medical equipment, unscreened blood transfusions, or from mother to child at birth. " https://www.iamat.org/country/thailand/risk/hepatitis-b

 

All of that seems so very low risk

 

 

 

 

 

Hep B is highly endemic in Thailand. If there is any chance you may have sex with locals (as often happens), you need it.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, LandOfSmiles99 said:

Is Hep B really that essential? It's the first I've heard of it for Thailand

 

I'm reading here I'll need 3-4 shots of it at 40 euros each. Cost aside, if those shots need to be spread over 3-4 weeks it just adds hassle to my plans

 

Easy enough to finish the course in Thailand.  Medical tourism is a pretty well developed industry in the major cities.

 

That's what I did when I got tagged by a dog in China- the first 2 shots in China, then the third after I returned to work in BKK.  It may have been 4 shots- it's been a while and my brain leaks when I sleep.

 

BTW, you're new, and may not know it yet.  Sheryl is the go-to-lady on the health care forum.  Do what she says.

 

Edited June 6, 2018 by impulse

[impulse]

1 hour ago, grollies said:

After 10 years at sea, West Africa, South America, Far East and keeping up all the required jabs at the time I got a job ashore.....and got Hep B from working on pipeline construction, in the UK.

 

Working on a pipeline, or laying pipe?

 

C'mon.  Fess up...

Edited June 6, 2018 by impulse

[grollies]

47 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Working on a pipeline, or laying pipe?

 

C'mon.  Fess up...

Pre-commissioning, so post lower and lay. Not much of a confession though....

[grollies]

57 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Hep B is highly endemic in Thailand. If there is any chance you may have sex with locals (as often happens), you need it.

I've had regular sex with a local for the last 12 years, never been a problem.

[Tambs2020]

I've had regular sex with a local for the last 12 years, never been a problem.

What, the same one? [emoji53]

Sent from my X9079 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[grollies]

1 minute ago, Tambs2020 said:

What, the same one?

Sent from my X9079 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Yep, no one else in my life. She's wonderful.

[grollies]

Just now, grollies said:

Yep, no one else in my life. She's wonderful.

PS, she's also my wife.

[grollies]

Just now, grollies said:

PS, she's also my wife.

And, yes, she is Thai.

[grollies]

Just now, grollies said:

And, yes, she is Thai.

What's your point and why the sad face?