Japanese encephalitis vaccine

[wn78]

Possible to get it in Bangkok, and how much does it cost?

Anyone knows what type of JE vaccine it would be (name/brand)?

 

This vaccine in the US is very pricey.

 

[Y Chang]

Thai Travel Clinic (Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University) offers the vaccine.  Cost is 478 bhat.  Here is the link:  https://www.thaitravelclinic.com/cost.html

 

 

[Sheryl]

839 baht for  Imojev brand at Medconsult clinic which will be much less crowded.

https://www.medconsultasia.com/vaccinations/

 

A series of 2 vaccines is needed, a month apart.

 

I am nto certain if the above price is for each dose or the 2 doses.

[wn78]

Thank you for the pointers.  Thailand prices are so cheap compared to US.  Although Thailand vaccine is a live vaccine type.  I'm not too keen on live vaccines, prefer inactivated, but Imojev is an Australian brand, so the safety profile should be good regardless.

[KhunLA]

If just for while you're in TH, I personally wouldn't bother.   I enquired for going to Laos, (Vientiane) after reading up on it/JE, and Thai docs told me not to bother, unless going further afoot, or spend a lot of time along the border of TH, which I don't.

https://www.thaizer.com/do-i-need-a-travel-vaccination-for-japanese-encephalitis/#:~:text=Japanese encephalitis (JE) does occur,for a visit to Thailand.

 

If getting for TH, you're a bit late, as should have prior to arrival:

" A person who has never received vaccination and plans to enter an endemic area should be completely vaccinated at least two weeks before arrival."

https://www.thaitravelclinic.com/Knowledge/japanese-encephalitis.html

Edited December 17, 2022 by KhunLA

[internationalism]

also at red cross, you can check availability online, also you can call them or send email (reply in 2-3 days).

Not possible to book online, so need to come early, at opening time.

At the mahidol travel clinic near victory monument you can book online. 

At that clinic they have offered me JE, but because it's only for those living in villages and close to pigs it's pointless for those living in bkk. Only some 50 infections yearly - that in comparison to some 70k infected with dengue (and that one is very much urban spread virus). Hence go for dengvaxia (that one if for those already staying in tropics minimum 10 years or already after 1 infection) 

[wn78]

Thanks for advice with regards to risks.  I am aware my risk is miniscule, visiting regularly Krabi and other beach areas.  I have visited rural Isaan areas a few times on very short trips, and may occasionally repeat.  My rationale was, if the vaccine risk is very small, and so is the price, what's the harm, although a live vaccine type puts me off more than the inactivated one.  When medical professionals recommend/don't recommend something, they are driven by the public-health guidelines or insurance companies.  It may still make sense to get vaccinated based on your own individual risk/benefit assessment.

 

Good point on the dengue vaccine, I actually wasn't ware there was one.  I will be checking it out.

[wn78]

4 hours ago, internationalism said:

Hence go for dengvaxia (that one if for those already staying in tropics minimum 10 years or already after 1 infection) 

Can you clarify what you said - recommended for those in Thailand staying for 10 years or after 1 infection, and not recommended for anyone else?

[internationalism]

dengvaxia is for 9-45 old local population. Average chances are getting is every 9 years. There are 4 strains of dengue.

For people from outside endemic areas it's recommended for those, who have already stayed in an endemic area for 10 years ie they already had a chance of getting 1 infection. Yes, not recommended for anybody who hadn't got chance to have at least 1 infection. It would increase chances of serious symptoms when infected.

First go for vaxes which are recommended for your age. Over 10 of them. I had over 10 of them the last year at cost of some 14k. 

dengvaxia I had in 2017, the last year I was refused booster. Doctor said, that if I would have any infection it would act as a booster. Not sure, how reliable she was.

 

as for JE and short stays - you don't need. You would have to live there to consider them.

[Lorry]

9 hours ago, Sheryl said:

839 baht for  Imojev brand at Medconsult clinic which will be much less crowded.

https://www.medconsultasia.com/vaccinations/

 

A series of 2 vaccines is needed, a month apart.

 

I am nto certain if the above price is for each dose or the 2 doses.

Thaitravelclinic offers Imojev, too (for the aforesaid price of 478).

I have never seen it crowded (maybe because of covid)

Edited December 17, 2022 by Lorry

[phetphet]

20 minutes ago, internationalism said:

dengvaxia is for 9-45 old local population. Average chances are getting is every 9 years. There are 4 strains of dengue.

For people from outside endemic areas it's recommended for those, who have already stayed in an endemic area for 10 years ie they already had a chance of getting 1 infection. Yes, not recommended for anybody who hadn't got chance to have at least 1 infection. It would increase chances of serious symptoms when infected.

First go for vaxes which are recommended for your age. Over 10 of them. I had over 10 of them the last year at cost of some 14k. 

dengvaxia I had in 2017, the last year I was refused booster. Doctor said, that if I would have any infection it would act as a booster. Not sure, how reliable she was.

 

as for JE and short stays - you don't need. You would have to live there to consider them.

So are you saying that if already had an infection, it's recommended to get vaccinated because a second infection could possibly cause more serious symptoms?

 

Were there any after effects from the vaccine? I thought it was a very new one.

[internationalism]

1 hour ago, phetphet said:

So are you saying that if already had an infection, it's recommended to get vaccinated because a second infection could possibly cause more serious symptoms?

 

Were there any after effects from the vaccine? I thought it was a very new one.

yes.

no, no after effects at all. It was developed over 20 years. The first one. Not perfect but give partial protection.

Yes, it's new, in thailand since 2017. Some other countries earlier. Since 2019 also already in EU, free for those in an endemic south 

Edited December 17, 2022 by internationalism

[Sheryl]

Dengue vaccine is recommended only for children aged 9-16 with lab confirmed  prior dengue infection. 

 

Given to prople who never had dengue before it actually increases risk of severe dengue.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/vaccine/index.html

[internationalism]

I had dengvaxia in 2017 after getting infected. I was over 45 and lived in thailand below 10 years. There were no seropositive tests (they cost more than a one dose of vax itself). 

I don't know what the present policy in thailand is (I was refused booster in 2021, so the year I suppose to have one). All travel clinics store it, as well as private hospitals (I had my at my nearest private hospital).

 

There is already the second dengue vax called qdenga. There is no testing pre-condition and don't have to be previously infected.

 

Since August approved in indonesia for age 4-45. 

https://www.takeda.com/newsroom/newsreleases/2022/takedas-qdenga-dengue-tetravalent-vaccine-live-attenuated-approved-in-indonesia-for-use-regardless-of-prior-dengue-exposure/

 

and 10 days ago approved in the EU. Given to all above age 4 with no max age limit.  Is also being fast tracked in the USA.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Pharmaceuticals/Dengue-vaccine-from-Japan-s-Takeda-wins-EU-approval

 

so now I would be aiming for that vax, when it comes to Thailand. 

 

"Takeda intends to submit regulatory filings in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand"

https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/vaccines/qdenga-tak-003-dengue-vaccine

Edited December 18, 2022 by internationalism

[Lorry]

9 hours ago, internationalism said:

I had dengvaxia in 2017 after getting infected. I was over 45 and lived in thailand below 10 years. There were no seropositive tests (they cost more than a one dose of vax itself). 

I don't know what the present policy in thailand is (I was refused booster in 2021, so the year I suppose to have one). All travel clinics store it, as well as private hospitals (I had my at my nearest private hospital).

 

There is already the second dengue vax called qdenga. There is no testing pre-condition and don't have to be previously infected.

 

Since August approved in indonesia for age 4-45. 

https://www.takeda.com/newsroom/newsreleases/2022/takedas-qdenga-dengue-tetravalent-vaccine-live-attenuated-approved-in-indonesia-for-use-regardless-of-prior-dengue-exposure/

 

and 10 days ago approved in the EU. Given to all above age 4 with no max age limit.  Is also being fast tracked in the USA.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Pharmaceuticals/Dengue-vaccine-from-Japan-s-Takeda-wins-EU-approval

 

so now I would be aiming for that vax, when it comes to Thailand. 

 

"Takeda intends to submit regulatory filings in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand"

https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/vaccines/qdenga-tak-003-dengue-vaccine

https://takeda.info/3P5Pu8t

 

Takeda says Qdenga can be used for people over 60 y.o.

But they also write (section 4.4):

"There are no data on the use of Qdenga in subjects above 60 years of age"

 

Dengue in old patients is quite debilitating and dangerous.