What Vaccinations Should I Get Before Coming Back To Los?

[Lopburi99]

I'll be returning to Thailand after a year in the U.S and will be staying for at least a year. Prior to that I lived in Lopburi/Jomtien/Chanthaburi for 3 years.

The Center for Disease Control has a list a mile long for travel to S.E. Asia. Practically speaking, which ones are the most important to get, if any? (I'll not be backpacking, visiting the south, or spending time in forests, etc.)

The CDC recommends not eating food sold by street vendors. Yeah right. I am wondering which recommendations, if any, I should take seriously. Never had a problem worse than a sore throat in the years I was there.

Thanks

[Sheryl]

If you have not already, you should get the human rabies vaccines and Hep A/B vaccine.

If living in the countryside, Japanese b encephalitis vaccine should also be considered.

Typhoid vaccine is not very effective, and typhoid is not widespread in LOS.

Ignore anything you may read re malaria prophylaxis, unnecessary. Denguie and related other viral mosquito-borne disease are a definite possibility but no vaccine exists for them.

As for street vendors, food that has already been cooked and is sitting out should be thoroughly heated before eating.(Risk of simple food poisoning, not something exotic). Food cooked on the spot is, in terms of hygiene/infectious disease risk, safe enough and indeed may be safer than that served in restaurants...since you can see for yourself that it is being freshly cooked at high temperature. (Nutritionally and in terms of chronic diseases, though, better not to make a steady diet of fried dishes from vendors as the oil used is unhealthy to start with and repeatedly re-used to boot.)

As for uncooked vendor food like som tam (papaya salad), you should pass on the raw crab but otherwise I say go for it. Yeah, there is always the risk that the vendor's hands may be unclean, but frankly that risks exists in restaurants too....where you can't see the food handlers.

[Lopburi99]

Sounds reasonable Sheryl, thanks. I'll make sure I am covered on those three. Definitely the rabies, given all the dogs. BTW, people, make sure you wash your hands after eating chicken, etc. Dogs have nipped at my fingers several times, once drawing blood.