Did you guys take any vaccinations?

[PMNL]

Well, here's what the doctor yesterday said I needed:

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Japanese Encephalitis

Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)

Pneumococcus (IPD)

Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis (Tdap)

Typoid

Varicella

and later in the year

Influenza.

The one thing I didn't need, apparently, was Rabies since I'd had a full course of pre-exposure jabs 12 years ago.

MMR and Varicella? That's a bit unusual for adult, MMR a is sometimes recommended a booster for international travelers.

pneumococcal is recommended for people over 65, unless indicated with specific condition, i.e. splenectomy, COPD, pre-op certain type of eat surgery....

Just found it strange you need that much unless this is a recommendation for kids,

But again typhoid is recommended for kids over 2 years old.

L

[Saastrajaa]

If you live in a city or market town or village (i.e. not in the middle of a forest somewhere), it is wasteful and ridiculous to get anything but tetanus and hepatitis A vaccinations. Western doctors (like most Westerners, especially Americans) are scaredy-cats when it comes to this stuff, don't listen to them when they tell you that you need all that other crap. Oh, add Hep B if you plan to have sex with any locals while in Thailand.

[puukao]

I got Hep T and Hep Z from a nice guy on Soi 9. Only 10,000 bath and now I can do anything without risk!!! I did get aids a few months back, but only had it for a few weeks. Luckily, the same guy sold me Hep AB.

[mxyzptlk]

This is what I got jabs for when I came to live here, on the advice of a UK doctor:

• Hep A & Typhoid combined
• Hep B
• Tetanus / Diptheria / Polio combined
• Japanese Encephalitis (family had a pig farm)
• Rabies

[BONGOMAN]

I have the following innooculations and a word of warning:

Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Japanese Encephalitis
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
Pneumococcus (IPD)
Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis (Tdap)
Typoid
Pneumococcal

Mennsa (menngogococcal)?

Hep B #2 Euvax

Polio

Yellow Fever

influenza 4 times

Shingles

And those who say you do not need vaccinations in the third world or S E Asia are nuts. I had a doctor friend die of Hep C ..... Get every vaccination you can find and afford, it builds your immune system. Those who say you do not need them should look at the latest outbreak of measels in the United States or Ebola in Africa. I have had friends die of Pneumonia. Why when you can get a shot? I will be getting the ones I missed and any new available in the future.

My personal Doctor travels the world....... and he is a Philippino ( they must have great immune systems, right? ) His recommendation is ..Get your shots!!!!

Any Doctor or Friend who advises against vaccinations is not your friend. Just because " they do not have it here" is never a valid reason to skip a shot. Do not wait until you are in the hospital looking at a major infection or loosing a leg or an arm to an unknown infection ........

Keep healty, exercise, walk, hike, ride, eat right, stay hydrated! Keep your feet clean, nails trimmed and soak them once a week, get a pedicure at least once a month! Pay close attention to your feet here. Wear closed shoes at night. There are often onforeseen obsticles ( sp ) and nasty cuts and contusions can happen easily. Keep your teeth clean and your gums free of infection, gargle with peroxide and then salt water at least once a week. Dentist are cheep here...

In this humid enviroment any small scratch will turn into an infection, trust me it is not like back home. You will need to get proactive with any and every small abrasion or cut. Wash every fresh wound with immediatly with Peroxide, Vodka, Salt, Soap, and put on ointment and a bandage. Keep a close eye our for tropical infections. If you get a scrape and it gets infected go to a good local Pharmacy and show the Pharmasist your wound, I have had excellent advice and once had the two pharmasists looking in between my toes with a flashlight. They correctly diaganost a bactiareal infection not a fungal and perscribed a small tube of ointment that had me cleared up in 3 or 4 days.

If you are in a rural area and cannot get to any modern medication you can boil Guava Leaves and keep them and the water in a covered pot, the leaves and water will kill infection. You can boil the leaves a couple of minutes every couple of days and use the leaves and water, with coconut oil ( or not ) , to make a paste on the wound. I have seen this used on a major deep "road rash" with excellent results. Oh yes you can drink the water also.

Just my real life experiences in asia.

Well obviously my spell checker is not working!

Cheers, See you in Asia!

[ignis]

I didn't get any vaccinations in 1999, or when I came here to live full time in 2003, in all the years here had my yearly Flu shot otherwise no other vaccinations, so far no problems.

​Often wonder if one has an accident do they automatically give you a Tetanus injection here ?

I do have 2 different Hospital cards in my wallet both stating I have an allege with both Tetanus and Penicillin and cannot have these. [ both written in English and Thai] but often wondered if Hospital staff ever check

Edited April 7, 2015 by ignis

[lopburi3]

I had a doctor friend die of Hep C

Not sure what that has to do with the subject at hand - until there is a vaccination option available.

I was bitten by a street dog years ago and the hospital's doctor who gave me all the 8 rabies shots told me that Thailand is #2 in the world for rabies infection, and most people traveling Asia is advised in taking 2 preventive shots.

Labs used to report all as rabid rather than take any chance. As the cost of error would be preventable death this is somewhat understandable.

[Sheryl]

I didn't get any vaccinations in 1999, or when I came here to live full time in 2003, in all the years here had my yearly Flu shot otherwise no other vaccinations, so far no problems.

​Often wonder if one has an accident do they automatically give you a Tetanus injection here ?

I do have 2 different Hospital cards in my wallet both stating I have an allege with both Tetanus and Penicillin and cannot have these. [ both written in English and Thai] but often wondered if Hospital staff ever check

This is a realistic concern. Indeed they often do not check. And allergy to tetanus toxoid is rare so especially this, they would not think of.

Best I can advise is to be sure those close to you are informed of your allergies and know to aggressively impart that information if you are ill or injured and unable to speak for yourself.

tetanus injecvtion is often given after injuries though it depends on the type of the wound/cause.

[ignis]

I didn't get any vaccinations in 1999, or when I came here to live full time in 2003, in all the years here had my yearly Flu shot otherwise no other vaccinations, so far no problems.

​Often wonder if one has an accident do they automatically give you a Tetanus injection here ?

I do have 2 different Hospital cards in my wallet both stating I have an allege with both Tetanus and Penicillin and cannot have these. [ both written in English and Thai] but often wondered if Hospital staff ever check

This is a realistic concern. Indeed they often do not check. And allergy to tetanus toxoid is rare so especially this, they would not think of.

Best I can advise is to be sure those close to you are informed of your allergies and know to aggressively impart that information if you are ill or injured and unable to speak for yourself.

tetanus injecvtion is often given after injuries though it depends on the type of the wound/cause.

Many thanks Sheryl,

always used to have on an Silver Medical Alert Necklace + a white badge on my belt with Alert and a red cross on, which was fine in Europe, but here at a big Private Hospital in an emergency some years ago they had never seen one before, had no idea what the meaning was, and said would never have looked.. so a bit pointless wearing them, just hope they search my wallet and see the Hospital cards.

[Swiss1960]

coming to live in Thailand in few months, took all the vaccinations recommended by the Swiss center for travel medicine which are:

- hepatitis A and B (anybody should have that anyway, NOT Thailand related)

- will bring Malaria emergency medicine (no vaccination)

- NO yellow fever in Thailand needed except when you come from a yellow fever region like parts of Africa

- renewal of diphtheria / tetanus / pertussis

- renewal of rabbies

- japanese enciphalitis (recommended for Thailand, specially if you travel to rural places, not needed for cities like BKK)

- check whether you would need refresh vaccinations for Measles Mumps Rubella, but most people (specially elder ones) do not need them

- polio not recommended / needed for Thailand

All in all, takes me 6 months for everything, so start early if you can. Again, not MY list, it is the recommendation of the Swiss Center for Travel Medicine

[lopburi3]

will bring Malaria emergency medicine (no vaccination)

Wonder what that would be? There is no need for any such medication - if ever required it is available in Thailand and specific to the type/area indicated. Almost no chance of malaria for normal travel or living in Thailand. And all shots are available in Thailand so there is no special need to obtain prior to travel. But understand if free it would be cheaper to obtain before leaving. I would add yearly flu shot to your to-do list.

[Sheryl]

absolutely no need to bring malaria medication...and quite possible that whatever you got would not be effective here anyway.

Malaria transmission is limited to dense jungle along the border, not place where you would be likely to ever be at night. In the very unlikely event you got malaria, the appropriate medication is easily obtained here.

[Swiss1960]

absolutely no need to bring malaria medication...and quite possible that whatever you got would not be effective here anyway.

Malaria transmission is limited to dense jungle along the border, not place where you would be likely to ever be at night. In the very unlikely event you got malaria, the appropriate medication is easily obtained here.

Thank you Sheryl since I would have received it in few weeks, I can take one item off the list