Immunizations for Foreign Travel
My 14-year-old daughter and I are going on a mission trip this summer to the Dominican Republic. After praying about it, talking about it, and thinking about it for two weeks, we made the decision and commitment this past Sunday.
We leave on June 8th, so we have just under four months to prepare. Not enough time, as it turns out, to get the full Hepatitis A and B immunization series. At least my daughter has had them. I think. I have a call in to her doctor. As for me... well, I have time to get two, so hopefully that will be enough.
We also have to make sure our tetanus shots are current. I'm not sure about mine... maybe 1999? I'm trying to find out when I last had one, and it’s turning out to be an adventure of following my medical records around town. (Well, don’t envision any exciting car chases-so far I’ve just been using my phone.) I have a feeling I'll be getting a tetanus shot before we go.
We're also supposed to be getting immunized against typhoid. I'm pretty sure my daughter hasn't had that one. What on earth is typhoid, anyway?
Wikipedia's definition lost me after the first sentence. “The bacteria then perforate through the intestinal wall and are phagocytosed by macrophages.” I think I’ll endure the shot instead of risking perforating and phagocytosing.
I'm wondering if we should get flu shots, too. We've both had the Swine Flu, but I guess there are other types of flu floating around the world. But I wonder if the shots available now will prepare us for flu in June, or flu in the Dominican Republic?
Anyway, it looks like I’m going to feel more like a pincushion over the next four months than I did when I was pregnant. Of course, at the end of the pregnancy you have a wonderful baby (or babies, in my case) so you forget all about the ugly needles. Except I just remembered them.
I hate shots. But it’s for a good cause.
We also have to take malaria medicine while we’re there. I would like to go on the record as saying that I will combat malaria with “OFF” and mosquito netting as well as medicine! And calamine lotion, if necessary. (Well, that won’t help with malaria, only itching…)
We leave on June 8th, so we have just under four months to prepare. Not enough time, as it turns out, to get the full Hepatitis A and B immunization series. At least my daughter has had them. I think. I have a call in to her doctor. As for me... well, I have time to get two, so hopefully that will be enough.
We also have to make sure our tetanus shots are current. I'm not sure about mine... maybe 1999? I'm trying to find out when I last had one, and it’s turning out to be an adventure of following my medical records around town. (Well, don’t envision any exciting car chases-so far I’ve just been using my phone.) I have a feeling I'll be getting a tetanus shot before we go.
We're also supposed to be getting immunized against typhoid. I'm pretty sure my daughter hasn't had that one. What on earth is typhoid, anyway?
Wikipedia's definition lost me after the first sentence. “The bacteria then perforate through the intestinal wall and are phagocytosed by macrophages.” I think I’ll endure the shot instead of risking perforating and phagocytosing.
I'm wondering if we should get flu shots, too. We've both had the Swine Flu, but I guess there are other types of flu floating around the world. But I wonder if the shots available now will prepare us for flu in June, or flu in the Dominican Republic?
Anyway, it looks like I’m going to feel more like a pincushion over the next four months than I did when I was pregnant. Of course, at the end of the pregnancy you have a wonderful baby (or babies, in my case) so you forget all about the ugly needles. Except I just remembered them.
I hate shots. But it’s for a good cause.
We also have to take malaria medicine while we’re there. I would like to go on the record as saying that I will combat malaria with “OFF” and mosquito netting as well as medicine! And calamine lotion, if necessary. (Well, that won’t help with malaria, only itching…)