My previous travels outside the U.S. are limited to Greece, Canada, and Mexico. Other than Canada, all of my trips have been very short. So, I haven't had to deal with the travel immunization issues until now.
In January, I had a travel consultation with my medical provider. I felt sorry for her, as my travel plans were "either 3 weeks in Hong Kong and mainland China starting at the end of Februrary, or 3 months in Beijing starting in April." She had to plan for the "highest risk" locations and the earliest possible leave date. That required me to start my immunizations almost immediately, as it takes about a month to complete them. (ADVICE: Have the travel consultation early.)
Because I'll mostly be in cities, the list is fairly short. The list of "required" immunizations is Hepatitis A and B (twinrix), Typhoid, and an MMR booster. They also recommended the first 3 shots in the rabies series. (I asked them if I get a rabies tag -- funny, funny. Everything's a bad joke with me.) When I return, I need to follow up with a TB test.
My experience with the immunizations:
- Twinrix stings.
- Rabies was nothing.
- MMR was kinda painful (but only for a second!).
- Typhoid was 4 pills. (The pills are good for 5 years. The shot for 2. I went for the pills.) I might have been a little nauseous the first day, or maybe that was the movie theater popcorn that afternoon.
I was kinda surprised that I don't have to take anything for malaria and other mosquito-bourne illnesses, but I guess that's only for some rural areas. However, they did suggest DEET and long-sleeve shirts.
It's something like 7 weeks and counting. I hope to have my itinerary soon.
