Pages

Friday, August 30, 2013

The dreaded travel shots

Yellow fever.
Malaria.
Rabies.
Typhoid.
Hepatitis A.
Hepatitis B.

The list of travel vaccinations recommended for travelers to Brazil gave me the shivers. I am as needle-averse as they come, and the thought of getting poked so many times gave me pause. Gritting my teeth, I scheduled a call with the local county Department of Health for travel vaccines.


On the appointed day, I showed up and was handed a bunch of forms to fill out, and then led to a waiting room where I had the choice of watching Dora the Explorer or reading a 3-month-old version of "Parenting" magazine. Mercifully, my turn came quickly enough. A kindly nurse inquired "Where in Brazil are you headed ?". She looked up the CDC website on Brazil and told me that Yellow Fever is recommended, not required. They had run out of Typhoid shots as well. Upshot - I ended up getting two shots, and a bunch of pills. Not bad for the peace of mind, methinks.

I travel to India routinely, and I've never taken many of the precautionary vaccines recommended by the CDC. So far, I've not been afflicted by the Plague, Anthrax, Consumption or the assorted litany of ailments. I am hoping that the immunity developed over years of eating street food stand me in good stead.

#ibmcsc brazil

No comments:

Post a Comment