Are you current on all your immunizations, if planning a trip to South America?

South America is rich in breathtaking scenery. There is something or the other for the traveler to experience in South America.

However, before planning a trip to America are you immunized with all necessary vaccines?

Firstly, you should check with your family doctor about your past immunizations. This will help verify which all vaccines you have so far and how many booster vaccines you require.

After judging all the aspects, now if you need to get vaccines to travel to South America, you must visit a travel clinic at least six weeks prior to your departure from NYC. This is because travel immunizations need time to become effective in the body.

Following are few vaccines that you must acquire before travelling to America:

• Hepatitis A: This disease is commonly found in South America. It is caused majorly because of contaminated food and water. However, primarily reason of Hepatitis A is contaminated aspect only, but this disease can also occur from personal contact as well.

• Hepatitis B: It is caused through sexual contact and blood transmission. However, vaccine shots of Hepatitis A and B virus, if obtained within six months helps one to be safe from getting infected.

• Typhoid: This disease is not commonly prevalent in South America, but yes, some parts of New York are still exposed to this disease. Therefore, to be on a safe side it is important to get typhoid immunization.  

• Yellow fever: This is the common illness in South America. It is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito. No treatment is there if one is affected by yellow fever, but it can be preventable if one gets vaccinated before traveling to jungle regions or areas which are suspected with yellow fever.

• Rabies: Travelers who are in contact with wildlife or stray animals, or exposed to climbing, they might be exposed to rabies disease. Therefore, before exposing to such areas, it is must to get vaccinated.

• Malaria: If traveler is staying in America for extended period, visiting rural areas or destinations like jungles, then they are at a risk of getting malaria. Therefore, one must take preventive measures to be secured from getting exposed to malaria. 

Travelers usually tend to miss this vaccine because they have an illusion that this disease is not dangerous, but one must not take risk of their life and get themselves vaccinated.

‘Prevention is better than cure’-Does it implies to travellers?

Travelling to remote locations means you will be prone to diseases. Therefore, before travelling to any location, it is must for a traveller to get vaccinated.

The Centre of Disease Control and Prevention, advices travellers to get immunized, before a trip. This because it is vital to be protected against infections or diseases like yellow fever, cholera, hepatitis A and B, and typhoid to name a few.

However, there are few factors that travel clinic doctor take care of before giving travel vaccinations to travellers in NY or anywhere else.

The foremost thing that doctor asks the traveller is location or country where he or she is visiting. Depending on the place where traveller will head, doctor will provide the relevant vaccine to him or her. 

Next factor to consider is season. This is because many diseases are dependent on the certain period of time. For example, rainy season in some area of location is ought to provide diseases like malaria which can be life threatening.

Besides season, the area where one is staying is also must to consider. This is because if traveller is staying in a rural location he or she is more prone to diseases as compared to traveller who will be residing in an urban area. The quite obvious fact behind it is rural areas are not clean and can tend to make people ill.

Next factor is age and health of traveller. If person visiting the remote location is of old age and is prone to some medical problems then he or she has higher risk of getting infected to diseases prevalent in remote locations.

People who are suffering from immune deficiencies or have some major illness like HIV, they cannot get themselves vaccinated because travel vaccines can cause health issues to them. However, doctor will let the traveller know all the facts beforehand but to be on a safe side voyager must also tell each and everything clearly to the travel doctor.

Last but not the least factor is activities in which one is involved. For example, a health professional, who has come to Africa on a medical trip, he or she will be prone to diseases because they would have to come in touch with various patients which might be infected with diseases prevalent in Africa like yellow fever.

You’re in perfect shape, and no disease can affect you, right? Wrong!

While it’s true that the immunity level of your body plays a great role in how you tackle diseases and infections, there are certain illnesses that your body just doesn’t have the capacity to deal with effectively. This is because it’s never come in contact with them before.

The reason is simple; you live in a geographical area, where these diseases don’t prevail. As soon as you visit a place, where they thrive, you are instantly prone to acquiring them.

This is why in case you are planning a trip, abroad, in the coming future, you ought to prepare your body for the diseases present there, today. If you live in or around New York, there are travel clinics in NY that can guide you as to what diseases prevail in which parts of the world, and increase your immunity by giving you a vaccination, for the same.

Even if you are going on a business trip, don’t make the mistake of thinking, you’re safe because you’d be spending most of your time indoors, and won’t come directly in contact with disease prone environment. Rather, ensure that you reveal a detailed version of your travelling plans to the doctor at the clinic, so he can give you a suitable doze, and if necessary, more vaccinations than one.

Most fatal diseases either never existed, or have been eradicated here in the US. If you’re an American resident, you are not at a great risk of Hepatitis, Typhoid, Meningitis and the likes of such devastating diseases. While the health system of America is advanced, and very stable, that is not the case with other countries, especially in Asia and Africa.

The good part is that getting immunized before travelling in neither expensive nor time consuming. In a matter of just a couple of hours, and just a few dollars, you’d be prepared to enjoy your outing, whether it is for the purpose of business or leisure.

Besides, in many cases, you are legally obliged to get immune before visiting certain specific areas, abroad. The effect of each vaccination is long, so that works out perfectly even in case of frequent travelers.

The internet is the most convenient source of locating the best place to get vaccination from, so get browsing, right now!

Are you aware of the cost of travel vaccines?

If you are travelling to remote locations, you need to get required vaccinations. Especially when travelling to countries like Africa where higher health risk is involved, it is must for a traveler to be immunized.

Vaccines should be taken prior to the trip, which means at least four to six weeks before migrating from United States. The list of vaccines, which a traveler might have to get, is as follows: TD (tetanus/diphtheria) MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), typhoid, Japanese Encephalitis, rabies, polio, meningococcal meningitis, Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B.

However, getting of vaccination largely depends on various factors like country where one is travelling, location of stay, activities in which one will get involved and vaccines that a traveler has taken so far.

Besides all these factors, the number of vaccinations that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends it is obligatory for travelers to get. For example, if traveling to sub-Saharan Africa, you need to get yellow fever vaccine. If in case, traveler fails to get the vaccine, then he or she is not allowed to leave United Stated; and not permitted to enter by the respective country, where traveler is visiting.

After determining all these factors, doctor will provide travelers relevant travel vaccinations in NYC. Talking about the cost of vaccines, here is detailed list of it:

Yellow fever shot costs about $130 to $375, which is the most expensive shot out of all vaccines.

• Rabies shot cost between $400 and $1,000.
• Typhoid vaccination cost about $40 to $150 per shot.
• Meningitis vaccine costs $45 to $125 per shot.
• Hepatitis A shot cost is between $45 and $110.
• Hepatitis B shot is given in three different shots and each shot costs $45 to $80.
• For children polio shot is must, which costs between $10 and $30.

The doctor will provide the vaccines to traveler at his or her travel clinic. Once shots are given, doctor will provide certification, which will be proof of traveler that he or she is vaccinated and fit to enter the country. However, before making a choice for clinic, make sure you have chosen a reliable and reputable clinic of your vicinity.

Therefore, if you are planning to go abroad then make sure you have got yourself vaccinated because travelling to risk prone areas is very hazardous for you and your family.

Trip to Central and South America is not safe without yellow fever shots

Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans through bite of a mosquito. This disease is very common in Africa, Caribbean, and Central and South America. Till today, this disease has affected millions all across the globe.

Anyone planning trip to these countries should get immunized with yellow fever shot in NYC. Traveling to countries where this issue is quite common is risky without travel shots. Nobody likes to fall sick, when they are out on a vacation with their family and friends.  On suffering from an issue, you may take two to three weeks to recover from this problem. If not diagnosed properly, it may leads to death of a person. That is why, it is important that you must get immunized before you travel to foreign country.

Apart from this, do you know what happens to individuals suffering from this problem? An individual suffering from yellow fever will experience high temperature, headache, constipation, vomiting, kidney and liver inflammation and body ache. These are some of the common symptoms that most of the people face on suffering from yellow fever.  However, other issues can also arise. The signs and symptoms also vary from one person to the other.

How to protect yourself?

A single shot of yellow fever vaccination is good enough to protect you from this disease for years to come. Anyone who is more than nine months of age can go for this vaccination but pregnant women and individuals suffering from any immune system issues should consider an expert to protect you in the best possible manner. In addition, it is a safe vaccination that will keep you safe on traveling to locations that may put on risk of suffering from such problems.

Once you decide to get immunized with this vaccination, you need to visit a travel clinic. Such clinics are specifically meant for people who are planning to go out from their country. These clinics are staffed with expert doctors who possess wide knowledge of health issues common in different corners of the world.

Besides this, it is also important to know reaction of vaccination with which you are immunized. Only the experts will let you know reactions or side effects associated with vaccination and how to recover from such reactions.

One needs to discuss important details of the trip with these doctors to take adequate precautions in advance that will protect you from different health conditions prevalent in different countries. Moreover, they will also share valuable tips with you that help you in minimizing effects of jet lag.

Some must-know facts about yellow fever!

A viral disease caused by the bite of mosquito lead to yellow fever, which is a very common disease epidemic in the areas of sub - Saharan  Africa  and tropical  South America.

Symptoms like flu, fever with discharge of blood clearly signifies the occurrence of yellow fever.

Following are some essential facts about yellow fever that you must be aware of:

Where yellow fever is widespread? 

     

Yellow Fever is commonly found in the areas of West and Central Africa and in parts of Central and South America.

How traveler come in contact with it?

As discussed above yellow fever is caused because of the bite of mosquito, but this disease is epidemically found in the areas which are highly prone to rainy and dry seasons. People living in those areas are not much affected by the disease as compared to travelers who are visiting those areas. This is because they have a higher risk of coming in contact with infected mosquitos.

How to protect yourself?

You can protect yourself from yellow fever in two ways: firstly get the yellow fever shot before you travel and secondly follow the protective measures against insect bites while you're traveling.

Along with yellow fever, various other vaccines would be provided to you, which are categorized in three types: routine, recommended, and required. Looking into the details of your trip like country you travelling, area where you will reside and activities in which you would be involved, all the necessary vaccines would be given to you which will help safeguard you from the diseases.

Visiting a travel clinic is must, if heading for a trip to sub - Saharan Africa and tropical South America. The doctor will guide you and provide you all necessary precautions that will help safeguard you from the disease prevalent there called yellow fever.

Who should get yellow fever vaccine?

Anyone travelling to areas of sub - Saharan Africa and tropical South America needs to get themselves immune with Yellow Fever vaccine

What to expect after vaccination?

Yellow fever vaccine is unlike to regular vaccines. A person getting vaccine of yellow fever will face adverse reactions like headache, muscle ache, low grade fever, and soreness. These reactions usually occur in 1 to5 days after immunization. 

One might get severe allergic reactions as well, like shortness of breath, lip or tongue swelling, difficulty breathing, encephalitis, etc. In such cases, person must visit the respected doctor from whom he or she had got vaccination.

A typhoid vaccination is a must before a trip to South East Asia!

Typhoid is a very common disease caused by bacteria and flying insects that fed on feces and contaminate food and water. When planning to travel to countries that are prone to typhoid fever, one should be careful while consuming raw vegetables, fruits, milk, dairy products, water and sea food.

Signs and symptoms of typhoid fever

The signs and symptoms of typhoid fever are similar to the symptoms of common illnesses such as cough and cold. There are different symptoms that may or may not appear on the person suffering from this issue. However, the common symptoms are sustained fever, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, constipation, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Significance of typhoid travel vaccination!

It is rightly said that prevention is better than cure. When you are going out for a vacation with your family and friends, you will expect good time and full enjoyment with them. Nothing could be worse than falling sick on a vacation. That is why; it is good to take precautionary measures in advance to avoid such circumstances.
Visiting a travel doctor is the best option to prevent falling ill on a vacation. The doctors will give you a clear idea about travel medicines that you will need before you leave NYC.

Travel vaccination for typhoid minimizes risk of being suffering from this disease, when you are planning a foreign trip. However, there are some countries that do not give entry to foreigners till they show a proof that they have been immunized with certain vaccinations. Most of the countries take such measures to prevent spreading of diseases in their own countries.

Therefore, you must not take risk of going on a foreign land without getting immunized. The situation worsens when you a visit a country that is not equipped with adequate medical facilities. In such conditions, there is a possibility that you may not get the right treatment.

The situation will be different if you schedule your meeting with a travel doctor before moving out from your country. Discuss important details of your trip with them and they will let you know what to do and what not do on visiting a particular country.

In addition to this, some people react to altitude changes. These doctors will give beneficial tips that will help in coming out effectively from a condition known as jet lag.

Therefore, you should visit a travel clinic to get valuable information that will help you in staying fit and healthy during your trip.