Going to Africa: What Should I Get Vaccinated For? Posted: 09-30-07 21:47pm
I'm planning a huge trip to Africa to
hopefully build low-income
houses/schools/hospitals, and generally
helping.
The details aren't perfectly scheduled,
but i'm getting there.
What kind of diseases should i look out
for, and what should i get vaccinated for?
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marvel
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Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1099 Location: Toronto, Ontario (but only a private message away)
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Posted: 09-30-07 22:24pm
Aside from the basic childhood
immunizations you normally get, Hepatitis
A, Meningococcal meningitis, Rabies and
Typhoid vaccinations are highly
recommended. If you're going to a Yellow
fever prone area (I don't know if there
are any in Africa, you'll have to do your
research), it's good to get that taken
care of as well.
You'll also have to look into malaria
prevention. There are many preventative
pills out there that you can take. There
are also new pills you can take when you
THINK you have it (though these, I hear,
are not highly recommended, and they're
pricey). I took Doxycyclene (a once-a-day
pill to help prevent malaria) when I went
to south asia, and the only problem I had
was heartburn.
There are travel clinics in many cities
across North America that I highly
recommend you visit. They will be able to
recommend vaccines and medication to you
based specifically on where you're going.
They'll also set up post-trip appointments
to make sure you're healthy when you get
back.
