Should pilots get vaccines/meds for foreign countries?

[Beetle007]

I'm curious if pilots for companies like American, Delta, and Continental ever have problems with going to countries that the CDC recommends taking vaccines or meds prior to travel because Americans haven’t built up immunity to many viruses. Has it ever been an issue?

I thought about this after I heard of a flight attendant contracting Dengue fever in a Central American country from a mosquito bite last week. Then that very night I got bit by a mosquito in a foreign country. It made me think.

I did some research and realize that countries down south have stuff like Malaria (from mosquitoes) that the CDC recommends travelers take medication weeks prior to travel (There are no vaccines for Malaria and Dengue Fever).

So what are crew members supposed to do, just apply lots of bug repellant?

 

[Doug Parker]

So what are crew members supposed to do, just apply lots of bug repellant?

Dude, the bug repellant doesn't work................

Caught crabs, even though I used a liberal dose of OFF on the "southern forest" while in Costa Rica.

Next time, I'm gonna shave!



.

 

[khsgt]

I have all of the recommended shots, plus malaria pills....Company paid for infact.

I'm overseas more then most, but better safe then sorry

 

[tyuwerty]

You are in a sealed tube with people returning to or leaving these places. If overnighting, you are in contact with the food and the general population of people and insects.

I get the vaccinations, but I don't take the anti-malaria meds. I would check with your AME on that one.

 

[luckytohaveajob]

I got the hep A, B, TB, and Polio booster. Right after I got them I had to research them for another reason unrelated to flying.

I would not have gotten them two years ago if I knew what I found out last year.

The vaccines only prevent the diseases LESS than 60% of the time. Plus all the diseases that the vaccines treat are bacterial which is easily cured by antibiotics after the fact.

Antibiotics have no long term side effects while vaccines have many.

Vaccines are all made from a basis of formaldehyde, mercury, and aluminum phosphates. Depending on the manufacturer one of those three ingredients are in every vaccine. Those compounds and elements DO NOT leave the body and create all kinds of long term effects.

Make the decision yourself but I would have not done it had I been properly advised in advance which you will not be as the drug companies and doctors are about selling products verse providing health.

I will never get another vaccination again.


http://www.whale.to/vaccines/risk.html

http://www.vaccineinfo.net/immunization/immunization_risks_serious.shtml

http://www.vaccinetruth.org/page_23.htm

 

[Captain X]

CAL will pay for the immunizations recommended/required by the CDC for the geographical area for which fleet you are assigned to operates in.

You go to the CDC website and get the info, fill out the form in the Chief Pilot's office and take it to the company clinic.

 

[gutshotdraw]

I didn't go to med school, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. But I don't think anti-biotics will do a whole lot for Hepatitis A or B. Depending on the strain, anti-biotics are marginally effective against TB. And anti-biotics can and do have side effects, some long-lasting.

That said, I have also been reluctant to have the full spectrum travel vaccinations even though my company will pay for them and recommends them for all crewmembers given the far-flung destinations common in our operation.

 

[Captain X]

I got the hep A, B, TB, and Polio booster. Right after I got them I had to research them for another reason unrelated to flying.

I would not have gotten them two years ago if I knew what I found out last year.

The vaccines only prevent the diseases LESS than 60% of the time. Plus all the diseases that the vaccines treat are bacterial which is easily cured by antibiotics after the fact.

Antibiotics have no long term side effects while vaccines have many.

Of the immunizations you mentioned, only one is caused by bacterial infection -- TB. And according to the last guy who brought it to the US and had "Anti-biotic Resistant TB" I don't know that one can say confidently they are all "easily cured by antibiotics after the fact." [sic]

The others that you received vaccines for, Hepatitis and Polio, are VIRAL infections. Antibiotics will have NO EFFECT WHATSOEVER on these types of infections. When doctors prescribe antibiotics in such cases they do so as a prophylactic measure to treat secondary BACTERIAL infections which may occur due to a suppressed immune system. Many times they prescribe them unneccesarily and that leads to "anti-biotic resistant" mutations.

And you are truly naive if you think that antibiotics have no long-tem effects as well. Many of them contain the same compounds you mentioned below whereas many viral immunizations contain attenuated versions of the virus so your body reacts normally and creates anti-bodies to the antigen. Today many anti-biotics are synthetic or mineral compounds that make your blood "toxic" to the antigen.

There are many variations of infections that you can get travelling outside of the US to include both bacterial and viral meningitis, pneumonia, sleeping sickness, malaria, measles, dengue fever, typhoid, etc.

Many of these viral or bacterial infections are caused by insect bites (Mexico, Central/South America, Caribbean) and it is wise to have some insect repellent to wear.

I should have continued on to med school. But what do I know with a degree in Microbiology?

 

[Beetle007]

That is good that Continental offeres to pay for meds/vaccines. Does anyone know if American, Delta or others pay for it?

I guess I am just curious what is the industry standard? I wonder if the company has any liability if they don't pay for it.

 

[GogglesPisano]

That is good that Continental offeres to pay for meds/vaccines. Does anyone know if American, Delta or others pay for it?

I guess I am just curious what is the industry standard? I wonder if the company has any liability if they don't pay for it.

At Delta, certain equipment/categories require immunizations. The costs are expensed.

At World they drive you to a clinic during indoc and pay for the shots.

 

[igneousy2]

I just went to my doctor and she got it approved from my medical insurance company based on the fact that these vaccines are recommended by the CDC for people who travel to at risk places (pretty much everywhere but the US and Canada). There wasn't even a co-pay.

I would think that most insurance companies would decide to pay because vaccines are cheap compared to having to pay to treat someone...even if they only reduce the risk by 60%.

Later

 

[MD11Drvr]

One of the smartest things I did was to hold on to my shot records from Basic Training and I have since added several more. As mentioned in an earlier post World does the vacs in indoc and ATI did the same thing. Have not caught anythiiiing so far besides a little food poisoning and that just serves to clean out the plumbing......