Vaccination for Pilots?

[crewa2]

Just wondering if any you world travelers out there get regular vaccinations and if so which ones do you get, Tetnus, Yellow Fever, Cholera etc..

Thanks for any help

 

[Gulfstream 200]

start a PHS-731 yellow "shot card" (US Dept of Health and Human Services.)

Your Dr, compnay nurse, clinics will have them.

Shots to get depends where you go.

good start is:

- Varicella (Chicken Pox)
- MMR (measels Mumps Rubella)
- Hepatitis A,B (1,2,3 shots)
- Typhoid
- Polio
- TB test
- Yellow Fever

The yellow fever (good for 10 years?) is very important as it needs to be done 14 days (?)before traveling to places like Brazil. Show up without, they very well may quarantine you for that long to show you dont have it. scary.

I just assume do them all and be covered. Europe travel is no big deal but start getting into India, Southeast Asia, parts of S. America...better to be safe than sorry.

good luck!

 

[cj610]

How much for these shots?

All these shots sound like a good idea for those that do alot of traveling. Who foots the bill for all these shots? How much do they cost out of pocket?


CJ610

 

[Gulfstream 200]

i assume your company pays for the shots if they are sending you to these places..

If not check w/your DR or local clinics I would say.

 

[SCT]

My company only requires Hep A-B, but everyone has most of the vaccines G200 listed. When an overseas or S. American trip is booked, our dispatch department researches all entry requirements for the destination country. Our company insurance pays the majority of the vaccine cost and the company pays our co-pay.

Has anyone had any bad reactions to the vaccines?

SCT

 

[Gulfstream 200]

I did 10 in one day before..

no real reactions, just felt like got hit by a truck..

they say the yellow fever one is the worst. I believe its a live vaccination.

 

[typhoonpilot]

There is a very good book, Traveler's Health, by Dr. Richard Dawood that you may want to read if you are going to be doing a lot of foreign travel. In it he has tables of all diseases and areas of the world affected. Also has good tables on which vaccinations/immunizations for a given area. I don't generally like to read those kind of books but found this one fascinating, maybe because I go to so many places and it's nice to be aware of what's out there.

In addition to what G200 said, and depending on where you are going, you need to look at Meningitis and Encephalitis. At a minimum I wouldn't travel overseas without a Tetanus/Diptheria booster and a Hepatitis A shot. The current Havrix vaccine for Hep A is a two shot series but you have good protection after the first shot. I would say it's a good idea to get MMR and Polio boosters as well. If you are going to be swapping bodily fluids with the indigineous population then a Hepatitis B series would be in order, especially for travel to Eastern Europe and Asia.

Malaria is another one to be aware of if you are travelling to Africa or parts of Asia. I won't ever take Lariam ( mefloquine ) again, it made me wicked dizzy. If I have to I'd try Fansidar, but try finding a doctor in the states that even knows what that is. Another choice would be a Doxycycline tablet daily. That and a gin and tonic every evening and you'll be okay

You are looking at about $75.00 per shot at a private medical clinic, if you can find a county medical facility or other public facility that offers these shots they can be much cheaper. We used to have people in our crew room giving the Hep A and B shots for about $10 to $20 each.

An addendum on TB. The vaccine isn't usually given in the States. The BCG vaccination is still pushed on me by English doctors but I'd really rather not test positive for it the rest of my life. That and risk a fairly big scar on your arm. The efficacy of the vaccine is not very good and you are still at risk of contracting the disease. For all those reasons I refuse the vaccine when offered. Just try to stay out of crowds of poor people hacking their lungs up.


Typhoonpilot