Long-term expats and jabs.

[Vital Spark]

Do any of you long-term expats get your jabs for diseases updated? If so, where, and how much does it cost?

I've been living here for over fifteen years, and before I came out I made sure that all my jabs were up to date. I even paid a lot of money (unnecessarily, I think) to have a jab for Japanese Encephalitis. I must admit to being rather lax in checking my updates for various injections, but I guess I'm now at the mercy of any nasty tropical disease lurking in the environment. I certainly gave up on malaria pills after the first week or so, and would definitely not take them long-term, but what about typhoid, tetanus or hepatitis? I can't get them when I'm back in the UK as I'm no longer a UK resident, and therefore do not have a local GP.

My question is, do I really need them? Or do I just chance it?

VS

[Frank Hovis]

Depends how many Hep-B shots you've had - three is all you need.
Jap Enc is also a three-shot life long immunity jab I think.
Tetanus you should get every 10 years and it IS worth having, especially here where everything scratches and footwear is so flimsy it affords less protection than thick skin.
Typhoid is readily treated with Zithromax.
Malaria is just one of those things you should try to avoid and if you get unlucky there are a wide range of drugs to treat it.

You ought to be covered for Hep-B, Jap Enc already
Tetanus, go get a booster,
Typhoid and Malaria (and Dengue Fever) - avoid getting them where possible, take quick action if you think you have either.

[bonnielass]

Having lived in the Middle East for almost 20 years and visited Thailand on a regular basis since 2000, it has always been a dilemma whether or not to get the recommended jabs, as official sites recommend them for both locations.

Apart from keeping Yellow Fever and Tetanus vaccinations up to date, I have never bothered with the others. And I would never take malaria tablets.

However, as I am heading north of Chaing Mai to some more rural parts in April, I have finally succumbed to having the Hep A and B combined jab.

This sound decision was based on the premise that you can only fly by the seat of your pants for so long....

BL

[MrPlum]

I've travelled for most of my life and all I have taken in the last 15 years is a bag of dried Artemisia Annua which I drank, as tea, daily in India. Only problems have been with contaminated food, usually resolved within 24 hours.

Unless I am in an area where particular diseases are prevalent, I would not personally bother. The Swine Flu caper has made me distrustful of what is in these jabs and just how effective they are. With good health facilities close by, I'll rely on treatment over prevention.

[Takiap]

The last time any jabs was roughly 30 years ago when do my national service. No real reason really, other than I simply can't be bothered enough to actually go an get them. Then again, I'm not a very good example because I don't bother with check ups either.

[midlandmike]

I think the Hep shot is really necessary-- the others less so

[Vital Spark]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I think I'm going to plump for Mr.P's and Takiap's suggestions and just sit back and do nothing. I rarely take medicines of any kind, and, so far, have been disease-free and healthy. Why mess with the machine, when it's working perfectly OK....

VS

[STEVE G]

Last year I got bitten by the neighbours dog, an adopted soi dog and so had Tetanus and a course of Rabies shots. I ended up having them done over several visits to San Paulo as when I tried a couple of smaller clinics they either didn't have the correct vaccines or had a lot of people waiting for treatment.
It was quite expensive, about 5000 bt for the lot including dressing the small punture wound but they were polite and efficient and I have no complaints, except to the dog!

[Frank Hovis]

I would seriously consider having a tetanus booster, as Steve G mentions,it's an automatic shot for puncture wounds if you're in the least bit unsure when you last had one, in every country not just here. Tetanus vaccine is very cheap, less than 100 baht, so a small clinic would be best rather than a posh hospital.

[richard]

Took my little jab register book to my doctor some years back and he just laughed and said forget it, you've been here too long to worry. However, he did emphasise the importance of immediate tetanus and Rabies jabs if attacked

[Dr Mike]

A poster mentioning National service reminds me of a technique I learnt when doing army physicals.
When the recruits were getting shots they would drop their pants and bend forward. The Sarge would give them the shot but a tenth of a second before he gave the shot he would step heavily on one their feet, They never felt the shot, their pain sensory system was distracted by the signal from their foot. I have used the technique with children--get the mother to pinch them just before the needle hits.