9 Crucial Vaccinations Everyone Needs For Long-Term Travel
By Jane Hurst
If you have long-term travel plans, you will have a lot of preparation to do before you head off on your adventures. One of your preparations must include getting the proper vaccinations. The vaccinations you get will often depend on the locations you will be traveling to. “The vaccinations are important, because there is such a high risk of travelers contracting foreign and deadly diseases.
Without vaccinations, travelers are putting themselves at great risk,” says the expert from Travel Clinic NYC. Below a list of the various vaccinations you need, and why you need them. Talk to your doctor about when to get vaccinations, as they all have different incubation periods and in some cases, booster shots are needed.
1.Malaria
This is another disease spread by mosquitoes. A parasite gets into your bloodstream, and goes into the liver. There, it multiplies and goes back into the blood stream, attacking red blood cells. It is present in more than 100 countries, including many areas of Central and Southern America, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East. Symptoms can include flu-like symptoms, such as chills, headaches, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of red blood cells, jaundice, and anemia. There is no vaccination available, but you can take an anti-malaria pill.
2. Hepatitis A
Travelers contract this disease through contaminated water and food, and through person-to-person contact. Hepatitis A has an incubation period of 3-6 weeks, and vaccinations will protect you from this disease, which symptoms include fever, nausea, rash, vomiting, and diarrhea. Hepatitis A is found all countries that have negligent sanitation.
3. Hepatitis B
This disease spreads from person-to-person through bodily fluids. Symptoms can include joint pain, rash, fever, and if contracted, this disease can lead liver damage and even cancer. Hepatitis B is found in the Middle East, South East Asia, parts of the Caribbean, and in the Western Pacific.
4. Diphtheria/Tetanus/Polio
Tetanus, found all over the world, is a toxin, distributed by spores that get into wounds, and has an incubation period of 3-21 days. Polio is mainly found in Asia and Africa, and can be contracted via food and water, and has an incubation period of 7-14 days. Diphtheria, which is found in sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and parts of South East Asia, is a respiratory illness that you can get through water vapors, and has an incubation period of 2.5 days. The vaccination will protect against all three illnesses.
5. Japanese B Encephalitis
You can contract this disease through mosquito bites. There may be no symptoms, or you may experience fever, encephalitis, meningitis, and even paralysis. Children with this disease have a 30% mortality rate. It can be found during the rainy season in China, northern Burma, eastern and southern states of India, Northern Thailand, northern Sri Lanka, regions of Nepal, Laos, and Vietnam.
6. Typhoid
You can contract this disease through food and drink. Symptoms include headaches, confusion, fever, rash, abdominal pain, and constipation. Typhoid is present all over the world, and worse in areas that have sewage contamination problems.
7. Rabies
This disease mainly affects animals, but humans can contract it from animals if bitten by infected animals. There is an incubation period of 20-90 days, and symptoms can include convulsions, spasms in the breathing muscles, and cardiac arrest resulting in death. It is commonly found in Asia, South America, and Africa.
8. Tick-Borne Encephalitis
Infected ticks spread this disease, as you can also get it by drinking milk from infected animals. Symptoms appear within 7-14 days of a bite, and can include headaches, fever, nausea, and photophobia. Severe cases can lead to meningitis, encephalitis, and muscular paralysis. This disease is found in Austria, the Balkans, the Czech Republic, European Russia, Hungary, Slovakia, Scandinavia, and eastern parts of China.
9. Yellow Fever
This is contracted through mosquito bites, and symptoms include fever, jaundice, hemorrhage, and renal fever. It can be found in tropical Africa. If you have been to an infected area, you may be required to show proof of vaccination before entering certain countries.