Travel Medicine & Vaccination

I am definitely one to be cautious when travelling to a new country when it comes to my health versus throwing caution to the wind. To each his or her own - I know friends who have travelled to India with very little medication and vaccinations while others who have done more. I decided to go to our local Travel Medicine & Vaccination Centre for a consultation, which cost me a worthwhile $45.

So after going through my medical history, condition, and trip, what medication and vaccinations did I get? I also included booster requirements, which indicate how long I'm good for.

• Tetanus/Diphtheria - this is free and covered by our MSP with a booster in 10 years
• Polio - this is free and covered by our MSP and no booster required for life
• Measles, Mumps, Rubella - this is free and covered by our MSP and requires a booster in a month
• Hepatitis A - $60 and requires a booster in a year ($45)
• Typhoid - $50 for capsules because I didn't want anymore injections; booster in 5 years
• Traveller's Diarrhea (Azithromycin) - received prescription
• Malaria (Malarone) - received presciption

Again, it's up to each traveller what they would like to get. My risk tolerance was much higher when I was younger during my backpacking years but now especially as a single parent, my tolerance for risk is lower. Of course, there are the general rules about water, food, mosquito bites, etc.

I should add that my company benefits cover a good percentage of these drugs minus the consultation.

Thank you for letting me share this part of my world with you!