GoBackpacking

I made a third lunchtime trip to my local travel clinic in as many months on Wednesday. I’ve got their whole routine down, and find myself feeling more and more impatient with each visit. I just want them to give me the “shot of the day” so I can get the heck back to work.

The $98 Yellow Fever shot felt like all the rest. Unfortunately, my health insurance won’t cover this one, as it’s probably considered a “travel immunization” which is specifically excluded. At least I’ve got 100% coverage on all the others I’m getting as part of my preventive benefits.

I’m down to needing a third Hepatitis B shot (late October), and if I’m feeling frisky, the Meningococcal vaccine. While the maps indicate the disease is only a serious threat in the middle of Africa, I was advised that sleeping in dorm style rooms might be sufficient risk to make it a worthwhile jab. I have little interest in spinal meningitis, so I’ll probably get it on my fourth and final visit to the clinic.

I also picked up a 2-week prescription for Doxycycline, an antibiotic used to prevent Malaria. I wanted to test it out while I’m still in the USA to ensure I don’t have any adverse reactions. Next week, I’ll share more about the reason I chose this drug over the 3 others (Chloroquine, Malarone, and Lariam).

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Additional Resources: SmarTravel Profiles on 220 countries. USA Center for Disease Control - Traveler’s Health section. Immunization Action Coalition - Vaccination Information for Healthcare Professionals.

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