The weather’s warming up, and this time of year often leads to people taking a trip abroad to see the sights.
Last year alone, over 30 million trips were made overseas between March and May, and it’s safe to say many people will want to satisfy their wanderlust again. In addition to making travel arrangements, you also need to think about your health.
Travel vaccinations should be an important part of your plans. Even if you keep up on your vaccines every year, there may be additional illnesses you need protection from, depending on where you’re going.
Dr. Shawn Veiseh and his dedicated medical team help Beverly Hills, California, residents prepare for international travel with travel vaccines and a range of other medical needs.
Here, we help you better understand vaccines, the guidelines for immunizations related to overseas travel, and which ones you should get before you leave.
Your immune system is a network of organs, cells, and tissues that protects you from viruses, bacteria, and other harmful organisms. Vaccines support this system by introducing a harmless piece of a germ—such as an inactivated protein or a weakened toxin—so your body can learn to recognize and fight it in the future.
You won’t get sick from the vaccine itself, though your body may react as it builds protection. Annual vaccinations help keep your immune system ready for the latest strains of circulating viruses.
Getting the proper immunizations varies by destination, but these are the broad strokes of what shots you’ll likely need:
Shots for Hepatitis A are necessary to prevent illness from contaminated food and water and are given in a two-dose regimen. Hepatitis B shots help prevent the disease from sexual contact or contaminated needles.
If this illness is active where you’re going, this shot is essential, as well as washing your hands and avoiding contaminated food and water.
Mosquito bites transmit Japanese encephalitis, so get this vaccine if you’re traveling to rural areas and plan to spend a lot of time outdoors.
This is another illness caused by a mosquito bite. The vaccine is necessary for travel to portions of Latin America, Africa, the South Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.
This class of oral, respiratory, or person-to-person diseases is common to parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Saudi Arabia and requires immunization to protect your health.
In places where this disease is endemic, typhoid vaccinations help save lives. Avoiding contaminated food and drink is also important.
Spending lots of time outdoors when you travel abroad can increase your risk of getting bitten by rabid wild animals, so get this shot before you go.
Some regions of South America and Africa have mosquitoes that carry yellow fever, so it’s important to get vaccinated before traveling to those areas.
As mentioned earlier, there are many illnesses to consider before taking a trip, and the vaccinations you get and when you get them will depend on where you’re going. Some vaccines require more than one dose, so let us know your travel plans early, and we’ll help you map out the right schedule.
To stay healthy when expanding your horizons outside the country, schedule an appointment with Dr. Veiseh today by calling our office or booking online to get your vaccinations in order before you leave.
