One of the big things on our To Do list before we leave is vaccinations. It’s unavoidable that we’ll need to spend some money and time at the doctor’s office to get vaccinated, but it’s also such a large task that we had put it off slightly.

Preparing the different shots for us

Last summer, we located a small medical office that specializes in travel near my office. We filled out some paperwork online, and listed all of the countries that we thought we might travel to (around 20!). We had a consultation with the doctor that took almost an hour and a half and went through each country and each possible disease we could contract from that country. (fun stuff, right?!) Finally, they gave us their recommendations of “must have” vaccinations that are necessary to travel and the optional vaccinations that aren’t necessary, but which might be beneficial to us. We took home a little booklet with all of the information, and then didn’t look at it again for about 9 months.

A couple of the shots stung!

Fast forward to our last month in Detroit, and it was finally time we needed to review everything and start making appointments. Here is the list of everything we are getting:

• Yellow Fever: this was the one “must have” vaccination that is necessary to enter/exit certain countries. You have to show proof that you have the vaccination upon arriving at an airport or you will not be allowed to enter. A large majority of the countries we plan to visit require this vaccination, so this was the first on our list. The shot was $225 per person and lasts for 10 years. When we received this vaccination, Jon got a bit feverish and dizzy that afternoon, but was fine the next morning.
• Polio: we both had a polio vaccination when we were children, so this shot was an adult booster. It’s good for life, so we won’t need to worry about this one anytime in the future. We paid $65 per person for this and neither of us had any side effects.
• Typhoid Fever: since this is transmitted via food or water, and prevalent in many of the countries we will be traveling to, we wanted to get vaccinated against this as well. There were two options: a shot that lasts for 2 years or a series of pills that last for 5 years. Since they were the same cost either way ($100 per person), we elected to go with the series of pills since it would last longer. There are 4 pills that are taken every other day on an empty stomach. They must be taken at the same time and you can’t have any food or water for at least an hour after you take the pill as well. We are taking them at 8:30am, so we only need to go an hour without eating or drinking after that, which isn’t too bad.
• TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis): basically a tetanus shot in case we get bitten by an animal while abroad. I’m actually not positive what the other things are, but it doesn’t hurt to get them! For this shot, we found it at a cheaper rate elsewhere, so are getting this at the local county health department instead of the travel clinic. This is only $20 per person.
  

  Ouchie!

• Japanese Encephalitis: this was the optional one that we had to discuss and decide upon. It’s not required and is pretty expensive, so we talked about this one and researched what exactly JE is. It’s a disease primarily in southeast Asia, transmitted by mosquitoes. There are no known cures and it can be deadly. Jon and I debated this vaccination, but ultimately decided that our health and peace-of-mind are more important than money. For this vaccination, there are two shots that must be received exactly 28 days apart. We had our first while in Detroit, and yesterday made another trip down to receive our second. These shots are $375 per shot, per person, making it our most expensive vaccination.

Along with the vaccinations listed above, they also recommend Hepatitis A and B. I had both when I was in college. Jon was offered a free vaccination while working for a hotel in Indiana, so we took advantage at that time.

Finally, the last item on our list is for malaria. There is no vaccination or shot to prevent malaria, so the only option is pills. The pill recommended by our doctor is Malarone. We’ve done a little bit of research on it – you have to take it 2 days before entering an area known for malaria and continue taking 7 days after you leave the area. It’s not 100% effective against malaria but the pills can also be taken to help combat if you contract it. At the travel clinic where we went, the pills are $6 each, so that could add up quickly. We are still discussing this and researching what other options might be available, so haven’t made any decisions on this yet.

To summarize, the vaccinations that we both received this summer are: Yellow Fever, Typhoid Fever, Polio booster, TDAP, and Japanese Encephalitis. The total cost for all of these is $2,320 (that’s for both of us). A big chunk of change, but we think our health is worth it!