Most Recommended Vaccinations For Us Travellers
What are Travel Vaccinations?
Travel Vaccines or travel Immunization are kind of injection/pills or shots which travelers can get before visiting specific areas of the world. They protect travelers from getting infected with serious infections and diseases. Vaccinations work by exposing the body to germs or parts of germs of the disease it will protect against. You can’t get the disease from the vaccine because the viruses or bacteria are dead or severely weakened. The body responds to the vaccination by making antibodies that will protect you if you are exposed to the disease in the future.
Depending on where you travel, you may be exposed to diseases that are rare and can cause health hazards. For instance, yellow fever is the most frequent disease in the United States. Thus it is a must for you to take some vaccinations before traveling to certain places. It’s essential to get vaccinated at least 4 to 6 weeks before you go. This will give the vaccines enough time to start work and you will be safe while traveling.
Points To Remember
Few things about vaccination you need to remember before traveling to any country:
- Where you plan to visit: Some countries require proof of vaccination for certain diseases, like yellow fever or polio. Traveling to developing countries and rural areas may bring you into contact with more diseases, which means you might need to vaccinated before you visit.
- According to your health conditions: If you’re pregnant or have an ongoing illness or weakened immune system, you may need additional vaccines.
- Knowledge of your pre- vaccinations: It’s essential to be up to date on your routine vaccinations. Diseases like measles are rare in the United States, but they are more common in other countries.
The United States is a great nation that is wealthy in various societies, ways of life, and populaces. Because of its size and changing land highlights, each region in the United States has its very own one of a kind culture and conventions.
Recommended Vaccines For US Travelers
Recommended vaccines are travel vaccinations that can protect travellers in a country/region where there is an intermediate or high risk for contracting certain illnesses. They also help prevent the spread of diseases from one country to another.
The CDC and WHO recommend the following vaccinations for the United States:
- Hepatitis A,
- Hepatitis B,
- Rabies,
- Meningitis,
- Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR),
- Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis),
- Pneumonia
- Yellow Fever
- Influenza type b (Hib)
- Meningococcal
- Pneumococcal
- Pertussis
- Polio
- Rotavirus
All the travelers should have their vaccination records available for the panel physician’s review at the time of the immigrant medical examination.
What Is Yellow Fever?
Yellow fever is a mosquito-borne viral disease present in South America. The infection can range from mild to severe. Vaccination is the best protection against this virus. Yellow fever vaccination is important because of the virus’s high mortality rate.
Symptoms
Mild symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, headache, abdominal and muscle pains. Severe symptoms include hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever.
Yellow Fever Vaccine
The yellow fever vaccine provides protection against the virus for travelers and those living in areas where the disease is present. The vaccine is only available in an injectable form.
Only registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centers can give the yellow fever vaccine and provide the International Certificate of Vaccination (yellow card) to travelers and other individuals. After receiving the vaccine, you will receive an International Certificate of Vaccination (ICV) completed, signed and validated with the official stamp.
Risk Prone Regions
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Venezuela
Also Read: 10 Amazing Facts About Your Immune System
If you are taking medications for a condition like diabetes, there may be certain drug interactions you need to be aware of. Some drugs may reduce the effectiveness of travel vaccinations.
