As my friend Laura and I were talking about our upcoming trip to Argentina, she suggested we find out what shots we'd need to get beforehand.
Shots?
The last time I got immunizations for travel was in 1998, before I spent the summer in Venezuela. Since then, I've traveled in Ecuador (twice) and Mexico (four times). I never got any shots and never had any problems.
But I'd rather be safe than sorry, so I figured I'd go and get whatever was recommended for Argentina.
The confusing part is that the recommendations vary. Some say I should also get a yellow fever shot if I'm going to visit Iguazu Falls on the Brazil border. Others recommend anti-malaria and dengue meds. I don't know which are most important. The ones that seem standard are Hep A and typhoid.
Then they told me that it would cost upwards of $200 just for the office visit, Hep A and typhoid . And it likely wouldn't be covered by my health insurance.
Now, I'm not so sure.
I know they figure if people can afford to take an international trip, they should be able to afford the vaccinations out of their pocket as well. But in my case, this is something I've been saving for for a while and budgeting carefully. The vaccinations part took me by surprise. And Hep A is something that pops up now and then here in the United States, so it's considered part of your routine immunizations (like influenza, MMR, etc.).
Seeing as I'm only a little more than two weeks from my departure date, I need to make a decision soon because the shots need some time to build up in your system.
I keep going back and forth whether to spend the money and get the shots or not bother and take my chances, as I have done before.
What do you think? Any recommendations?
Jen....you can check for vaccination info at the U.S. Dept of State or click on this link for the Centers for Disease Control recommendations http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationArgentina.aspx
If you do need a HPA vaccination, you should do so ASAP since the first series takes a minimum of 2 weeks to build any kind of immunity to HPA. It is a 2 shot series of vaccinations. You might want to have an HPA titre done first to see if you have any immunity.(they check for the HPA surface antigen) Another option is a preventative dose of immunoglobulin (IG) which should be ok for a short term visit. Check with your PCP to see what he/she recommends.
I just went thru the same process for my clinical rotations a few months ago. Good Luck.
Get the shots!!!