i am immune!!!

In preparation for my upcoming trip to Thailand, I got in touch with a couple of travel medicine clinics to compare the prices for the impressive array of vaccines I'll be needing for both Thailand and Ethiopia. After doing some research, I decided to get the following vaccines:

Hepatitis A
Typhoid
Tetanus / Diptheria
Yellow Fever
Polio

I chose to do the oral typhoid vaccine because it provides 5 years of immunity (versus 3 for the shot). Since it's a live vaccine, it needs to be kept cold. Quote of the day: We have typhoid in our refrigerator... hope it's well sealed!

I will be going back to get the meningitis shot as soon as it's available (apparently there is a manufacturing shortage which is making this vaccine slightly more difficult to come by).

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I already have lifetime immunity to Measels, Mumps, and Rubella. Now that I've had my Polio booster, I will also have lifetime immunity for that. Everything else will last me between 5 and 10 years. I also got a prescription for Cipro, just in case (better safe than sorry!). When I nail down my itinerary for Ethiopia, we'll discuss whether I need anti-malarials.

I got Hep. A and Yellow Fever in my right arm and Polio and Tetanus / Diptheria in my left. None of the shots were all that bad. Hep. A and Polio were cake. I definitely felt the Yellow Fever and Tetanus shots (they're both injected into the muscle), but they were over quickly. I was told that my arms would probably be sore tonight, so we'll have to wait and see.

My wallet took the worst toll. $379, of which insurance will cover zero. Oh well. It actually ended up being less than I anticipated, and much less than estimates I've heard from others...

Interesting story of the day: the girl who had an appointment at the travel clinic before me was preparing to go to Ethiopia for a 4 month study abroad program in Sacred Traditions and Visual Culture. It sounded like an amazing program, and the nurse who gave us our vaccinations said "it's not every day we see someone who's going to Ethiopia... let alone two in a row!"