Immunization for Thailand
Immunization measures are a must for any traveler who is planning to visit Thailand. Certain vaccinations are recommended for Thailand. Travelers of more than one year of age should take Hepatitis A vaccine at least two to four weeks before departure. To ensure long term immunity, a booster is recommended 6- 12 months later. Well tolerated vaccines are available for the purpose with mild side effects like headache, soreness at the injected spot or malaise. VAQTA by Merck and Co., INC and Havrix by GlaxoSmithKline are the most recommended ones.
The aged adults with chronic liver problems or other health complications should go for an intramuscular dose of immune globulin along with the regular dose of vaccine two weeks before departure. Babies less than one year of age and more prone to allergic reactions to any vaccine component should also be given an intramuscular dose of immune globulin instead of vaccine.
The travelers who will be dealing with rural population are recommended to have Japanese encephalitis vaccine. This is a must for the travelers who will be spending one month in extensive outdoor works in rural areas. Japanese encephalitis gets transmitted by mosquitoes especially from May to October. The northern region of Thailand is more prone to this disease than the southern one. Annual outbreaks are pretty common in Chiang Mai valley. Bangkok suburbs are also sensitive zones.
Typhoid vaccine is recommended for non business travelers who will be staying long in Thailand. This vaccine is must for those who will not restrict their meals only to the reputed restaurants and hotels. The most common known typhoid vaccine is Vivotif Berna which is given orally and is available in the form of capsules. Side effects are not that dangerous. You might have some kind of abdominal discomfort, rash or nausea.
Hepatitis B vaccine is also needed for immunization for travelers who are not vaccinated before. Side effects are mild with insignificant fever and discomfort at the injected spot. In some rare cases severe allergic reactions also occur.
Travelers who will be spending most of their time at outdoors should have Rabies vaccine. Children love to play with animals and so they are more prone to this infection. Dog bites are a major concern in Thailand. Side effects include pain at the injected spot, abdominal pain, nausea, allergic reactions, headache, dizziness, muscle aches etc.
Tetanus- diphtheria vaccine is a must for all the travelers who have not received tetanus- diphtheria immunization for the past 10 years. Measles-mumps-rubella vaccine should be given to pregnant women before they travel to Thailand. Polio vaccine is not recommended for adult travelers in Thailand. Childhood polio immunizations are enough as polio case has not been reported in Thailand for several years. Cholera vaccine is also not recommended although cholera is reported in Thailand. Yellow fever vaccine is must for travelers of more than one year of age.
Recent outbreaks include dengue fever, chikungunya fever, cholera, Legionnaires’ disease, avian influenza, leptospirosis, botulism, malaria, hand foot and mouth disease and many more. Thus, one must take immunizations seriously before visiting Thailand. Thailand is presently experiencing epidemic HIV disease and in most of the cases, HIV infection is transmitted through prostitutes of both sexes.
