So my brother came over and says he had to have some vaccinations. This gets me thinking. As I have been here a while has the time elapsed on my vaccinations? Do I need to go for a top up or a renewal? Should I have paper work telling me this? Is there paperwork telling me this?
Does anybody know how long vaccines last and what ones you should still have for Taiwan?
[quote=“bigal”]So my brother came over and says he had to have some vaccinations. This gets me thinking. As I have been here a while has the time elapsed on my vaccinations? Do I need to go for a top up or a renewal? Should I have paper work telling me this? Is there paperwork telling me this?
Does anybody know how long vaccines last and what ones you should still have for Taiwan?[/quote]Different countries’ health departments have slightly different recommendations. Commonly recommended vaccinations for Taiwan include at least one of the hepatitises, typhoid, and Japanese B encephalitis. But you really need to consult a trained professional about this stuff, especially as you’ve had some vaccinations before.
When are you next due a trip “back home”, wherever that is? If it’s fairly soon, why not book yourself in with a travel clinic there? I didn’t have a great deal of time to sort that stuff out when I first came here, so I went private, using the MASTA travel clinic service in the UK. They were really efficient. They printed a full medical report on travelling to Taiwan, gave me the necessary vaccinations and also filled in the details of the vaccinations and the renewal/booster dates in a little booklet. They’ve also kept my vaccination records on their system, and the last couple of times I’ve been back to the UK, I’ve taken the opportunity to get my boosters there too.
I guess there are similar companies in most western countries.
You should take all information you or your parents might have about your vaccinations and check with a good doctor or health department. The lifetime on vaccinations depend on various factors. Some information you can find here: immunize.org/catg.d/p2011b.htm
As for Taiwan recommended vaccinations, there are plenty of travel sites who lists them. I don’t think you need more then you need as a base for Asian travelling anyway.