Getting shots for traveling to China

Hailing all fellow travelers!

I’m planning to travel in China from middle September for a month+. It seems like getting some shots before you go is a good idea. I’ll be spending time mostly in the big cities (Bejing, Xi’An and Shanghai). I have had getting

Hepatitus A+B
Typhoid
Yellow fever
Tetanous
Diphteria
Polio

shots recommended to me.

What do you think? Any more needed, or are they unnecesary? And where in Taipei would be a good place to get these shots?

Thanks
Neilen

Egad, you can tell where MY mind is…I saw shots, and though “Cool! A thread about travel photography!” :slight_smile:). In any case, I’ve never bothered getting any shots when travelling to any place and have never gotten more than a case of food poisoning or aomebic dysenterry from the water. I tend to puncture myself with enough regularity that a tetnus shot seems to happen every 3-5 years whether I want one or not.

I wouldn’t worry too much about shots (personally), just go and have a great time :slight_smile:.

[quote=“brick”]Hailing all fellow travelers!

I’m planning to travel in China from middle September for a month+. It seems like getting some shots before you go is a good idea. I’ll be spending time mostly in the big cities (Bejing, Xi’An and Shanghai). I have had getting

Hepatitus A+B
Typhoid
Yellow fever
Tetanous
Diphteria
Polio

shots recommended to me.

What do you think? Any more needed, or are they unnecesary? And where in Taipei would be a good place to get these shots?

Thanks
Neilen[/quote]

I’m a vaccination enthusiast. But no need to go overboard.

Hepititus B is one you should get even if you don’t travel. The virus is rampant here in Taiwan, as well as China - about 20% of the population are carriers. It’s not highly contagious, and it’s transmitted mostly like AIDS - that is, sexually. So if you’re fooling around with the locals, I suggest getting the shot. Once you’ve become a carrier, it’s too late to get vaccinated - as with HIV, it’s lifetime. However, unlike HIV, hep B is not especially fatal, though it can lead to liver cancer in later life. Taiwan has a very high rate of liver cancer, so take note. Once you’ve been vaccinated for hep B, you will always test positive for it.

Tetanous is a common vaccination, and not specific for traveling. You’ve probably already had this shot, but might want to get a booster. It’s no big deal.

A vaccination that very few westerners get is tuberculosis - almost everyone in Taiwan has this shot in childhood. The reason why it’s not given in the west is because after you’ve had it, you’ll always test positive for tuberculosis whether you have it or not. I’ve had the shot - it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

Just don’t drink the water (unboiled) and you’ll probably be OK.

happy travels,
Robert

Thats wierd. I have received my three hep b shots, and when I do blood tests, I still test negative for it. Are you sure about that?

Well, that’s what I remember reading, but I’ll confess that I could be wrong. I’m surprised you get tested for Hep B - it’s not the sort of thing that gets routinely tested unless you have symptoms.

Anyway, I just now did a Google and found a good web site with info about hep B vaccinations:

vaccineprotection.com/consum … atitis.cfm

regards,
Robert

[quote=“acearle”]Egad, you can tell where MY mind is…I saw shots, and though “Cool! A thread about travel photography!” :)). In any case, I’ve never bothered getting any shots when travelling to any place and have never gotten more than a case of food poisoning or aomebic dysenterry from the water. I tend to puncture myself with enough regularity that a tetnus shot seems to happen every 3-5 years whether I want one or not.

I wouldn’t worry too much about shots (personally), just go and have a great time :).[/quote]

Haha. Actually, I’m a keen photographer, and plan to take a lot of photos in China :slight_smile: I even baught a portable, computerless CD-writer, so I can dump my photos without having to trust a photo shop to do it right, while paying them an arm and a leg to put it on a CD.

[quote=“acearle”]Egad, you can tell where MY mind is…I saw shots, and though “Cool! A thread about travel photography!” :)). In any case, I’ve never bothered getting any shots when travelling to any place and have never gotten more than a case of food poisoning or aomebic dysenterry from the water. I tend to puncture myself with enough regularity that a tetnus shot seems to happen every 3-5 years whether I want one or not.

I wouldn’t worry too much about shots (personally), just go and have a great time :).[/quote]

Haha. Actually, I’m a keen photographer, and plan to take a lot of photos in China :slight_smile: I even baught a portable, computerless CD-writer, so I can dump my photos without having to trust a photo shop to do it right, while paying them an arm and a leg to put it on a CD.

[quote=“acearle”]Egad, you can tell where MY mind is…I saw shots, and though “Cool! A thread about travel photography!” :)). In any case, I’ve never bothered getting any shots when travelling to any place and have never gotten more than a case of food poisoning or aomebic dysenterry from the water. I tend to puncture myself with enough regularity that a tetnus shot seems to happen every 3-5 years whether I want one or not.

I wouldn’t worry too much about shots (personally), just go and have a great time :).[/quote]

Haha. Actually, I’m a keen photographer, and plan to take a lot of photos in China :slight_smile: I even baught a portable, computerless CD-writer, so I can dump my photos without having to trust a photo shop to do it right, while paying them an arm and a leg to put it on a CD.

[quote=“acearle”]Egad, you can tell where MY mind is…I saw shots, and though “Cool! A thread about travel photography!” :)). In any case, I’ve never bothered getting any shots when travelling to any place and have never gotten more than a case of food poisoning or aomebic dysenterry from the water. I tend to puncture myself with enough regularity that a tetnus shot seems to happen every 3-5 years whether I want one or not.

I wouldn’t worry too much about shots (personally), just go and have a great time :).[/quote]

Haha. Actually, I’m a keen photographer, and plan to take a lot of photos in China :slight_smile: I even baught a portable, computerless CD-writer, so I can dump my photos without having to trust a photo shop to do it right, while paying them an arm and a leg to put it on a CD.

Hi

Sorry about that. Everytime I posted my connection timed out, so I assumed it didn’t work! I really did’nt intend to post 5 times.

Apologies
Neilen

[quote=“robert_storey”][quote=“brick”]
Hepititus B is one you should get even if you don’t travel. The virus is rampant here in Taiwan, as well as China - about 20% of the population are carriers. It’s not highly contagious, and it’s transmitted mostly like AIDS - that is, sexually. So if you’re fooling around with the locals, I suggest getting the shot. Once you’ve become a carrier, it’s too late to get vaccinated - as with HIV, it’s lifetime. However, unlike HIV, hep B is not especially fatal, though it can lead to liver cancer in later life. Taiwan has a very high rate of liver cancer, so take note. Once you’ve been vaccinated for hep B, you will always test positive for it.

Tetanous is a common vaccination, and not specific for traveling. You’ve probably already had this shot, but might want to get a booster. It’s no big deal.

A vaccination that very few westerners get is tuberculosis - almost everyone in Taiwan has this shot in childhood. The reason why it’s not given in the west is because after you’ve had it, you’ll always test positive for tuberculosis whether you have it or not. I’ve had the shot - it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

Just don’t drink the water (unboiled) and you’ll probably be OK.

happy travels,
Robert[/quote][/quote]

I actually think I’ve had TB shots, is standard in SA I think. What I’d really like to know, is where is Taipei is a good place to have them done? Would any clinic do, or will it be easier/better at a specific hostpital?

Thanks
Neilen

[quote]
I actually think I’ve had TB shots, is standard in SA I think. What I’d really like to know, is where is Taipei is a good place to have them done? Would any clinic do, or will it be easier/better at a specific hostpital?

Thanks
Neilen[/quote]

I got my TB shot at the Public Health Department (Weisheng Suo) in Tainan. I think they do all the childhood shots that kids need for school (polio, etc). Other non-required vaccinations have to be done at public hospitals.

By the way, it was at the Public Health Department that I was one of the very last people in Taiwan (or the world?) who got vaccinated for small pox. They had stopped with the vaccine over 10 years earlier when small pox was declared extinct, but they had lots of old vaccine in stock. I think it cost me NT$100. The vaccination “took” (I had the standard reaction of a pustule forming) so the vaccine was still good. I just wonder what other “ancient” vaccines they still might have?

regards,
Robert