So it occurred to me that I’ve been living here for, my god, almost a couple of decades, and I don’t think I’ve had any jabs in that time. Um … is that bad?
First question: are there any vaccines I should be getting boosters on?
Second question: are there other vaccines I should be getting?
Third question: where, how, how much?
I dug up my very bedraggled little yellow WHO booklet. If I’m reading it correctly, it shows:
Tetanus/Diph/Polio, 1996, “10 yrs” written at the side.
Typhoid Vivotif, 1996, 7 years.
Havrix (Hepatitis A), 1996, boost in one year.
(A bunch of Japanese Encephalitis that I don’t think I need to worry about.)
Hepatitis B, 1998, #1, #2, #3 - last one in 2000.
Havrix booster, 1998.
Measles/Mumps/Rubella, 2001 - maybe. The book is a little confusing because I’m not sure which dates are “when I’m scheduled to get the vaccine”, and which dates are “when I actually got the vaccine”.
I also vaguely recall getting a needle at a clinic after an ungrateful stray cat bit me, but I have no records of that. Probably about ten years ago?
And I had whatever was standard for kids growing up in Canada in the 1970s.
U can go take a test if u have antibody for those u mention above. If no, then u can consider taking the vaccine. I had 3 hepatitis b vaccines, but i just didn’t develop the antibody for it. My friend became a carrier of c after getting vaccine.
Hepatitis A has been pretty much dead in Taiwan. Polio, measles too.
Taiwan doesn’t have a strong anti-vaccine cult among parents, so it should be safe in Taiwan. those extinct virus are not making a come back(?)
I handle all this stuff in Canada when I go back during the summers. There are travel health clinics in major cities. The one I’ve visited has excellent nurses that seem to be really on top of things, providing professional advice as well as vaccines/boosters as needed. This may not be the cheapest way to do things but I do not regret it one minute.
Unfortunately Taiwanese travel a lot to places that lack vaccinations habits by poverty or choice. That is why we get measles, chicken pox and others in Taiwan. Anyone who works with children should have their vaccines up to date.
Hepatitis was practically endemic a few years ago. It is a must.
Seems hepatitis is strong now as well. A few years ago made us all worship plastic. Even the gov now is putting up signs NOT to put your poo laced tissues in the trash and flush it. For the last billion years taiwan pipes were “too old” to flush tissues. But seems now they are realising.the health risk to keeping poo next where we prepare.food.
I’m not a vaccine guy, and I come from brain wash capitol of the world. But care needs to be taken with food, bugs and waste areas. If a person is either ignorant and/or frequently in an area that is ripe with said infection, get the shot. The official practice locally is spray the scrap out of things until our cancers can consume our infection haha. Although I don’t thereEis any shot for it, look at mosquito spraying after rains. Malaria is apparently gone, thanks ddt. Just be aware to avoid one health risk don’t great a new one for yourself. Educate yourself, multiple sources. More than online opinions and more tha. Gov.protocol the. Yourerobably good. At least better than.those of us who think a strong dose of ethanol will kill blood borne stuff
