Travel Vaccines

Planning to go for a holiday?

Whether it’s a weekend trip to Thailand, a volunteering trip to Cambodia or a business trip to Hong Kong, Singaporeans are constantly travelling. It is not uncommon to hear of frightening stories of a simple mosquito bite turning out to be a Malaria infection, or a case of food poisoning after eating contaminated food from a roadside stall.

Save yourself the trouble and heartache of scrapping your travel plans altogether by getting vaccinated prior to your trips.

Here are the important vaccines to consider before you plan to travel:

Hepatitis A

This highly infectious liver disease is spread via contaminated food and drinks and close contact with people who are infected.

It requires 2 shots, 6 months apart and will last for 10-20 years.

Hepatitis B

Unlike hepatitis A, hepatitis B is spread through direct blood to blood contact and can lead to serious liver disease and liver cancer once infected.

It requires 3 shots in 6 months and lasts for about 10-20 years.

You can also consider getting a combination hepatitis A and B vaccine which will be cheaper than getting them separately.

Tetanus

This disease manifests itself as a serious muscle spasms and breathing difficulties. This is another vaccination that we should have gotten as babies but it lasts for only 10 years. So it’s probably worth another shot if you are planning to go anywhere remote or trek outdoors where medical aid is not immediately available.

Influenza

Better known as flu, this disease needs no introduction. You can refer to this for more details on the flu vaccine.

Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR)

Measles causes a rash that covers the whole body and can lead to diarrhoea, ear infections and pneumonia while Mumps is a virus that causes salivary glands under the ears to swell, giving the patient a “hamster-like” face. Rubella is different from measles even though they share common red rash characteristics. It may cause severe harm to the foetus (including deafness) if infection occurs during pregnancy.

You can get yourself vaccinated for all 3 diseases with the 3-in-1 vaccination. It requires 2 doses, one month apart and will last for 10-20 years.

Typhoid

This life-threatening disease is transmitted by bacteria that is present in contaminated food and water especially in rural areas. Common symptoms include fever, abdomen pain and nausea. Serious complications can lead to dehydration, kidney failure or even death.

 

For more information or to check on the availability of each vaccine at our clinic, please call us at 62808080.