Traveling to Thailand and China-Do I need shots?

[PeteT]

Might be a stupid question and I really didn't think about it until now, but the wife and I are going to Thailand and China for a couple of weeks. Do I need to get extra shots and is it too late if we are leaving next week? Both of us are in good shape and since it is a business trip for her we will be staying in nice hotels. The CDC recommends Hep A, B, Typhoid and Japanese encephalitis. Might be going to some rural areas but shouldn't have any contact with animals. I guess Hep A, Hep B can be spread through food and water. Obviously only bottled water but what about the food?
Thanks for the tips.
Pete

[vash]

i got the shots. everything except the malaria stuff.

there is some lead time. i did it two months before my first trip. there is a follow up booster. i would call your doc ASAP. unless you are kaiser, then in that case you are hosed.

i leave for southeast asia on wednesday!!!! sawadde KRUP!

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by PeteT

Might be a stupid question and I really didn't think about it until now, but the wife and I are going to Thailand and China for a couple of weeks. Do I need to get extra shots and is it too late if we are leaving next week? Both of us are in good shape and since it is a business trip for her we will be staying in nice hotels. The CDC recommends Hep A, B, Typhoid and Japanese encephalitis. Might be going to some rural areas but shouldn't have any contact with animals. I guess Hep A, Hep B can be spread through food and water. Obviously only bottled water but what about the food?
Thanks for the tips.
Pete

Yes. The CDC is right.

The shot suck, but the alternative more so.

Have fun...where in Thailand are you going?

[PeteT]

Thanks for the replies guys. I kinda of answered my own question after reading more. Yeah I am going to go tomorrow and get them. It will at least cover 80% of the nasty stuff. Should of done this stuff eariler but oh well.
Seahawk-flying into Bankok and after that I have no idea. Wife's trip I am only going for the ride. We are traveling with someone that lived there for a long time so hopefully she will be the tour guide.
Thanks
Pete

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by PeteT

Thanks for the replies guys. I kinda of answered my own question after reading more. Yeah I am going to go tomorrow and get them. It will at least cover 80% of the nasty stuff. Should of done this stuff eariler but oh well.
Seahawk-flying into Bankok and after that I have no idea. Wife's trip I am only going for the ride. We are traveling with someone that lived there for a long time so hopefully she will be the tour guide.
Thanks
Pete

Try to get off the beaten path a bit...great time of the year to go.

While touristy, the Bridge of the River Kwai (based on the construction of the Burma Railway) tour is a nice day.

Enjoy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_on_the_River_Kwai

[Rick Lee]

I don't know what the weather is like in Thailand this time of year, but last time I went to China it was scorching hot. I was due for Tetanus anyway and my doctor suggested MMR and Hep A while I was at it. He also gave me a presc. for Cipro in case I needed it. I was way out in the Tibetan bush, ate stuff you can't imagine, both from street vendors and in private homes (Tibetans don't bathe AT ALL). Never had a problem and savored every meal. I'm going again for Xmas, but expect the really spooky diseases are harder to get in the very cold winter.

[RWebb]

depending on what part of the country, you will need a lot of shots

I'd take along several clips.

[PeteT]

Ok you guys are scaring me now. The weather in Thailand is still hot and humid. The weather in Beijing is high of 60. Part of the wife's business trip is to check out some of the schools that her foundation has given money to. I am looking forward to experience some of the culture not just in the big cities. The reason I didn't make a big deal about the shots is that the wife's sister went to Beijing for the Olympics and didn't talk about the shots. Maybe I never asked.
thanks
Pete

[kimlangley7]

I lived in Lopburi [about 100km north of Bangkok] as a kid [64-66]. My dad was a US Army advisor to the Royal Thai Airborne school.

We went to Pattayh Beach before it got all commercialized.

Up country > Changmai is nice > but now fully commerc ialized..

Really like Thailand.. nice people...

[alf]

I live in Shanghai now, was in Beijing last week. Beautiful weather there, clear blue skies and about 60ish. Gets cold at night though.

Obvious stuff...drink and brush with bottled water, eat cooked food, clean or peel the fruits well. Bring Ammodium AD with you and some Peotol just in case.

[legion]

Depends on what you're in to...

[Tobra]

might want to take some anti-biotics with you too, just in case, depending on where you are going

[shanghai_todd]

I live in Shanghai half the year and travel to Thailand 4~5 times a year for fun and relaxation. Never been sick other than a hang over from drinking and partying to much. Cleaner and safer than Mexico and many border towns. Do worry and have a great time. Would also suggest a massage or bath house if you can get away for some personal time, just watch ut for lady boys in Thailand

[1967 R50/2]

I live in Beijing and have travelled to Thailand. My recommendation would be to get shots.

I would also stock up on Cipro and some anti-parasitical meds like Albenza. Really, really cheap insurance.

Why? Because realistically, your biggest risk is going to be from parasites like guardia and pin worm (had both...at the same time...more than once.) and bacterial diahrrea (had that too). The cysts for both parasites and of course the bacterium are common in the water supply through much of Asia.

Within 24 hours of being in Bangkok, I had traveller's diahhrrea. Bacterial. Cipro cleared it right up. Make sure you drink bottled water and they cook the hell out of whatever you eat. This is not so much a problem in China where most things are steamed, boiled or wok fried...but avoid tap water.

[TheMentat]

Originally Posted by legion

Depends on what you're in to...

BINGO! you might need some when you get back!

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by 1967 R50/2

I live in Beijing and have travelled to Thailand.

Do you ride a bike there? Seems to me that would be a HUGE health risk. Man, the traffic there is nuts. Beijing wasn't the worst for pedestrians, but I've never been so terrified as crossing the street on foot in some Chinese cities.

[vash]

i thought thailand was super clean. i am paranoid, and made a note to be careful with what i ate. i got there, smelled the great food smells, and inhaled all the hawker stand food. not even a questionable fart. i never got sick. this time i am leaving thailand and heading to laos, cambodia and vietnam .

i am ok from my previous shots. i am packing cipro, the pink stuff, ion water purification tabs, and a hand pump water purifier. i will put up the paranoid barrier again.

it is going to be hot over there. pack accordingly. coolmax is your friend.

[1967 R50/2]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Do you ride a bike there? Seems to me that would be a HUGE health risk. Man, the traffic there is nuts. Beijing wasn't the worst for pedestrians, but I've never been so terrified as crossing the street on foot in some Chinese cities.

Mostly I ride a bicycle. Like anything else, you get use to it and now I don't think traffic is so bad.

It's congested,yes.
Drivers are oblivious to other road users, yes.
But everything happens really slowly. No high speed antics to speak of.

[Rick Lee]

I came upon a fatal car accident on the road to Mutianyu a few years ago. It was so horrible to see them pull this lady's body out of the wreck. She was mangled, bloody and limp like a wet noodle. I couldn't figure it out, as the road was totally empty and a pretty decent road too. We saw two more wrecks on that same road on the way back.

[fintstone]

Get the shots!!!