The cost of travel vaccinations

Travel vaccinations – are they necessary or not?

Well, as I usually err on the side of caution, I thought so.  I have recently just finished getting the required vaccinations to travel to Asia.

I had Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Tetanus, and Rabies – 6 shots in all (plus I recently had my seasonal flu vaccination through work).

So I am now protected to travel, but travel vaccinations can sting more than just your arm ..

How much does it cost to get vaccinated for travel?

Well – I suppose it varies, depending on where you get them. I have heard that getting vaccinations in Asia could well be cheaper.

I have been vaccinated for Hep B in the UK, and from memory (it was 2004) – it didn’t cost that much. Perhaps twenty pounds, and now I am protected for life with that one.

One thing I was shocked at, when I initially arrived in New Zealand, was the fact that you are required to pay for GP visits – at a costly sum of NZ $45 per visit. As I am planning a bit of a big trip around Asia, and don’t really have a full plan, I was unsure what I needed. So I did what most people do and looked it up online.

For most places in Asia, it was recommended to get Typhoid, Hep A and B. That information obtained, I set about looking into how to get vaccinations at my GP. I thought I could just rock up to my GP and say “hey, I need you to give me this, this and this.”

However, that’s not how they do it here, or at least not at my GP practice. You have to go to a specific travel clinic which is actually based at my GP practice, which costs NZ $83 for just the consultation!

When I found this out, I tried to look into alternative ways to get my vaccinations – other GPs (which didn’t work, as I wasn’t registered), and other travel clinics, but they were just as expensive. So I had to suck it up.

My consultation involved talking with the travel nurse – who talked to me about all my destinations (this information was also provided before the appointment). I was given a whole big fat folder full of information – from safety and security, to not drinking the water, water sterilisation, medications if you get sick etc.

The nurse at the time advised me on the different vaccinations I would need, and convienced me into getting the Rabies vaccination, with some scary facts about given biten by dogs, monkeys and other animals. On top of this, she said “it could be possible, given the length of time you are travelling”.

I then went to see the Doctor, who took more of a history about me and checked to see if I was unwell. I found out on top of the Hep A and Typhoid that I needed, that I was also going to need my Tetanus, as it had been 12 years since my last one (you only need it every 10 years, if you are travelling a lot!).

The doctor generally went through all the vaccinations I would have, as well as proving advice and a script (prescription) for every kind of medication that I could take on the road.

I have got something for travellers diarrhea, something to rehydrate me if I am sick, two different types of antibiotic (one for diarrhea and one generalised for a chest/throat infection). I have yet to pick these up, so unsure of the cost of all of this.

I am well aware that you can receive many of these medications overseas for a fraction of the price. I was also given a 5 month supply of Doxycycline; an anti-malaria medication, which because I may be going in and out of high risk areas, I am recommended to take from the get go (from 2 days before I travel, and for 4 weeks after I return home). Again anti malarial medication is personal choice – I’ve heard of a number of Travellers that don’t take them at all!

So there and then, I thought “I need to do it” and started on my first two vaccinations – Typhoid and Hep A.

The cost for this one visit (a travel consultation and two vaccinations) – the grand total of $298. Ouch.

I then commenced on my rabies vaccinations one week later. As I happened to be sharing a vial of the rabies vaccine, I got it slightly cheaper ($90 per vaccine) otherwise it was $140! Rabies vaccinations are given at particular intervals – day 1, 7 and 28. Into the skin, so they leave a lovely little mark (which itches like crazy), and looks like a mosquito bite.

So what is the cost of travel vaccinations – in New Zealand $568. The true cost I guess, is the fact that you are protected (not 100% however) from getting sick on the road.

I am not one to advise for or against things often, but I would recommend before a big trip away from your homeland, to go and see your GP, and chat about your trip and at least get the basic vaccinations (Hep A and B and Typhoid at least, if you’re travelling through Asia). You can also look up the recommended vaccinations for various countries online.

Note also that some countries will require you to show proof that you’ve been vaccinated against Yellow Fever, if you have been to an ‘at risk’ country.

All my vaccinations are now written down in a vaccination record book, which is proof that I had them, and can be good especially if you need to make a claim for a hospital stay for an illness that could have been prevented or helped by having vaccinations. I say it is better to be safe than sorry.