01 May 2009 08:02
01 May 2009 08:16
01 May 2009 08:25
01 May 2009 09:25
01 May 2009 09:44
01 May 2009 10:37
01 May 2009 12:06
01 May 2009 21:59
01 May 2009 22:25
jivebunnie0 wrote:I work in a medical centre, and I always keep my injections up to date ready for travelling.....You can never be too sure on hygiene abroad.
Imms are not compulsory, but we've had Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio(which comes as one injection), and will cover you for 10 years, Hepatitis A will cover you for 20 years now, if you have the booster 6 months after the initial one. Typhoid will cover you for three years.
My motto is "better safe than sorry"
21 May 2009 13:57
21 May 2009 14:16
Ask you GP what they recommend and go with what they say, if you catch something and you haven't had the jabs don't be surprised if your insurance is invalidated, I remember reading about a case 7 or 8 years back where a bloke was landed with a £40K bill which his insurance refused to pay out because his GP surgery recommended jabs and he caught typhoid.
I will try and find the article
On this forum a frequent answer to this question is "I've been going for years and never had a problem" and this is true most people have never has a problem but isn't it better to be safe than sorry, I recommend that you check with your GP and if they do recommends jabs and you decide not to have them confirm with your insurance company that you will still be covered, remember the jabs are free and it only takes an hour.
If you want some facts then carry on reading.
Typhoid, Hep A and Tetanus are all present in Turkey, mainly in the south east but remember people come from the south east to work in the resorts, someone who has had typhoid may seem totally OK but they can be infectious for a year, if you want to know the symptoms they are as follows:-
HEP A?
Most people get better, symptoms can be severe, even deadly: high liver enzymes, high fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and telltale jaundice. Symptoms last 1 to 4 weeks.
Typhiod (245000 cases in Turkey 1996-2006 see Here )
Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. Persons with typhoid fever usually have a sustained fever as high as 103° to 104° F (39° to 40° C). They may also feel weak, or have stomach pains, headache, or loss of appetite. In some cases, patients have a rash of flat, rose-colored spots.
Tetnus
The incubation period from the time of the wound to the time of the symptoms is anywhere from a day to several months, with an average of about eight to nine days. Initially, individuals are very tired, irritable, have headaches, neck stiffness, and difficulty swallowing. Then comes the muscle rigidity and spasm, which you will have sustained contractions of muscles, specifically facial and jaw muscles, hence the term lock jaw. The overall mortality rate is around 30%. In individuals over 60 years of age, it jumps to 50%.
Dave