What Is a Travel Vaccination and Are They Important?

A travel vaccination is medicine delivered via an injection that will protect you from many of the diseases that are still prevalent in countries other than our own. The importance of such vaccines cannot be understated. In the United States we have eradicated-or nearly eradicated-many of the illnesses that still ravage many countries around the globe. If you or a loved one are planning a trip outside the borders of the United States it is your duty as a responsible adult, or as the caregiver to a child or any other loved one, to make sure that research is done before take-off. It is up to you to protect you and your loved ones’ health.

Not only is it merely a good idea to have a travel vaccination plan as a piece of your over-all travel planning, it may also be the law. There are countries that we, as Americans, cannot step foot in without being inoculated, or in other words…vaccinated. There are basic rules to be followed for the world traveler. For instance, although a shorter time span is sometimes adequate, is it suggested that all travelers receive their travel vaccine 4 to 6 weeks prior to their trip. This obviously allows the medicine to do its thing and protect you as fully as possible.

You may be surprised to hear that insurance does not cover many travel vaccines, but do not allow this fact to deter you from receiving the proper pre-flight healthcare that you need. The price of a travel vaccine is nothing compared to the devastation that another country’s diseases just may wreak upon your health. The diseases in question include but are not limited to: typhoid, polio, meningococcal meningitis and Japanese encephalitis. The chances of acquiring any of these diseases are not to be taken lightly. Take advantage of the status of U.S. healthcare when traveling to other countries. It may just save you from a lifetime of pain and suffering-if not worse.

Remember that the countries previously referred to where documentation is necessary to travel to will require paperwork in order to enter. The doctor providing your travel vaccine will be up to date on all the latest laws and protocols. He or she will provide you with the necessary documentation in order to have your entry into your country of destination go off without a hitch.