Going around the world - Canada, US, Central America and South America first. Is there a place to find out what shots I should be getting before leaving?

The list was quite extensive when I went to India and it took a few months to get them all done. And it was pretty expensive. I also know that they have a effective life span...

Any help or advice most appreciated.

Your own doctor or medical clinic should be able to advise.

I generally use the US CDC sites as a starting place. In the end there are only a couple of real question marks, since once you start traveling widely most of the recommendations remain the same.

Questionable (in my mind): rabies, cholera, Japanese encephalitis, anti-malarial tablets. Beyond question (again, in my estimation): typhoid, Tdap, HPV, the hep A & B, yellow fever, influenza, polio, MMR, chicken pox and/or shingles, pneumonia, now COVID.

This is not an exhaustive list! Do your own research, and pay attention to durations which range from a year to lifetime. It's not difficult, but you can make it so if of a certain mindset--just like outfitting your bike to a certain standard of perfection. Remember that vaccinations not really that expensive in the context of longterm, worldwide travel. And as always, don't rely on internet forums alone for medical advice.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

This is great. I'll start by going to the Canadian travel site and check out what the suggest...Then figure out which I can the soonest as they may last longer - and as I get closer to crossing borders fill in the rest.

Thank you.

Additional you can check the WHO monotoring system to get a status of deseases from every country you want to visit:

https://apps.who.int/immunization_mo.../globalsummary

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All the information you need is here.

https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/

You ask valid questions, and in addition I wouldn't overlook your health at home. For example bowel cancer checks, prostate cancer checks, blood pressure, weight and fitness levels...all depending on your age and general health condition.
Take care
J

The CDC makes sense or the Canadian equivalent.

I would include, if going to countries with malaria, on the beyond question list anti-malarials tablets. It really is a nasty disease that can recur years later. There are more than one type of anti-malarial tablet that can be used and if you get adverse reactions then change to another. Also make sure that you read the leaflet that comes with them and follow the advice.

I would rather be sure that I had as many preventable diseases as reasonable covered than worry that I might be at risk. Whether the costs of treatment if not vaccinated will be covered by insurance is likely to be covered in the insurance documents.

The vaccines can be picked up in other places other than your own country - if I remember correctly Grant got his jabs in Spain when he was living in the UK as they were cheaper than the UK. Before heading down this route make sure that the situation is still available to you.

Finally, with regard to the COVID vaccines I understand that China will only accept Sinopharms vaccine if you want to go to China - this may mean that we end up as a dart board because we have to have so many different versions to travel the world.

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You will have to do without pocket handkerchiefs, and a great many other things, before we reach our journey's end, Bilbo Baggins. You were born to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is now behind you. The world is ahead.

I do not understand and it looks like the world didn`t learn anything from the past 18 months!

Pandemic hasn`t even reached a status of control when countries start the competition game what will be the best vaccine.

Millions of people who are happy to live in a country which offers free shots cannot choose which vaccine they get. They have to take what is offered by their home country.

These game played not only by China and the EU is a devider and will have strong economical and social consequences. For business travellers and for global tourism industry. And for all people living in countries known as 3rd world.

What i don`t like in the China case is that their behavior could be the answer to the fact that western countries in general haven`t proven and certificated Sinopharm vaccine yet. Is this chinese behavior just as a tool of economical pressure because chinese tourists are by number and financial power the biggest group of worldwide tourists? Not one chinese tourist or business traveller will enter the EU if he/she hasn`t got a shot from an EU approved vaccine!

The final question which vaccines are certificated for international travel shouldn`t depend on any national, economical or political interests worldwide.

The question of the "best vaccines" must be answered only through science to elimate misfunction in controlling the pandemic e.g. in cases of future virus mutations. (Last week Vietnam discovered a mutant which shows characteristics of UK and Indian viruses. Nobody knows right now if any of existing vaccines will offer effective protection against it!)

The world needs to vaccinate as much people as possible in the shortest amount of time. If countries like China on one side now insist of only one vaccine or the EU don`t certificate Sinopharm for travelling, both on the other side slow down the process of reaching a worldwide immunity including a needless danger of economical and social damage to the rest of the world.

Remember from december 2019 on scientist worldwide promptly started sharing scientic data over the internet to speed up the process of global vaccine development. The pandemic situation was so devastating that envy and distrust where no choice and a nogo solution for all sciencetists.

This was the first case in the history of mankind that a global agreement to fight against something together was found very fast and without any economical and political harrasment. This fight isn`t over or won yet and the world starts falling back in old usual behavior patterns. In my view it looks like the world didn`t learn anything from the past 18 months!

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