Vaccinations?

[Sunshine101]

Hi everyone!

 

Does anyone know if special vaccinations are required for kids to travel to the Caribbean? Here in Ontario, we have vaccinations that all kids have to get prior to starting school, which my kids have, but I just thought out of the blue that maybe I need to get "other" ones to travel to the Caribbean? Was going to call my doctor this week, but thought I'd check here first! :D

[Essiesmom]

No, nothing required for the Caribbean. EM

[Wayah]

The Center for Disease Control website has a great section for travel with excellent advice on vaccines and illness prevention for various foreign destinations. I did get a hepatitis A vaccine for my children because we were going to spend a lot of time snorkeling offshore.

[cantw8togo]

We too got the Hepatitus shots for our kids and we also got the Twinrix shots for ourselves. I can't remember which of the Hepatitus variations it covered, but your doctor can advise.

 

If you are going to be spending an entire week where malaria or other tropical diseases are prevalent, then you may want to consider other vacines, but if you are only there for a day and not during dawn and dusk, then usually extra bug spray is enough.

 

I seem to remember our Dr telling us the Hep A shot is given to kids in Ontario in grade 7 and since they our DS's got it now, they won't need it later.

[Putterdude]

No shots are not normally required for the Caribbean but I wouldn't rely on information obtained on these threads. It would be best to consult with you health care provider as they know best about any health conditions that you have and as a result benefit from shots.

[Mom2B&Z]

ITA to get your own professional opinion about vaccinations for travel. I know our local health unit provides this service, although it was a bit of a PITA because everyone had to go for the consult. I was hoping I could do it for everyone :confused: There's also a great travel website through the Public Health Agency of Canada, where you can put in your destinations and see the various advisories: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/index-eng.php

On our first trip to the Caribbean, our doctor gave everyone in our family Hepatitis A and B shots. I already had Hep B (work in health care...), so I got A and everyone else got Twinrix. I know Ottawa/Eastern Ontario had a shortage of the kids version of Twinrix a year or so ago, and there are two shots 6 months apart so you may want to get on this quickly.

[Mack2]

Hepatitis A & B are recommended vaccines for infants in the US. They make sense and you can never be too careful about blood or fecal exposure. Hepatitis B is one of the vaccines given to children from 2 months of age to 18 months, and Hepatitis A @ 12 months.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/0-6yrs-schedule-pr.pdf

 

Otherwise, we are fortunate not to have too much exposure to tropical diseases in the Caribbean. Sure, Port-Au-Prince Haiti has a cholera and malaria problem, but they are still recovering from the earthquake and cruise ships haven't gone to that port since the 80s.

[jtdlmc]

I would check with your health care provider and also do what you feel comfortable doing. My doctor does not recommend Twinrix (hep B and C) for going to "civilized" parts of the islands. He stated that if we were to be spending a few days interior in the jungle or such then he would recommend the shots.

[Mom2B&Z]

I would check with your health care provider and also do what you feel comfortable doing. My doctor does not recommend Twinrix (hep B and C) for going to "civilized" parts of the islands. He stated that if we were to be spending a few days interior in the jungle or such then he would recommend the shots.

FYI Twinrix is for Hep A and B, there is no vaccine for Hep C.

http://www.drugs.com/pro/twinrix.html

[Keith1010]

While these boards are wonderful, when it comes to items such as vaccinations, I would highly recommend that you consult with the children's physician.

 

Keith

[Mack2]

While these boards are wonderful, when it comes to items such as vaccinations, I would highly recommend that you consult with the children's physician.

 

Keith

 

I agree with this.

Your child's pediatrician should have accurate vaccination records of what vaccines your child has received, and that really helps then determine whether there are any other vaccines they'll need.

 

In terms of vaccinating prior to a trip to the Caribbean, the most appropriate vaccines may have already been given under the care of the physician.

 

I mean, as a pharmacist, I took a certification class to administer vaccines, and it also helped me read a vaccination record and make recommendations on further vaccinations based on the CDC's recommended schedule... to fill in any holes where a vaccine may have been missed... but tropical diseases that you can protect against through vaccinations are seldomly encountered in the Caribbean.

 

My training didn't really go over that... as it's more of a sub-specialty in medicine. We just don't encounter those diseases in a community pharmacy setting in the US.

 

As I stated in a previous post, Hepatitis is a concern, but those vaccines are usually administered to children under the care of a physician... it's recommended by the CDC now and is a covered benefit under all insurance plans.

[jtdlmc]

FYI Twinrix is for Hep A and B' date=' there is no vaccine for Hep C.

http://www.drugs.com/pro/twinrix.html[/quote']

 

yes, I realize that - just a typo - I meant Twinrix guess I should've left off the letters :rolleyes:

[eh2zed]

You can get a lot of good info here on CC. But when it comes to the 2 "V"s; Visas and Vaccinations only rely on official Information.

[Keith1010]

I know I will sound like a recording but I would consult with the physician.

 

Keith