Best Tourist Vaccinations For Thailand
What Vaccinations To Get For Thailand
Prior to traveling, regardless of the destination it is a good idea to check with the CDC (Center for Disease Control) for required vaccinations. I am planning on traveling to Thailand within the next month and looked up required vaccinations for Thailand. I went to the CDC website that has health recommendations specifically for Thailand. The webpage can be found here.
The top vaccinations include:
- Typhoid
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Japanese Encephalitis
- Malaria
- Rabies
- Yellow Fever (Only if traveling from a country that has yellow fever)
I fortunately only need Typhoid, Japanese Encephalitis, Malaria and Rabies inoculations as I plan to stay within SE Asia for the foreseeable future. Based on blogs and other resources, you do not need Rabies or Japanese Encephalitis unless you plan to have an extended stay or visit rural areas.
I proceeded to look-up a doctor or travel vaccination clinic that could provide these inoculations in the Seattle area. I was surprised at what I found out. Seattle King County has a Public Health Travel Clinic which offers travel vaccinations. I called them and asked for a price quote on the following vaccinations as I would be paying out of pocket. I was quoted on the following:
$110- Office Visit
$65: Typhoid- Needle Vaccination (1 Shot)
$237- Japanese Encephalitis-Needle Vaccination (2 Shots) (Price is PER shot.)
$40- Written Prescription for Malaria
$267-Rabies-Needle Vaccination (3 Shots) (Price is PER shot.)
Total: $,1490!!! (More then the plane ticket…)
The Japanese Encephalitis and Rabies vaccinations are time sensitive and require a lapse between shots. I was concerned that I would have to delay my arrival so that I could finish getting shots.
The phone attendant suggested, “you could get the remaining shot in Thailand.” “Bingo!” After making an appointment I proceeded to search google for, “Thailand Travel Vaccinations Blog.” I wanted to see if any fellow travelers had received their inoculations in Thailand. Yes! They did and they paid very little! Please see below for links:
In conclusion, I can receive the above vaccinations for under $100… I proceeded to call the clinic back and cancel my appointment. Ummm.. I can think of some other things that I would like to do with my travel funds. I am glad that the phone attendant made the suggestion to see if I can get the shots in Thailand! Whew!
Check out this post that details my experience getting vaccinated in Bangkok.
[…] Today, I was on a mission, to get travel vaccinations for Thailand and Southeast Asia. I wrote about getting vaccinations for Thailand in a previous post which can be found, here. […]