Today we went to a travel clinic recommended by our Pediatrician to get the vaccinations for our move. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the following for visits to Cambodia:
- All Travelers: Measles and Routine Vaccinations
- Most Travelers: Hepatitis A and Typhoid
- Some Travelers: Hepatitis B, Japanese Encephalitis, Malaria*, and Rabies.
*There is no vaccine for Malaria but you can take nasty pills short term to protect against it. For living long term in Southeast Asia it’s better, in my opinion, to practice good mosquito control. Of course if you know you’re going into a high risk area for Malaria do both!
The travel clinic was the St. Luke’s Infectious Disease office in Bethlehem Pennsylvania. We interacted with four staff while we were there and they were all wonderful! They said they don’t get many children at the office but they great with the girls.
Because we’re going to Phnom Penh the Doctor checked that we were up to date on Hepatitis A and administered Typhoid (the girls got shots, Crystal and I are taking pills). Last time I got the full regime of vaccinations because I was living in the countryside but it’s a different situation in the city. We are planning to get the girls vaccinated for Japanese Encephalitis in Phnom Penh once we’re ready to start taking them on field visits.
Afterwards we took the girls out for ice cream because they did great as well.
If I behave will you buy me some ice cream?
If I could, I’d buy everyone who got their vaccines an ice cream.
I just saw this today. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-48512923 It appears that South-East Asians are more likely to trust in the efficacy of vaccines than North Americans.
Oh Phil. We could have a long discussion about this.
I think part of it is that measles, whooping cough, and so on have become abstracts for most of North America. But many in South-East Asia live in a reality in which it’s been tragically normal for children die from these diseases so they see vaccines as miracle drugs (just like North Americans did a couple generations ago).
since Crystal had hep A as a child she shouldn’t have to take that one…
I think you just violated HIPAA.
I see Charles and Crystal in various recombinations staring at me from behind those ice cream cones! I think this is the first time I’ve seen full facial photos. Lovely girls!!
Thanks Susie! Hopefully you’ll get to meet them before too long. 🙂