jump to navigation | jump to content

Ask The Travel Doctor-TMVC

Q: Hi, I am going to spend one year in Tanzania leaving end of June 2010 - going to Moshi near Mt Kilimanjaro, doing medical research. Do I need to have rabies vaccine? I know I need Yellow Fever vaccine. Do I need any other vaccine: Cholera? Typhoid booster (I had Vivaxim in late 2006)? Anything else?

Michele.

 

A:  Michele, for anybody planning one year in rural Africa doing medical work, means there are a very wide range of important health issues to consider before your travel. Vaccines are one aspect of good preparation, and certainly rabies vaccines would be considered appropriate. This is due to the level of risk of exposure, and the absence of proper post-exposure management there.

Yellow fever is essential of course, but several other vaccines should be considered for your safety, as well as acquiring a good understanding of malaria and its' prevention, and a host of other specific risks, both general and exotic. The degree of complexity means this is not easy to do by yourself or with most GPs. A proper consultation at a Travel Doctor clinic would be considered essential for travel of this profile.

Dr Tony

 

Disclaimer: Information provided in this health column is of a general nature & should not replace specific advice from your own personal Travel doctor-TMVC consultation.
Not all questions submitted to the website will be answered & Users of this website should always seek the advice of a qualified health professional with any questions they have regarding their health or a medical condition.