Travel vaccinations
Are you planning to travel within and beyond South Africa and want to ensure that you are protected from destination-specific diseases? At Flatlinecare, we can offer travel vaccinations to our patients.
What are travel vaccinations?
Travel vaccines are immunisations that protect travellers from contracting severe illnesses and are usually administered before visiting certain areas of the world. These vaccines do not give you the disease. Instead, it exposes your body to the strain of disease so that it can produce antibodies that will fight against it. They are entirely safe and are one of the most effective ways to protect you from getting severely ill in a different country.
How do I know what vaccine I need?
When it comes to travel vaccines, there are recommended ones, and there are required vaccines. Required vaccines, such as the yellow fever vaccine, are mandatory when travelling to certain parts of Africa or South America. However, recommended vaccines are dependent on your travel plans and what your doctor advises you to take. Therefore, you will need to schedule an appointment with your doctor to determine which vaccines you need.
What are the most common travel vaccines?
The most common vaccine-preventable-travel-related diseases include:
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection that causes inflammation and affects the liver’s ability to function. The hepatitis A virus causes it, and you are most likely to contract it from consuming contaminated food or water or being in close contact with an infected person. Some hepatitis symptoms include fatigue, sudden nausea and vomiting; abdominal pain; loss of appetite and joint pain. Hepatitis A is treatable, but prevention is always better than cure, so a vaccine is recommended if you are planning to travel to areas with poor sanitation.
Hepatitis B
The hepatitis B virus is a potentially life-threatening liver infection commonly spread through infected bodily fluids. In some cases, hepatitis B can become chronic and potentially result in liver failure, liver cancer or cirrhosis (a condition that permanently scars the liver). Symptoms of hepatitis B include:
- Abdominal pain, dark urine.
- Fever.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice).
Typhoid Fever
Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection that spreads throughout the body and affects many organs. The bacterium is known as Salmonella typhi and is related to the bacteria that causes severe food poisoning. If left untreated, it could cause serious complications and could even be fatal. Signs of Typhoid fever include high fever, headache, stomach pain and constipation or diarrhoea.
Yellow Fever
Yellow fever is a viral infection spread by a specific mosquito species common to areas of Africa and South America. Yellow fever develops quickly, and symptoms occur in phases. The acute phase symptoms occur within 3 to 6 days and include the following: headaches, muscle and joint aches; fever; flushing; loss of appetite; and shivers. Most people can recover from this stage, but it can develop into a more serious, often fatal version known as the toxic phase. The toxic phase has more severe symptoms, including decreased urination, abdominal pain; vomiting with blood; irregular heart rhythm; seizures and bleeding from the nose, mouth and eyes.
Malaria
Malaria is spread to humans through the bites of infected, parasitic mosquitoes. People can experience symptoms of malaria in cycles known as ‘attacks’. An attack will display the following symptoms: fever, chills; sweating; nausea and vomiting; diarrhoea; fatigue, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate and cough. If left untreated, malaria can be fatal.