Travel today has extended way beyond North America and Europe, thus promoting serious health risks, especially where sanitation and medical conditions are poor. Many diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria, polio, typhoid, hepatitis, yellow fever, malaria and travelers’ diarrhea can cause serious health risks for the unprotected traveler. Most immunizations or health precautions are not required for entry to foreign countries, but they provide valuable protection for people who wish to travel in good health.

• Use common sense. Traveling to tropical climates may be a big adjustment to both body and mind. It’s tempting to trust in luck alone, but you will enjoy your trip more if you take the proper precautions to stay healthy.
• Determine your risks. Every traveler is unique. Your risk of exposure to disease and developing an illness is determined by several factors. Discuss these items with the doctor:
  • Your current health
  • Length of time before departure
  • Geographical destination
  • Itinerary
  • Purpose of travel
  • Length of stay
  • Type of accommodations
  • Food and water sources
• Ask about immunization. Our full service travel clinic can give you advice for the appropriate immunizations to maximize your health protection. Your childhood immunizations should be up to date and you may need other immunizations. Some immunization schedules may take up to eight weeks, so it is important to make your appointment as soon as you start planning your trip. Even if you have had immunizations in the past ensure that your routine immunizations are up to date.

• About INFLUENZA VACCINE 2011-12

  Many Vaccine Information Statements are available in Spanish and other languages. See www.immunize.org/vis Hojas de Informacián Sobre Vacunas están disponibles en español y en muchos otros idiomas. Visite www.immunize.org/vis

  Why get vaccinated?

  Infl uenza ("flu") is a contagious disease.

  It is caused by the influenza virus, which can be spread by coughing, sneezing, or nasal secretions.

  Anyone can get influenza, but rates of infection are highest among children. For most people, symptoms last only a few days. They include:

  • fever/chills • sore throat • muscle aches • fatigue
  • cough • headache • runny or stuffy nose

  Other illnesses can have the same symptoms and are often mistaken for influenza.

  Young children, people 65 and older, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions – such as heart, lung or kidney disease, or a weakened immune system – can get much sicker. Flu can cause high fever and pneumonia, and make existing medical conditions worse. It can cause diarrhea and seizures in children. Each year thousands of people die from influenza and even more require hospitalization.

  By getting flu vaccine you can protect yourself from influenza and may also avoid spreading influenza to others.

  Inactivated infl uenza vaccine

  There are two types of infl uenza vaccine:

  1. Inactivated (killed) vaccine, the "flu shot," is given by injection with a needle.
  2. Live, attenuated (weakened) influenza vaccine is sprayed into the nostrils. This vaccine is described in a separate Vaccine Information Statement.

  A "high-dose" inactivated influenza vaccine is available for people 65 years of age and older. Ask your doctor for more information.

  Influenza viruses are always changing, so annual vaccination is recommended. Each year scientists try to match the viruses in the vaccine to those most likely to cause flu that year. Flu vaccine will not prevent disease from other viruses, including flu viruses not contained in the vaccine.

  It takes up to 2 weeks for protection to develop after the shot. Protection lasts about a year.

  Some inactivated influenza vaccine contains a preservative called thimerosal. Thimerosal-free influenza vaccine is available. Ask your doctor for more information.

  Who should get inactivatedinfluenza vaccine and when?

  WHO

  All people 6 months of age and older should get flu vaccine.

  Vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of severe influenza and their close contacts, including healthcare personnel and close contacts of children younger than 6 months.

  WHEN

  Get the vaccine as soon as it is available. This should provide protection if the flu season comes early. You can get the vaccine as long as illness is occurring in your community.

  Influenza can occur at any time, but most infl uenza occurs from October through May. In recent seasons, most infections have occurred in January and February. Getting vaccinated in December, or even later, will still be beneficial in most years.

  Adults and older children need one dose of influenza vaccine each year. But some children younger than 9 years of age need two doses to be protected. Ask your doctor.

  Influenza vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines, including pneumococcal vaccine.

  Some people should not getinactivated influenza vaccine or should wait  

  • Tell your doctor if you have any severe (life-threatening) allergies, including a severe allergy to eggs. A severe allergy to any vaccine component may be a reason not to get the vaccine. Allergic reactions to influenza vaccine are rare.
  • Tell your doctor if you ever had a severe reaction after a dose of infl uenza vaccine.
  • Tell your doctor if you ever had Guillain-Barré

  Syndrome (a severe paralytic illness, also called GBS). Your doctor will help you decide whether the vaccine is recommended for you.

  • People who are moderately or severely ill should usually wait until they recover before getting flu vaccine. If you are ill, talk to your doctor about whether to reschedule the vaccination. People with a mild illness can usually get the vaccine.

  A vaccine, like any medicine, could possibly cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. The risk of a vaccine causing serious harm, or death, is extremely small. Serious problems from inactivated influenza vaccine are very rare. The viruses in inactivated influenza vaccine have been killed, so you cannot get influenza from the vaccine. Mild problems: • soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given • hoarseness; sore, red or itchy eyes; cough • fever • aches • headache • itching • fatigue If these problems occur, they usually begin soon after the shot and last 1-2 days.

  Moderate problems:

  Young children who get inactivated flu vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine (PCV13) at the same time appear to be at increased risk for seizures caused by fever. Ask your doctor for more information.

  Tell your doctor if a child who is getting flu vaccine has ever had a seizure.

  Severe problems:

  • Life-threatening allergic reactions from vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it is usually within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot.
  • In 1976, a type of inactivated infl uenza (swine flu) vaccine was associated with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). Since then, flu vaccines have not been clearly linked to GBS. However, if there is a risk of GBS from current flu vaccines, it would be no more than 1 or 2 cases per million people vaccinated. This is much lower than the risk of severe influenza, which can be prevented by vaccination.

  One brand of inactivated flu vaccine, called Afluria, should not be given to children 8 years of age or younger, except in special circumstances. A related vaccine was associated with fevers and fever-related seizures in young children in Australia. Your doctor can give you more information.

  The safety of vaccines is always being monitored. For more information, visit:

  www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Vaccine_Monitoring/Index.html

  and

  www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Activities/Activities_Index.html

  What should I look for? Any unusual condition, such as a high fever or behavior changes. Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include difficulty breathing, hoarseness or wheezing, hives, paleness, weakness, a fast heart beat or dizziness. What should I do? • Call a doctor, or get the person to a doctor right away. • Tell the doctor what happened, the date and time it happened, and when the vaccination was given. • Ask your doctor to report the reaction by fi ling a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) form. Or you can file this report through the VAERS website at www.vaers.hhs.gov, or by calling 1-800-822-7967.

  VAERS does not provide medical advice.

  The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) was created in 1986. People who believe they may have been injured by a vaccine can learn about the program and about fi ling a claim by calling 1-800-338-2382, or visiting the VICP website at www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation.

   How can I learn more?Ask your doctor. They can give you the vaccine package insert or suggest other sources of information.

   

For an additional reference please look at the Center for Disease Controls website at www.cdc.gov/travel or you can purchase Health Information for International Travel from the US Government Printing Office (202) 512-1800.