I visited my friend Jean at the travel clinic on Tuesday. Yes, I call her my friend because I already saw her last year before my trip to Peru and she is such a great doctor and nice woman.
As usual, she provided me with a very expensive set of information about every country I have planned on visiting and advised me on having Typhoid done this time and rabies.

Typhoid was definitely on my list and we went for it. Actually, it is an oral vaccine so I have to take 4 pills over a span of a week. I will do it next week.

I am still not sure about the rabies shots since it requires 3 shots at $160 a pop!

I also asked her to give me the booster for Hepatitis A. Now, I am good for 20 years.

The risk of Malaria are minimal and located in zones I will not visit so I did not get any pills this time.

Oh, and I said “Typhoid done this time” because I could not get it done on time last year since I went to the clinic only 2 weeks before leaving for Peru. This is something I learnt last year, consult the travel clinic early so that you get the time to get everything you need.

Of course, more immunizations are required to travel in the Middle East and maybe Russia, Mongolia and China but I already immunized against an extensive list of these viruses. Here is the list recommended for Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatits B
• Typhoid
• Rabies
• Tetanus/diphteria
• Measles
• Polio
• Varicella (chicken pox)

I don’t remember getting Varicella but I was tested positive last year. I was immunized for Polio, Measles, Tetanus and Hepatitis B in France and I am up to date with the boosters.

Maybe I should get the rabies one…