I need more immunizations, and it's going to cost quite a lot!

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Today I went to my doctors surgery and found out I need some serious immunizations, and they will cost me quite a lot.

In 2005 I visited the nurse at my doctors surgery. I hadn't had any jabs for a while, so I needed quite a few. On that occasion I had the following immunizations (I have included costs, I live in England):

• Hepatitis A (free)
• Typhoid (free)
• Yellow Fever (£40 / $75)
• Diphtheria (free)
• Tetanus (free)
• Polio (free)

I visited the nurse months before I intended to travel, and all was well.

In preparation for my forthcoming trip I thought I had better visit the nurse again. I did, and told her about my intended destinations. The very helpful nurse then told me that I need several more immunizations and they were expensive. I need the following:

• Japanese encephalitis (£120 / $230)
• Hepatitis B (£70 / $135)
• Rabies (£90 / $175)

Total cost: £280 / $550. This was a bit of a surprise. However, I am very grateful. When you look at all of the immunizations I have received, I have only had to pay for a few. We have the NHS system in the UK, and although somewhat criticized these days, it does still offer an outstanding service.

So, I am happy to pay for these jabs. Catching any of the diseases will result in a poor quality of life, and even death. Something else I also overlooked was the amount of time required to administer a course of the vaccines. Japanese encephalitis, Hepatitis B and Rabies are administered in three injections each, spanning 3 - 4 weeks. After the completing the course of Japanese encephalitis one has to stay in the country for 10 days, as after effects can be serious, and one needs immediate medical attention.

I had penciled in my departure date for mid to late October. Due to the immunization courses I cannot plan to leave until mid November. This is no great problem for me. I do not have a small travel window, and I have plenty of work to do.

My tips: Check your immunizations well before you intend to travel, ideally 2 - 3 months. Assume nothing.