I have to go get like 274,000 shots before I can travel to Kenya. They are making feel like a biohazard, thus the new avatar. Are those shots really needed?

(not really 274,000 shots, but seems like it)

Yes, get them all. No seriously tell me what you've been advised to have. You can maybe pass on one or two.

Make sure you're up to date on your tetanus immunisation (we all should have a booster every ten years, or more frequently if you have a risky job or sport).

And malaria prophylaxis is essential.

Dr Sooz

I know we're going in December and I have to plan all the innoculations for my son...
the anti-malarial for children. but then he's so big 5'2 1/2 at 11 hes almost on adult portions...

Cholera yes you should...

just do it, it's just part of the trip. For a lot of things you need one shot in 10 years, so what the heck...

And as a nurse I can say it's for your own health aswell as for others, because some diseases can be contagious...like hepatitis, very ugly...

It's a good thing that we are able to get these shots, and a bad thing that a lot of people in africa have to do without.

malariamedicine for free over there would be my idea...

I'm not sure about where you are Bonga but here you have to pre-order all your meds in advance by at least 6 weeks....

- yes very important to take them. I was in zambia in the early 90's when there was the horrific cholera out break. it was devastating in many areas of Lusaka. tent hospitals tent mortuaries it was awful.


These are the small things at least for preventatives..

Cholera vaccination is the one I would have said is not essential.

Here are recommendations from an Aussie site:

Travel report

and from CDC:

CDC Traveller's Health - East Africa

About cholera

Here is the run down so far (please forgive my spelling):

Yellow Fever
Hep A (two)
Hep B (three)
Typhoid Fever
Polio booster
Meningitis
Tetnus
Malaria Prevention (oral)

I got the malaria pills already.
The Kenya Embassy website suggests: Yellow fever and cholera

When I went in search of these shots, I was informed that "they" no longer provide the cholera one, and have not done so for years.

I have been told by a person I know that traveled there recently, that Yellow Fever and Malaria prevention are needed, and Typhoid is optional.

This shots are not cheap ! And there is TEN of them.

A doctor said, "just get what ever they suggest," they meaning the place I called. But he is not paying for it either.

yellow fever not required if coming from Europe/US, but the vacc lasts for 10-15 yrs so useful to have...

one of the Heps, maybe both, lasts for 10 yrs. Requires a booster shot after 6 mths

Last I heard the cholera vacc was useless. Just don't eat dirty....

Tetanus lasts a long time too..

Malaria is the most important.

The Kenyan authorities require yellow fever vaccination if you enter from a country where infection exists (not the case of the US). Kenya is classified not as an infected but as an endemic area, that is the conditions for contracting yellow fever (notably the mozzie that acts as the vector) exist. In other words, the risk is NOT ZERO. Seeing as YF is a nasty fatal disease, I'd certainly have no qualms about getting the shot! (Which I did when I went to Kenya for only 2 weeks.)

There is a new more effective cholera vaccine available but it has not yet been approved in the US.

I would certainly agree with having the vaccinations on your list for someone who is going to Africa not as a "simple tourist".

Green

You definatly should get them all except Yellow Fever and cholera...unless you are flying through Ethiopia.

If you are flying over in July, you better start now for some need a long time interval in between each shot.

Malaria, Tetanus, Typhoid and Hepatitis are a must!!

I didn't do the Malaria one on my last trip. The Lariam was causing some uncomfortable side effects - mostly psychological changes. As if I needed more help there

I decided to take my chances with Malaria... I spent the whole trip in Nairobi... I didn't go to any areas were there was a concentration of mosquitoes.

Smaug42 m'dear. Of course it's your decision, but...

1. Lariam is not the only anti-malarial drug
2. It only takes ONE bite from ONE affected mosquito to give you malaria
3. Malaria can be fatal

I suggest you talk to someone who's suffered from malaria, and then decide whether you want to risk it again.

I have talked to someone who has had malaria... my finace had it last summer. Not fun at all. I am aware of the risk, but decided to chance it. The daily tablet thing (can't remember the name of it) also makes me very very ill... something in it does not agree with me.

Lariam was the latest one recommended by my doctor before I travelled to Kenya in April 2003. They did the tests n'such here before I left, and I seemed OK. The psychlogical side effects didn't show up until a few weeks later... and affected me for months afterwards.

I recall having side effects with Fansidar left me feeling very sick etc. so I stayed with Choloroquinical which well I still did get malaria ( a few times) I was on a IV course for several days and having it is no walk in the park. but it could have been worse... My father had Cerebreal Malaria and he was flown into Nairobi from Zanzibar with Doctors Without Borders. in critical condition because he too decided to be very brave and not take anything. You are definitely putting yourself at high risk. something like Russian Roulette,

Check into alternative measures but to be without.. you are chancing things...

Well... what can a person do? I have a high sensitivity to a lot of the vaccinations out there, and that insludes anything that ends in "quine" - or "cycline" which is pretty much any of the drugs available for preventing malaria (and even some basic antibiotics). Most of the stuff makes me violently ill - vomiting, stomach pain, severe headaches etc.... which is why my doctor suggested Lariam. That was worse than getting malaria in my opinion. I became very agitated, emotional, bordering on violent. I am normally a very laid back quiet person, but on Lariam I became a Mr Hyde. I'm never going near that stuff again. It really surprised my doctor that I had such an adverse reaction to Lariam... not your normal course of feeling a bit grotty for a day.

I'm not suggesting that anyone not take prophylactics for malaria... not at all... just stating that I'm one of the (un)lucky ones who has run low on options. I opted to not take any tablets, and was fine for my last trip - I wasn't sick, didn't become Mr.Hyde etc. When I go back to Kenya, I still will not take anything for malaria, unless my doctor can dig up a new treatment that doesn't make me feel like I am dying of a chemical warfare attack. I don't know of any more alternative measures... I think I've exhausted the last of the normal ones. My doctor mumbled somethign about another drug that might work, but has a high risk of liver damage. Ouch... what's worse?

What I definitely will do, and always do anyway, is sleep under a mosquito net that has been treated with insecticide. I also keep VERY close tabs on my health, and if I come down with anything that resembles a flu, I make a dash for my doctor and get treated/tested.

Smaug

My man had Malaria 2 years ago. It took us by suprise in the Plane on the Flight back. He was kept under Doctor watch in the Plane (thans to the Ethiopian Airline staff who were really Angels)


The Ambulance was waiting for him at the Airport. We drove straight to a ICU. Oohh Heaven! I don't wish that to anybody else. I was finished with my nerves. Even now my Blood preasure goes up when i remember.

Don't play with malaria. My Man is a very strong person. The symptons didn't show till it was already nearly too late! 2 days before we left he was only more tired than usuall and we thought it was the heat. How wrong we were and stupid for taking chances.

smaug, have you tried Malarone (atovaquone+proguanil) or doxycycline? Both of these need to be taken daily.

Doxycycline is the one that should not be given to people with liver dysfunction. It can make you feel sick if you take it on an empty stomach (I know!). Malarone is usually tolerated better.

As an alternative to nothing, perhaps you could check out the artemisia preparations. This is an ancient Chinese remedy and is being taken very seriously as treatment rather than prophylaxis for malaria. There are numerous trials going on around the world.

MSF article

It might be worth looking into. Ask your doctor or a homeopath or herbalist. I'll see what I can dig up about it.

I don't want to be an alarmist. As you know, there is little risk if you stay in Nairobi or the highlands. On the other hand, if you're planning a prolonged stay in Kenya, you don't want to be confined to Nairobi do you?

Smaugt

This is a medicine that Kenyans living in Nairobi take before going to Malaria places. METAKELFIN 500mg. It has no side effects at all and it is very cheap!

I know that many Europeans will say that this medicament is not right, but thats the best Kenyans use for provilaxy and Malaria Therapy. If you are staying in Nairobi first, buy it there and take it a week before you go to Kisumu.

Metakelfin is sulfalene + pyrimethamine (similar to Fansidar). There are side effects if you are sensitive to sulfa drugs.

These two drug combos are usually reserved for treatment but can be used as prophylaxis - although I've seen a report from 1999 that 20-30% of malaria cases in Kenya did not respond to this treatment because of resistance.

I am getting the Yellow Fever shot.
Got the Malaria stuff.
That is it.
It is too expensive.
One of those other shots wil pay for a room at the resort for a night.
Is that too big of a chance to take?

Green, chances are you'll be just fine but take special care with the food and water. You might reconsider Hep A vaccine though - typhoid is a nasty intestinal infection but can be treated with antibiotics. But Hep A is caused by a virus and there are no antibiotics to treat it.

When I went to Kenya for a diving holiday I had just YF and hep A shots, took malaria tabs. But I was staying in a hotel the whole time and the risks of food contamination were very low.

Smaug42,

I'm glad that you didn't get malaria. As someone who has had it; bed-ridden for 3 months, continuously; my wife walked me to the toilet over her arm, with the other around my waist, in the morning before work, and we were in our mid-twenties then, and then back to bed until her 8 to 12 hour shift was over, me not moving, basically comatose, until she got back; next time you go to Kenya, make sure you have a mosquito net around you at all times between 7 pm and 10 pm Kenya-time; that's when the anapholese (sp) mosquitos come out. (Actually 7:45 to 9:45, but just to be safe.)

Green,

TB can be a serious problem. If your not going to go through the sequence(s) (B's most prevalent--notice I said prevalent); understandably time is an issue; make sure your loved one prepares everything that you eat, and wash any plate yourself prior to you eating off of it.

Also, water can be a big problem; bring iodine tablets, and a 1 to 2 liter water bottle to treat them in.

Cholera and Typhoid, a must -- don't f*** with it.

Smallpox, I wouldn't worry about, unless you never had it as a child.

More on malaria in Kenya:

Daily Nation article

Some extracts.......

NB - SP drugs refers to Fansidar and Matakelfin type combos of sulfa+pyrimethamine.

In Kenya, the need for a change in malaria treatment policy is only too evident. Malaria policy and control experts met in Nairobi in the first week of this month to deliberate on artemisinin-based combination therapy and its recommendation as a first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria in Africa.

One of the participants in this workshop alluded to Kenya as being the epicentre of drug-resistant malaria in Africa.

This change in policy has been necessitated by the demise of chloroquine as a reliable first-line treatment for malaria in Africa

Resistance to chloroquine in Kenya became evident in the early 1990s but the change in policy had a time lag of several years until 1998 when it was implemented. But even at this time, resistance to the SP drugs was starting to rear its head.

Currently, the SP resistance levels in the country are no longer compatible with effective malaria treatment and hence the need for a change in policy. Developing and implementing an appropriate treatment policy change in any country is a complex process, especially in a poor countries.

....................

One of these factors is the presence of a plethora of generics in the market. There are no less than 33 SP brands available and as expected, some of these are sub-standard and have contributed in no mean measure to treatment failure.
....................

Many experts believe that cheaper alternatives, especially the use of insecticide-treated nets, should be emphasized. For a minimal cost, families can protect themselves from mosquito bites, and thus avoid both direct and indirect costs of treating the infection.

Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!


grrrr.......


FINE!

I will get the damn shots!

I hate this.

Hey, I just became a Land Grabber above.


Uh,.... not sure I like that title, but okay.

Where I am from, a Land Grabber is not a good thing. But I suppose I have been called worse things.

in Kenya, if you're a Land Grabber, you're on your way up...

Woo Hoo! I am a Land Grabber, here I come!

Thanks for the clarification.

wow.

what a great intellectual addition to the site.

@ Sooz

Did you find out something new about the artemisia preparations against malaria. I've got the same problems like smaug42. My doctors are at a loss...

I don't want to catch malaria...but I really don't know what else I could do?!?

I'm going to Nairobi in December and would like to do 2 small Safaris to Tsavo...

Thanks

Take care
Mswisi

Hi Mswisi,

The artemisia drugs are used for treatment of malaria, not for prevention. At the moment there don't seem to be any new drugs on the market for prophylaxis. Sorry