Vaccinations

[IrishGuy65]

Do you need to get any vaccinations to visit China from the USA?

[shaun]

I never have and I've been 3 times.

[Robertt S]

It really depends on what region of China and local conditions in that area. Here is the link to Travelers Health page for China at the CDC's website!

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/china.htm

I did not receive any shots before I visited China either, but I figured I was protected from everything from Bubonic Plague to Cooties due to my Navy service. Submarine crews are vaccinated regularly against almost anything you can think of due to the closed atmosphere and close living quarters!

I would recommend the Hepatitis shots though due to the meat you may encounter during your stay!

[Pineau]

I have never been asked for vaccinations but I got them anyway. I highly recommend the Hepatitis series, tetanus, and TB.
I have had everything on the list except Adult Varicella (chicken pox), Yellow Fever, and Zostavax (Shingles).

If your going to get the Hepatitis series you had better start now because it is a 3 shot series and they like to spread them out over a 90 day period.

 
http://www.tchd.org/travel.html  TRI County health.
http://www.tchd.org/pdfs/travel_clinic_prices.pdf vaccines and prices.

[Willy The Londoner]

You do not NEED to have any.

Its up to you but I am sure that your money will be well spent elsewhere.

What vaccinations would you recommend for your lady before she visit the USA?  None! why not?

The only place I ever got sick on all my travels throughout the World was in the USA!!

I have been here since 2009.  Never had a problem.

As you are traveling you can get insurance and that should do you fine.

Mind you when I first came I did have a lot of various injections and I took protection against that! But that's another story......!

Willy

[brett]

It's best to ensure your childhood vaccinations are up to date. Also tetanus is recommended as there are just so many things to fall over or cut yourself on here!

Also stay away from cats and dogs and go to the hospital if you get scratched.

Don't come here without some sort of health insurance. I had a big health panic yesterday and it turned out the expat doctor here is 600RMB just for a consultation. I didn't bother going in the end - I got a bit suspicious when the receptionist got quite excited about me having a health insurance plan. I had visions of having to undergo 100's of unnecessary examinations and procedures so they could bleed my insurance company dry!

Sure the local hospitals are cheaper, but you'll need a translator and also Chinese hospitals are pretty intimidating places. The entrance of the one near me is full of people sitting with IV drips. When I went for my body check for the visa I was getting blood samples taken in the waiting room - the others in our group were surprised when they got out of the lift and saw a big needle sticking out of my arm!

I've never had bad food poisoning here, but minor upsets are quite common. Be careful with street food as Miss Woo and Miss Foo both got sick from eating it!

I did get the norovirus thing last month though, it was not pleasant at all but only lasted a couple of days. I probably got it from travelling on a dirty bus, but then I also live in one of the grubbiest parts of Guangzhou!

[RobertBfrom aust]

I wander backwards and forwards and apart from Health / travel insurance , no shots at all and when you are with somebody they will set you right on what to eat and only drink bottled water that they choose , they always know which to pick and which are the dodgy brands also clean your teeth with bottled water , regards Sujuan and Robert .

[Pineau]

Brett,

Guangzhou is a dirty infectious place. Maybe Zhanshang is a little more sterile but I doubt it. I think Willy is just lucky or never goes anywhere he can become infected.

After several trips to the hospital to treat ear infections, eye infections, skin infections, dysentery, etc. I learned a few things.

Never eat food from a street vendor or food prepared at the super market.
Wash your hands,  ever chance you get.  I carried a plastic bag of bleach soaked paper towels.
Never touch your face. Keeping your hands away from you face is a tall order but you will regret it after you held the handrail on the escalator right after someone that wiped their ass with their hand.

Don't tell the hospital that you have insurance. Pay out of pocket and get reimbursed later from the insurance company. 

[IrishGuy65]

Thanks everyone!  With the bird flu going on in China, this came to my mind.  I'll look into the info posted here.

When I was a teenager, I had allergies, and had to go to the doctor once a week for an allergy shot.  As you can imagine, I had getting shots.  So if I don't have to, I probably won't.

[Pineau]

Zoot,
I have been healthy all my adult life and considered myself bullet proof and I had a cast iron stomach. China brought me to my knees.

When I was a youngster I was bitten by a rodent. I had 14 rabies shots in the stomach. I also had allergies and had the shots twice a week. I hate shots but if it can save my life I will bear it.

Please consider the tetanus and hepatitis. This is mandatory for every school child in china.  many dirty things to scrape yourself on. You can easily trip and skin your knee and you would not believe the things that crawl the sidewalks and streets.

Hepatitis could be in the water or undercooked food.  AND IT CAN DESTROY YOUR LIVER  in less than 10 years.  In Shenzhen the city warns you and the hotels post warning in the room, Don't drink the water. 

[Willy The Londoner]

I think the fear of something happening is far worse that anything happening.  If so then less people would be afraid of the minor outbreak of birdflue that is going on at the moment when they should be more concerned with the traffic or earthquakes.  Both of these kill more than that avian flue.

As for paying cash and then claiming it back on your insurance.  Whats the point of doing that unless you have shares in the insurance company and want them to make bigger profits.  Do you lose the no claims bonus or something? 

Willy

[Jason B]

Never had any vaccinations before going to ANY country.  In China I eat what I want and have never been sick apart from the first couple days each time where I seem to get the runs for some reason then the plumbing comes good of its own accord and no problems.  I think it is to do with the spicy food or using the tap water to wash my teeth, not that it is making me sick.

[IrishGuy65]

I am planning on taking a Zero Water container and new filter with me when I go for the water.  That will remove the non organic chemicals.  As for the organisms... I plan on boiling the water first...   

As for the rest, there is a clinic here in Delaware, and I'll go see them about the different vaccinations.  I'll probably get everything but the hepatitis...

[Pineau]

When you let the Chinese hospital know you have insurance you just let the dogs out. They will run dozens of unnecessary test and fill you full of unnecessary medicines ( all that require a large bore needle to administer the IV. They will claim that you must have them or you WILL DIE ). No thanks. I learned my lesson and keep my mouth shut and file the claims when I get back to the house.

    "I think the fear of something happening is far worse that anything happening."

Gosh Willy. I suppose the three stays in the hospital and the 20 or so trips to the clinic and waking up in the middle of the night with excruciating pain in my abdomen or the patch of skin that rotted out of the side of my nose or the ear ache that kept me up all night and the multitudes of respiratory problems was only   "fear of something happening" .  What a relief to know it was all in my head. I thought I was really sick. 

I am not going to argue the point any further. Guangzhou IS a Filthy place full of infectious parasites and bacteria. I was only here for two years. 
 
 

[Willy The Londoner]

I am planning on taking a Zero Water container and new filter with me when I go for the water.  That will remove the non organic chemicals.  As for the organisms... I plan on boiling the water first...   

Why are you bothering. The bottled water is fine. You do not need to boil it! its cheap enough to even bathe in. 

Take advise from your lady. Do not overkill the the protections you are planning when you are there.  Do what you will before you get here.
Just do not let the lady think that you are a 'weak' westerner.  They will give you all the help you need if something happens that is unpredicted but they do not want to plan on doing that from the start.

It is likely that the men coming here are older than the women and the woman do not want any misgivings about a man not being healthy and able to give them many years of togetherness.

Willy