Battery of shots for African hunting trip? How bad were they?
Should I plan on possibly getting sick from the shots?
TIA,
Duke

Not likely you'll have a severe reaction to any of them. The really important thing is to start getting the needed inoculations 6 months prior to departure. You can't get them all at one time and some may require a series of three. Exactly what you'll need is dictated by which countries you will be entering. You will probably need a malaria preventive prescription to take while on the trip as well.

You can check the CDC sight for country requirements and recommendation.

I have had all the recommended shots, and frankly, I did not notice anything at all.

This link: http://www.shakariconnection.c...can-hunt-health.html and the links at the bottom of the page might be of use to you.

No problem. Shakari's site will help you. You will need the hepatitis A & B vaccine, which is a three shot regimen over a six month period. Yellow fever, maybe a polio booster, oral typhoid. Tetanus, also, if you aren't current. I have been travleing to Africa since 1987 and these were about all I got.

You may need a malaria preventative. I personally reccommend Malarone. My friends on the last trip took Larium and had to quit because of nightmares and sleep disturbances. We didn't have any mosquitoes in Maasailand, anyway because of the drought.

Make sure you shop around for your shots - they can be expensive.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...131029601#1131029601

I've not had any reaction from the shots. But, Larium gives me really weird dreams--not scary--but really weird.

quote:

Originally posted by 7kongoni:
I've not had any reaction from the shots. But, Larium gives me really weird dreams--not scary--but really weird.

Yeah, Malarone is a daily and Laruim is a weekly, but I like my sleep and have never used it. Back in the 90's I used doxycycline, but the regemin was a pain since I would spend a month in Africa and then a month at home and then back, and you have to take doxy for a month after you leave the malarial area, so I found myself taking doxy all the time. I quit it and took my chances and never got malaria. Just lucky. We didn't have Malarone then.

Some have said they have gotten negative reactions to Malarone, also, but I never have.

I used the VA for the hep vaccine, and got the rest from the Florida Public Health Dept. I seem to recall the yellow fever was about sixty bucks, but it's a ten-year shot, so that's six bucks a year. The oral typhoid was cheaper and the tetanus booster was cheap, IIRC.

The tetanus shot sucks. Other than that everything else was fine, except for the fact that they will cause an addiction to Africa.

quote:

I have had all the recommended shots, and frankly, I did not notice anything at all.

Same here! If anything...it pumped up my immune system and I did not catch as many cold and such the next year.

well if you yell ow, ow ow lound enough it sure will disturb the nurse

I went to a travel clinic and received the standard shots as outlined above. When is came to my malaria meds, I chose Malarone. The nurse at the clinic discussed both Larium and Malarone. Regarding the Larium she said not everyone gets nightmares and she smiled and expalined that men in particular sometimes have strange dreams that "they really enjoy".

I almost went with the Larium!

405wcf

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I have had all the recommended shots, and frankly, I did not notice anything at all.

A++ No issues either

I had them all and no problems.. Also go to a ready health care clinic or public health clinic.

Will save a ton of cabbage.

Mike

Thanks all for your replies. I should be safe from everything but Ebola. lol

I got sick as a dog with the oral diphtheria vaccine last year. Otherwise I've never noticed anything.

My family could be the only ones that got the strange dreams from Malarone. If it was just me I would have dispelled it but all five of us got the wild dreams. Maybe you can't mix it with alcohol but I would hate to miss a sundowner or two or more. After a few days days we all quit mostly because we had not seen any mosquittos but also because of the insane dreams.

Dr. Mike,

My wife & I have used it for four safaris. Never have had any dreams. Have heard of some severe reactions with larium, 'night frights'. But many also tolerate it.
I still have to see my first African mosquito.

Mike

Don't wait until the last minute for your immunizations. Yellow Fever vaccine, in particular, is a live virus with a short shelf live. They can't "stock" it at the clinic. They build a list of folks who need it, then order it. When it comes in (air shipment on dry ice) they call the list, and you have a short window in which to get to the clinic to get it...24 or 48 hours, I forget.

OK, I've decide to go. Maybe I'll have wild dreams about girls.

It's been awhile now for sure.. but it seems like every time we shipped out to some eastbumfuck country we got boosters all over again. I dont remember ever having a problem with them. Some we didnt even know what they were!

Don't forget to have the yellow World Health Org card filled out esp if going to a country that requires Yellow Fever vaccination. I stick mine in my passport cover. Never been asked for it but once, but if I had not of had it, entry could have been denied.


I must be too old to get those "exciting" dreams from Larium....

I've used Malarone and had to quit while on Safari. I just couldn't get any sleep while taking that med. At first I thought it was jet lag, but after three days of having to take Ambien to get some sleep I figured it had to be the Malarone. As soon as I stopped taking it I had no problem sleeping. Just something to keep in mind if you're taking Malarone.

Duke Nukem,
which is the country in your target? Which is the area in that country and which is the period?

My doc, who lived 15 years in Angola, 40km from Namibian border, when I did the same question wanted to know the period and the area. Once he knew that I was going in Namibia, first period around Windhoek and then in the Kalahary region near the S.A. border, on the end of June/beginning of July period, he told me to make only the anti tetanus shot.
I followed the suggestion and everything was ok for me.

In Namibia to avoid a lot of health problems is enough to follow normal/elementary rules that we usually follow also in our countries (hand washing, not sharing glasses/bottles/etc. with anyone and so on). In other countries can be/is completely different.

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:

quote:

Originally posted by 7kongoni:
I've not had any reaction from the shots. But, Larium gives me really weird dreams--not scary--but really weird.

Yeah, Malarone is a daily and Laruim is a weekly, but I like my sleep and have never used it. .

I've neve taken anything but Larium, and have had no ill effects from it that I know of. However they say the people who are crazy don't know they are, so maybe the stuff did effect me, and I just don't know it! I'll ask my wife if she thinks I'm crazy, but I think I know her answer!

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

The shots are "NOT" generally much worse that getting a flu shot,, some people get a headache from the yellow fever. If you can take Advil,, take a couple prior to the shots and go on with your life and don't think about it and you will notice very little effects. Our group always uses malarone over Larium,, to many wierd psycotic issues on Larium. The oral typus vaccine is an "attenuated" strain of the bug,, it is still live and some people get ill with it, the shot is a inactivated vaccine or killed pathogen. Bottom line,, take the shots or vaccines! I can get mine at the local health department.I hate shots but it is better than being sick on a hunt. I'd rather be hunting that spraying the country side with organic matter!

quote:

Originally posted by Jorge400:
The tetanus shot sucks. Other than that everything else was fine, except for the fact that they will cause an addiction to Africa.

Yes the Tenanus shots dues suck big time. They locked me up in the base of my spine for about two weeks. I was lazy then so that might have something to do with it. I'm way more active now because of health reason. I can't just sit around ever again.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Malinverni:
Duke Nukem,
which is the country in your target? Which is the area in that country and which is the period?

My doc, who lived 15 years in Angola, 40km from Namibian border, when I did the same question wanted to know the period and the area. Once he knew that I was going in Namibia, first period around Windhoek and then in the Kalahary region near the S.A. border, on the end of June/beginning of July period, he told me to make only the anti tetanus shot.
I followed the suggestion and everything was ok for me.

In Namibia to avoid a lot of health problems is enough to follow normal/elementary rules that we usually follow also in our countries (hand washing, not sharing glasses/bottles/etc. with anyone and so on). In other countries can be/is completely different.

Were exploring right now. Blake70 is my tour guide right now.