joe_miami

I'm taking a relatively last-minute trip to Hong Kong and Macau and then continuing on to several other countries, with Manila and Jakarta probably the first stops along the way, followed by Cambodia and Vietnam. I know opinions are mixed here as to which vaccines are truly needed for people who aren't straying from major cities, and the U.S. city I'm departing from only has a couple travel-vaccine options, both of which charge an arm and a leg.

If I wanted to get vaccinated on the front end of my trip, has anyone done this while in Hong Kong, Manila, or Jakarta? I understand it might be too late for one or more of the vaccines, but I'm curious if people here have done this and, if so, where they did it and what it cost. Thanks.

Akiestar

What vaccines do you need? Depending on the vaccine you're looking for, you can readily get vaccines in Manila. A flu shot, for example, is around ₱1,000 (~$20), more or less.

If you're planning to stay in the Philippines for a while (at least 60 days), you can buy into PhilHealth (the national health insurance system) so you have some health coverage while in the country. You'd have to pay for a whole year (₱17,000, around $330, last time I checked), but you'll have access to most hospitals at least.

joe_miami

Thanks. I mostly need the Hep vaccine(s), typhoid (?), and a TDAP booster.

I'll only be in Manila for a few days. Ditto for Jakarta/Indonesia. Most of my time will be in Vietnam.

nancypants

Hep a? And typhoid? (I think Hep B has been in the childhood immunisations for a while so i’m assuming you won’t need that). I wouldn’t expect either to be “active” in time, they usually need about 8 weeks to work. Good food hygiene will do far more for you at this stage

however. Given that hep a vaccine gives lifelong immunity from 2 dose course, i’d be getting that one regardless, due to the cost savings involved. Typhoid is less good of a vaccine (around 75% effective at best) and appears to confer no immune memory, so unless you have other trips planned in the next 3 years that will require it I probably wouldn’t bother with that one.

definitely get the dtpa as well

(i’ll add for costs, hep a vaccine is about AUD70 a dose so around USD40-50, boostrix is AU$20, typhoid around AU$70, i’d expect the prices to be comparable in Hong Kong, probably a bit less in other SEasian countries but I expect a fair bit less than US prices)

SQTraveller

Personally, I wouldn't do this. I'm not a doctor or a medical professional but whenever I travelled to places that needed vaccines, I always had to have them up to 2 weeks to a month before I went.
How long will you be there? If you're going to be there for only a couple of weeks, the vaccine will likely only take effect after you get back to the States.

But back to your question, Manila will likely be the cheapest.

tentseller

Hong Kong would be the safest.

I have had to seek medical clinic visits in Manila and Jarkata.

Goldorak

As said by other posters, any vaccine should be done at least 2 weeks before being potentially infected as you need this time to develop enough immunity. As I travelled a lot to those areas, what I can tell you :
- TDAP booster is definitely needed if you are not sure about your status for that vaccine.
- Hep A is strongly recommended
- Typhoid fever is not needed if you don't go in jungles/remote area
- Hep B is not food/water-transmitted but a sexually- and blood-transmitted disease

:D!

I would trust HK's healthcare more than Philippines or Indonesia, unless you can find places where expats/rich people go.

I paid about HK$500 for some vaccines for a trip to Kenya 10 years ago, and that was the HK resident rate. Not sure how much it would be now for a tourist, but it may not necessarily be cheaper than in the US.

Hoyaheel

I live in the rural US - no travel clinics within 60 miles. Check your health department to see what they have available - they'll be the cheapest. You should definitely be able to get the Hepatitis vaccines and tdap or whichever version you would need (depends on age, past vaccines etc). And flu.

Yellow fever, as noted - not easy to find in the US right now. None around here. I had it in 2008 but have lost my record (well, I know exactly where it is - at an airport check-in counter in the middle of China, but....) Japanese encephalitis, typhoid - had to go to the travel clinic, spend lots of money. Ah well. Cost of travel....

Don't forget malaria prophylaxis if appropriate. Depending on what you take, might need to take that before starting the trip too.

refox3488

Not sure if you have any flexibility in your travel plans, but Bangkok has a great tropical disease clinic. Cheap, easy to use, and very safe. I got all the vaccines and malaria prophylaxis that i needed for upcoming trips to Africa there and would highly recommend it. As others have said though, the vaccines would not take effect until after you left as you usually need two weeks for them to kick in and Hep requires two immunizations spread over six months so that one would be even less helpful.

https://www.thaitravelclinic.com/

joe_miami

Thanks very much for the additional feedback. The local health department referred me to a doctor who only works once a week and wanted over $600 just for the two Hep and the TDAP, which seems nuts. (I'm not in Miami; I'm visiting family before heading to YYZ for my outbound flight.)

I'm supposed to fly to HKG and then home from BKK, but I might try to reverse that, since HKG seems to be trending in the wrong direction right now. If I do that, the above clinic could be exactly what I need. Thanks again.

Hoyaheel

$600 seems high, yikes. Checking my health department - my Tdap was $45, Twinrix (which is not what I had, but might be a good option for someone who hasn't had Hep A or B) is $115. Otherwise, Hep A for adults is $55 and Hep B is $60. I think the provider fee to administer shots is around $40 (and that's for a nurse practitioner). Sucks that $600 for a once a week doctor is your only local option. I thought my "rurality" was bad!

joe_miami

It's not even a rural area, by any stretch. Just ridiculous vaccine fees and then several add-on consultation fees, etc. I called Passport Health and their prices and availability weren't much better.

Only in America do people paying cash for healthcare pay the highest prices, but that's a topic for OMNI. Thanks again.

Hoyaheel

Eek, sorry to hear that. I recommended the local health department because (at least here in NC) that's where lots of people get their school vaccinations, adults can get the "regular" recommended options. The public health dept here is a LOT cheaper than the travel clinic (either Passport Health or the university hospital options, all of which I've used) but they don't stock "travel" immunizations. Hope you are able to make the itinerary work for you to get what you need!

joe_miami

Thanks. Yes, I was surprised about the local health department, as the state's health department refers people to the local departments for travel vaccinations. In this county, though, they only do child vaccinations.