My first trip to China and I am very excited about the trip. I leave in late October. My travel agent said to check with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for immunization information.
OMG.... it looks as if I need, Tetanus, Hepatitis A & B, Measles, and H1N1 shots, plus Malaria pills.
I'm all in favor of being safe - but is this to much? I'm going to Shanghai, Xian and Beijing.
Please let me know if I am overdoing it.
Thanks
Sandy

Welcome to FT!

I've traveled to China a few times, and have never been required to have any shots. I think that some of the shots are considered standard, and something you should have (Tetanus). I've gotten some of the Hep shots before.

Unless you going to a specific area with problems, I wouldn't worry about it.

Thanks. I will follow your advise.

You're 'over-doing' it by asking a bunch of unknowns, almost certain to lack specialist knowledge of this area, about matters that may affect the rest of your life. Stick to specialist medical advice, and accept no substitutes.

The general rule for China is you should have all your home base vaccinations (tetanus, etc.) up to date. You need them at home, and you need them everywhere else, too.

The hepatitis vaccinations spare you the form of which a significant percentage of the Chinese population are carriers, and which is very easily passed on to you through poor hygiene in food handling, for instance. Needless to say, hygiene standards with food handling, although much improved, are not what they might be. The other form of hepatatis is caught in the same way you catch HIV, and so relatively hard to catch. But if you end up in hospital in China for any other reason, your chances of catching it are significant.

If you look into things more closely you'll find the advice for malaria will be that if you are staying in the big cities you mention, malaria prophylaxis is unnecessary. But the recommendations on this change all the time, so don't listen to me, look at CDC and talk to a tropical medicine specialist.

Chances are there will now be postings that say, "Harumph, harumph; load of nonsense. I went to China without doing any of this and I was fine."

Undoubtedly this might be true of any number of people, but it isn't any more relevant than statements such as, "My grandfather smoked 20 day and died quietly in his bed at 94." Smoking nevertheless remains a leading cause of death and no end of nasty diseases, and catching any of the diseases for which vaccinations are being recommended would significantly alter your quality of life, and in some cases shorten it significantly.

In sum: ask the specialist medics, and on the chit-chat boards stick to hotel recommendations and so on, where your life isn't at stake. The good news is you'll only have to have the new Hep A and Hep B jabs once: they last a lifetime.

Peter N-H
China

Most of those are things you should have anyway. Your itinerary doesn't seem to me to need malaria stuff. I've never been bit in Shanghai or Beijing, I've never been to Xian.

I didn't know there even was an H1N1 vaccine.

Malaria: You do not need on this itinerary. There is no malaria in any of these cities, and in October there will be few to zero mosquitoes around anyway.

Measles: You should have been vaccinated for this as a kid (or if old enough, had the natural disease)--either way, should be immune.

Tetanus: Everybody, everywhere should be up-to-date on this whether they travel or not. If you have not had an initial injection series or a booster in last 10 years, get it. Diptheria (often given in combo w/Tet) and Polio should be kept similar status--check your records and/or ask your doctor.

Hepatitis A: Get it. High risk of this in China due to water and food handling issues. As a matter of fact, I advise getting this even if you live in a developed country in N. America, Europe, etc. You no longer need to travel to the 3rd World, the 3rd World food and food handling has come to you. Note: this is given as a series so get started right away. Even if you can't finish the series before the trip, the initial shot gives you some protection. Do finish the series after the trip. Finishing the entire series is considered to give you lifelong protection, so you won't need to repeat it in the future.

Hep B: For most non-resident foreigners not engaging in risky behaviors and not working in the medical/relief field, not needed. But be aware a large % (some places 20%) of population in China and some other Asian countries has either active disease or carrier status. If you get into an accident and need blood.... Don't put this at the top of the priority list, but if you have the cash and can get, it is a good series to have and is considered lifetime protection. (USA kids are now getting Hep B as part of their childhood series.) There is a combined Hep A + Hep B vaccine (Twinrix) that you can ask about, if you want both.

Regular Flu: Get the regular annual seasonal flu shot ASAP, whether travelling or not. It's easy to pick this up just by being in airport crowds, on a plane, or in public areas/crowds in China.

H1N1 flu: is not currently available in the US but will be sometime in October maybe. This is a new vaccine and the safety profile across large mass of people is still unclear. I personally would not go out of my way to try to source this and get before international travel, just in case there are untoward side effects. Note: China has rolled out its own version as of now for parts of the Chinese population esp kids, but they do not require it for international travellers entering China. And don't get any vaccination in China itself.

Typhoid: Not on your list, and I wouldn't make it your top priority, but useful for travel to Asia. Typhoid disease is uncommon in the northern Chinese major cities you are going to (even in the natives), but more common in the south and in SE Asia and Indian subcont. Two forms: single injection, or oral 4-capsule series. Protection for 2-5 years depending on type of vaccine then you have to get again. If time and/or cash is short, skip it for this trip.

Much of the injection prep you may need for this trip, you won't need to repeat again for future international travel so it gets simpler/quicker/cheaper. Above all, don't get paranoid about health when travelling in China. It's relatively easier to stay healthier here than in most of SE Asia or India, for instance. Just use common sense, wash hands a lot, and watch what you put in your mouth to eat and drink.

Thanks for all of your comments. Better safe than sorry. I will be updating my adult immunizations and Hep A & B and flu shots.

Sandy