This is Gonna Hurt ...
... the pocketbook, that is
World travel opens you up to many new experiences, not the least of which is exposure to a variety of diseases, some more dangerous than others.
So when we decided it was time to travel around the world, we knew there would be some vaccination involved. We just didn't know the volume of vaccinations we’d need ... or how much it would set us back.
Fortunately, we lived not too far from Healthy Traveler, a Pasadena-based clinic specializing in immunizations for international travel. So we booked some appointments and headed over to get some shots.
Travel Vaccinations: Hidden Costs
Over the course of a month, the parents (Sam & Tom) received 10 vaccinations — seven of them on the first day (it would have been eight, but we opted for the oral Typhoid fever vaccine).
Kids today are much better vaccinated than we were, so Frankie & Jackie only had to get seven shots each over the course of a month.
The kids only needed to get four vaccines, but we opted to get them vaccinated for rabies. Our kids love animals, so after much discussion, the rabies vaccine seemed like a good idea, although it was a series of three shots that totaled almost $1,000 (but a rabies vaccination is good for life).
So now we’re covered against Yellow fever, Typhoid fever, and Japanese Encephalitis. The doctor told us that last one is really rare, but if you should contract it and manage to survive it, you’ll almost certainly suffer from neurological damage. We were also covered against Hepatitis A & B, Polio, Measles, and, of course, Tetanus.
The clinic also have a few kits to help treat Malaria, should we be unfortunate enough to contract it, and a few kits to treat diarrhea.
Notable Statistics:
Total shots: 34 (plus oral Typhoid)
Total cost: A little over $7,000
Tom Fassbender is a writer of things with a strong adventurous streak. He also drinks coffee. If you enjoy his writing here and want to lend your support, you are welcome to contribute to his coffee fund.
