Vaccines- confused and too much money!!!

[olliesimba]

Hi everyone,

I'm going to Africa fro the first time in the middle of may for a month, and after having done some research i have an idea of what vacciens are needed and the necessity for malaria tablets but there seems to be so much info on the web, so i'm unsure as to which vaccines i really need, and if i knw everything i should about where i'm travelling!

The trip starts in Cape Town and finishes in Visotria Falls, and will be passing through Namibia and Botswana. Any advice you could give would be awesome!

I'm also slightly shocked by the price of all the tablets/vaccines after looking on a few sites. What is the cheapest way to go about getting these, legally;) ? I am 21 years old and a student and was wondering if there's any discounts or any ways of getting getting these precautionary measure without breaking the bank!

Thanks for your help,

Ollie

[paul]

Hi Ollie

If you make an appointment with your local doctor's surgery and go armed with your itinerary, they should be able to pull up exactly what you do/don't need for the areas that you are going to. I believe GPs in the UK have access to NHS information that is not made public on the Web.

They might also be able to advise on medication as this can be dependent on past medical history. Anti-malarial drugs can vary enormously in price, depending on what you go for.

Paul
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[olliesimba]

Brilliant thanks alot paul, a few people have suggested that, was trying to get away with finding out myself but should probably just bite the bullet and get some info from the doc.

[Ginirover]

Sounds like a wise idea - don't forget that getting really ill in Africa is no big fun either, so it's better to invest some time/money to avoid it as much as possible before you leave...

[Thedidgeridude]

On the topic of vaccines, I went to the doctors recently to enquire about which ones I need for my trip and was horrified when the doctor told me a rabbies vaccine will cost me £105!!!
I'm torn between having it done and letting this one go.....