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Ask The Travel Doctor-TMVC

Q: My 16 year old daughter is going on a school exchange to Port Elizabeth in South Africa in a boarding school environment for 6 weeks. I am wondering if she needs to be vaccinated for anything before she goes?

Libby

 

A:  You are right to ask about travel vaccines, because although a boarding school in a developed city represents much the same issues as at home in Australia, ( where the normal standard vaccine requirements apply), the location is immediately adjacent to some of the best tourist destinations in the world, notably the beautiful gameparks of north-east Sth Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Travel into these marvellous places does involve risk of tropical diseases, including hepatitis, typhoid, malaria and dengue fever and consideration for appropriate protection is essential. The task is therefore really about planning carefully for the nature of the recreational activities that will inevitably accompany an educational opportunity like this. A consultation based on a detailed discussion with a travel medicine expert of the likely travel is essential.

Dr Sonny

 

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