Immunizations

I know it's been a while, but yesterday was a kinda great kinda bad day. I woke up around 6 AM to pack my car with the books and notebooks to start moving back home. Then I drove to the doctor's office in Carmel (from Purdue) - Dr. Timothy Hodges. We talked a little bit about genetics as well as the need for the Hepatitis A shot (Typhoid is necessary too for me, but I had everything else listed in the CDC website for Singapore). I'll have to get a booster shot for HepA in order to be set for life in about 6-12 months. He said that you can get HepA from just contaminated water or food - just from someone who didn't wash his hands. Hm... Anyways, the HepA shot didn't hurt going in, but the Typhoid stung a bit. Ironically, the HepA was more sore than the T. I did compliment the nurse (something that I don't do regularly) about how well she administered the shots. I'm going to try to make an effort to compliment more people now. Blah.

So as a "second celebration of my birthday," according to my mom (but personally I suppose it was a well you're leaving soon, so why not), the girls had DELICIOUS crab meat, French mayonnaise and asparagus last night for dinner.

Just FYI, if you're traveling to Singapore, these are the vaccinations that the CDC recommends (http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationList.aspx#D):

• Routine: (if you're not up to date on) measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) vaccine, poliovirus vaccine, etc.
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Typhoid
• Japanese encephalitis (if you're traveling to rural areas)

I also found this interesting (and slightly alarming):

Other Diseases Found in Southeast Asia

Risk can vary between countries within this region and also within a country; the quality of in-country surveillance also varies.

The following are disease risks that might affect travelers; this is not a complete list of diseases that can be present. Environmental conditions may also change, and up to date information about risk by regions within a country may also not always be available.

Dengue, chikungunya, filariasis, Japanese encephalitis, and plague are diseases carried by insects that also occur in this region. Protecting yourself against insect bites (see below) will help to prevent these diseases.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) continues to cause outbreaks in domestic and wild bird populations and has caused human cases in several countries in Southeast Asia. In 2006, the virus continued to spread in poultry populations in Indonesia. Avoid all direct contact with birds, including domestic poultry (such as chickens and ducks) and wild birds, and avoid places such as poultry farms and bird markets where live birds are raised or kept. For a current list of countries reporting outbreaks of H5N1 among poultry and/or wild birds, view updates from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and for total numbers of confirmed human cases of H5N1 virus by country see the World Health Organization (WHO) Avian Influenza website.

Do not swim in fresh water (except in well-chlorinated swimming pools) to avoid infection with schistosomiasis. Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection often contracted through recreational water activities in contaminated water, such as kayaking, is common in tropical areas of Southeast Asia. (For more information, please see Swimming and Recreational Water Safety.) An outbreak was reported in Borneo among expedition travelers in 2000.

Measles transmission persists in the region, although vaccination coverage is improving in some countries in Southeast Asia. Influenza infections can occur throughout the year in tropical areas.

Polio resurfaced in Indonesia in 2005. Imported cases in neighboring countries have occasionally occurred.

For more information, see the Geographic Distribution of Potential Health Hazards to Travelers and Goals and Limitations in determining actual disease risks by destination.