So the date we both were not looking forward to finally came- The travel doctor visit at the immunization clinic at Tufts Medical Center in Boston!

After a long talk with the doc about where we are going and for how long he made his suggestions. We are to receive vaccines for seven different diseases. The first round was six shots, three in each shoulder. The second visit will be ONLY two more shots. First was Polio, Tetanus, Hepatitis A and B, Yellow Fever and Typhoid. Round two will be for the second half of the Hepatitis B and meningitis.

We also received a few prescriptions. The big one is for Malaria pills and the other two are for traveler’s diarrhea. He gave us an antibiotic (Cipro) and a high strength Imodium so we can self medicate at the first sign of the local version of Montezuma’s revenge.

Really the biggest thing we talked about with the doctor was prevention. All of the vaccines we’ve received are for prevention of illnesses, but we must also take an active role in preventing problems as well. The largest thing is going to be bug bites, mainly mosquitoes but others too. This includes limiting exposed skin whenever possible and using insect repellent. This will be very important when we visit Botswana and Zambia as well in tropical South America. That being said, major cities are very safe in most regions and locations at high altitudes (above 2000 to 2500 meters).

Yellow fever (along with malaria) seemed to be among the most mentioned in our pre trip reading on staying healthy. Even though it only occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and Tropical South America, some countries require proof of vaccination if you’re coming from an endemic area. In fact, a number of African countries require the proof for ALL arriving travelers.