I needed two vaccinations, Hepatitis A and Typhoid. As "luck" would have it, the clinic was out of the Typhoid injection, so they gave me an oral version instead. I had to take pills every other day for a week, while being careful to keep them refrigerated. This was a bit of a challenge on the days I traveled to my client site, but a baggie and a freezing cold ice pack took care of that!
In the end, (See what I did there?) I only had to get one shot, but since the Hep A vaccination takes two injections for lifelong immunization, I’ll have to go back again once I return from India. FYI - doctors say that should start the process as soon as you can, so that the immunizations have a chance to take full effect and in the event that you have some sort of adverse reaction to the process.
In addition to the vaccination, I got a script for malaria, as well as a general antibiotic that will take care of anything from respiratory infection to traveler’s diarrhea. Once I stock up on some of my favorite over the counter medications, my traveling medicine cabinet will be complete!
BE ADVISED: Malaria is a big deal in India, despite what you may read on some websites. Feedback from family and friends, none of whom are doctors but have taken several of the medications, say that Malerone is more convenient to take and has fewer side effects that Doxycycline. Take a look at the niffty chart on the CDC site here for details. I've packed a small supply of OFF repellant. ODOMOS is the brand of choice in India. It comes in cream, gel and spray. It's widely available.
BE ADVISED: Drinking water in India is a VERY big deal, as is uncooked food. I'm planning to bring along water purification tablets to take care of water for brushing teeth and emergencies when sealed, safe, bottled water is not available. Hopefully, with all these precautions, you won’t be reading a blog entry about any sort of surprise illness. Deloitte maintains medical personnel on site just in case. Nice!
