Travel vaccinations are an important part of making sure that you are safe and healthy whenever you go on specific international trips.
Many patients however don’t fully understand why travel vaccines are necessary, the diseases they protect from, and the process on how to get an updated travel vaccine. But what exactly are travel vaccines? And why should you get one before your trip?
What are some common travel vaccines? Why are they needed?
Travel vaccinations are specific vaccines for travelers that are visiting a new country with diseases not common in their own country of residence. These vaccines prepare patients to visit certain countries where they are not immune to local diseases.
For example, other parts of the world are at high risk for yellow fever and other diseases that are not commonly found in the U.S. Conversely, international travelers visiting the United States may also get their own version of travel vaccines for diseases not common in their home country as their respective government deems necessary.
A list of the most common and frequent travel vaccines as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) includes:
- Cholera
- Yellow Fever
- Typhoid Fever
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis E
- Encephalitis
To plan for international trips the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends the following steps:
- Visit an urgent care center, local walk-in clinic, or similar medical provider to get your travel vaccine.
- Plan at least four weeks in advance to get an updated travel vaccination. This is enough time for your body to build up the necessary immunity for your trip.
- Always double check if you’re required to get the yellow fever vaccine. Yellow fever are some of the most common vaccines and are likely required by several countries before travel. Travelers are required to get their yellow fever vaccine 10 days before their travel date at a minimum.
Visit AFC Urgent Care Waltham to get your updated travel vaccines
At AFC Urgent Care Burlington, our urgent care team provides travel vaccines at an affordable rate with a relatively short wait time.
Patients can expect to get their updated vaccinations in a few minutes (15 minutes on average) at a lower rate than similar facilities including a doctor’s office or elsewhere. AFC Burlington as has a walk-in clinic so you’ll never need an appointment. Simply walk-in and get treated in just a few minutes.
Patients that want more information about travel vaccinations should call us directly or visit our local urgent care center at 90 Middlesex Pike in Burlington, MA!
