Vaccinations for Babies Traveling Overseas

The question of vaccinations these days can be controversial, of course it is up to the parents to decide what they think is best for each child- but there are some important things to know if you are traveling with a baby/infant, toddler, or child to a foreign country. Your physician will be able to help you figure out what is best for your situation, but here is some general information for vaccinations for foreign travel:

* Although vaccinations are generally a personal decision, some countries actually require vaccinations as part of their visa process or entry procedures.

* Generally, the high risk areas are in PARTS of Asia, Africa, and South America.

* The most common diseases to be vaccinated against (for foreign travel) are: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Cholera, Japanese Encephalitus, Rabies, Typhoid Fever, and Yellow Fever. This is in addition to the common vaccination that babies receive.

* Other diseases to be aware of (and sometimes take medication to minimize risk for) include: Dengue Fever, Malaria, Meningococcal Meningitis, other Strains of hepatitis and of course HIV.

* The length of stay in a country can determine different immunization needs, i.e. if you are in a country for less than 2 weeks you may not need the same vaccinations then if you are there for 6 months.

I found two great articles to help get a better understanding and have referenced some of what I learned here:

http://parenting.ivillage.com/gs/gshealth/0,,3qgj,00.html
http://www.travelvaccination.com.au/

For US citizens, here is the link to the Center for Disease Control website which does have a lot of useful information:

http://www.cdc.gov/travel/travel.html]

U.K. Citizens can check out these websites:

www.doh.gov.uk/traveladvice, www.fco.gov.uk/travel, www.uclh.org, www.britishairways.com and www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk

I am no expert on Travel Vaccinations for a baby, and am learning myself as we are leaving to go around the world in October. If you have any thoughts, comments or questions- leave us a comment or email babyjetsetter@gmail.com