The Immunization Process

Given the fact that we’re planning on traveling through several different countries with varying climates, food & water sanitation systems, and risks for potential diseases, we knew that we’d be needing vaccinations.

A quick Google search led us to Ontario Travel & Immunization Clinics with several offices nearby. Our vaccination journey included two trips to the clinic: an initial consultation and another visit to actually get the shots.

Consultation

The first visit involved Mac & I meeting the doctor and giving him a run-down of our travel plans. Based on our rough itinerary, he gave suggestions for what vaccines we should receive. One non-negotiable shot was Yellow Fever. In order to enter Peru, you must present a copy of your yellow immunization card clearly showing that you have been vaccinated for Yellow Fever. The other vaccine that was recommended based on our travel plans was Hepatitis A & Typhoid. (Mac & I both confirmed with our respective school health regions that we had the Hepatitis B vaccine in grade 7 so it wasn’t necessary to get it again).

Even though Mac & I both received all of our shots as babies & in elementary school, the doctor recommended that we also get MMR (Measles, Mumps & Rubella) as well as Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis since they are both covered by OHIP and we would be covered for 10 years & for life, respectively.

After going through the vaccination process, the doctor also went over other disease & illness-preventing measures we can take during our trip. These included: only drinking boiled, sanitized or bottled water; eating mostly cooked & hot foods and fruits & veggies with peels; using DEET bug spray for mosquitos. The reasoning for some of these precautions is that unlike Canada, most Central & South American countries don’t have safe drinking water. It’s recommended to not eat leafy vegetables from restaurants because you can’t guarantee what kind of water has been used to wash them. Also, undercooked foods, or dishes that have been left out sitting (like at buffets) can easily grow bacteria.

To combat some of the worry associated with unsafe drinking water, we’ll be bringing our SteriPen with us. The SteriPen is a water purification system that kills bacteria and viruses with UV light.

With this huge amount of information freshly ingrained in our brains, we made an appointment for the next week to actually get the shots.

Getting Vaccinated

Our shots came in the form of 4 needles – 2 in each arm. The actual shots themselves didn’t hurt too much, but the next day I felt like I had been hit by a train. My whole body felt ‘off’ and don’t even get me started on my arms! Attempting to raise them above my shoulders was seriously cringe-inducing! The pain faded after a few days though. I’ll let Mac tell his version of getting vaccinated if he wants to. Long story short, I’ve now learned that my boyfriend does not do well with needles…

In addition to our shots, we also received several prescriptions for various drugs that we might need throughout our trip. Among these were pills for malaria, travelers diarrea (how pleasant), and altitude sickness (needed for Cusco, Peru which sits at 8500ft with parts of the Inca Trail getting up to 13,500ft).

While this whole process was really information-heavy & slightly overwhelming, it was also really informative & relatively painless and it’s quite comforting to know that we’ll be prepared should anything health-related plague us.