An ounce of prevention...

Wednesday, January 5th, 2005 10:40AM - Chicago, Il

Monday I went to the Northwestern Hospital Travel and Immunization Center to get my booster shots for Hepatitis A and B.

http://www.nmff.org/travelmedicine/index.asp

Aside from a couple sore shoulders, I really didn't feel so bad, but by the end of today I felt a few cold symptoms. Probably got it from one of the patients lurking around the office. Thanks a lot.

I did inquire if there were any additional immunizations that I would need if I ever chose to stay in Bangkok on a more permanent basis. The nurse, who has been giving me my shots for the past year now, suggested that I should look into immunizations against rabies and Japanese Encephalitis. Both are a series of three shots which is par for the course as they help to build the anti-bodies necessary to fight the diesase if ever infected. The interesting statement that the nurse said was with the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine, I would have to wait roughly 30 minutes after each shot to make sure there were no adverse reactions. A little chilling to say the least. For now, I'll hold off. It wasn't really the chance of adverse reactions that scared me off, but the cost. I think the entire series of both shots would cost in the neighborhood of $900. Not a neighborhood I can afford to go to right now.

Coming up - A new feature until I can think of something more interesting to write: Photo (or photos) of the day...