Does one REALLY need Immunizations to go to Beijing!!??

Beijing (China) seems like such a clean and modern city to me! So, I was surprised to hear that maybe I need Hepatitis A, Polio, Diptheria, Tetanus, Japanese Encephalitis vaccines, etc.

My friend and I are staying only in Beijing for 7 days at a 5 star hotel and we will only eat at reputable restaurants. We are NOT camping, going into countryside, eating at street food vendor stands, etc.

In your opinion… are the vaccinations REALLY necessary (I dont think so personally, but what do you think. Obviously I wont hold you responsible as you are not a doctor and it is only your opinion)

Thanks,
Sakurako

somewhat tangential - many antibotics are sold OTC in China - result: new, improved, antibiotic-resistant bugs.

get the shots.

Think of them as a kind of insurance. You have insurance, don’t you? Well, then…

And–I know this will come as a shock to you–the kitchens of even reputable restaurants and five-star hotels sometimes employ people who have hepatitis, even in Vancouver. You know a restaurant called “Capers” or “Capers Markets”?
http://www.vancourier.com/043102/news/043102nn7.html

How about Riley’s Cafe, the Waterfront Centre o’tooz, and Planet Bingo’s Galaxy Grill?
http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/hospitalitynorth/fn-hep.htm

Just because you are staying in a 5 star hotel doesn’t mean that you are in hermetically sealed bubble. You can get very sick. I personally would get the vaccinations. Also I would be asking the advice of a travel doctor not an internet board.

I did go to a travel doctor, but he did not understand that Beijing is much different than the rest of China in terms of cleanliness. That is why I believe that he said I needed so many shots. I guess I don’t trust my doctor.

BTW, I have been to Beijing before and I took no vaccinations and I was completely fine. However, that could have just been luck.

And obviously like I said above, I’m just interested in your opinions, ideas, experiences, and input. I’m not only going to follow the advice of an internet board as Ell implied above.

I would recommend the hepatitus A. Not just for China but for the US.

As for the rest, I never had anything special, and I’ve lived in China on and off since 1982 without a problem. I don’t know any foreigners who have contracted anything except a STD and hepatitus A.

If you want to think of it as insurance, think about what you really should have in the US and get that. For example, hep A, tetanus, etc.

BTW, China is a big country. Beijing is essentially a desert environment with long cold winters. Those shots might be necessary if you’re going a few thousand miles away to the Burmese border.

Also here is some of the confusing and inconsistent information you can find on the web:

From www.fodors.com:

“In China the major health risk is traveler’s diarrhea, caused by eating contaminated fruit or vegetables or drinking contaminated water. So watch what you eat. There is a limited risk of hepatitis A and B, typhoid, polio, malaria, tuberculosis, dengue fever, tetanus, and rabies in small cities and rural areas. In most urban or easily accessible areas you need not worry. However, if you plan to visit remote regions or stay for more than six weeks, check with the CDC.”

From www.lonelyplanet.com:

“Health risks: Rabies, bilharzia, dengue fever, malaria and cholera are all present. Immunisation against cholera, hepatitis A and B, Japanese encephalitis, polio, rabies and typhoid is considered essential.

I have been to China about six times for several weeks (4-6) each and with no vaccinations. I guess I am living dangerously and not knowing it.

Well, I did get vaccinations, so if I was at risk I might not have known it, but I spent 3 months in Beijing and didn’t have any problems, as well as a couple weeks in really, really rural areas. I also ate some stuff that was fairly questionable by “rich foreigner” standards. I got the famous Xinjiang raisin diarrhea, but that’s all. Sure, you’re safer with vaccinations, but if you’re only there for a week, and you have a reasonable amount of common sense about what you eat, I personally wouldn’t bother with the money and effort. But then I’ve never been one to see a doctor unless something was broken.

This thread illustrates nicely why BBs such as this and commercial sites (e.g., the Lonely Planet site quoted) are such poor sources of health information.

Example 1: “Immunisation against cholera, hepatitis A and B, Japanese encephalitis, polio, rabies and typhoid is considered essential.” is nonsense. The currently available cholera vaccine is nearly useless and “At the present time, the manufacture and sale of the only licensed cholera vaccine in the United States (Wyeth-Ayerst) has been discontinued. It has not been recommended for travelers because of the brief and incomplete immunity if offers”- CDC. The Japanese B encephalitis vaccine is only recommended for people "likely to be exposed Japanese encephalitis (“only if you plan to visit rural areas for 4 weeks or more, except under special circumstances, such as a known outbreak of Japanese encephalitis”-CDC).

Example 2: “I spent 3 months in Beijing and didn’t have any problems, as well as a couple weeks in really, really rural areas. I also ate some stuff that was fairly questionable by “rich foreigner” standards. I got the famous Xinjiang raisin diarrhea, but that’s all. Sure, you’re safer with vaccinations, but if you’re only there for a week, and you have a reasonable amount of common sense about what you eat, I personally wouldn’t bother with the money and effort.” Well, I drove from LA to San Fran drunk as a skunk and not wearing a seat belt and I arrived without a scratch. Sure your safer if you are sober and wearing a seat belt, but …"

Example 3: “somewhat tangential - many antibotics are sold OTC in China - result: new, improved, antibiotic-resistant bugs. get the shots.” This is really very, very tangential since hepatitis A, polio, , Japanese encephalitis are caused by viruses, not antibiotic-susceptible bacteria and antibiotic resistance is not a big problem for tetanus or diptheria.

In answer to your question, here are the CDC’s recommendations for travellers to East Asia:

Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG), except travelers to Japan. At 26, if you’ve lived in Vacouvera ll your life, you have probably not had hepatitis A yet and the best thing would be to get the 2 shot vaccine series for lifelong protection. (The first shot is already >90% effective.) There’s no reason to bother with the IG.

Hepatitis B, if you might be exposed to blood (for example, health-care workers), have sexual contact with the local population, stay longer than 6 months, or be exposed through medical treatment. In the opion of most experts, nearly everybody should get the hepatitis B vaccine series, certainly a 26 year old who visits East Asia.

Japanese encephalitis, only if you plan to visit rural areas for 4 weeks or more, except under special circumstances, such as a known outbreak of Japanese encephalitis. Not for you.

Rabies, if you might be exposed to wild or domestic animals through your work or recreation. Not for you. If you get bitten by an animla that could be rabid, then get the series (same as in North America).

Typhoid, particularly if you are visiting developing countries in this region. Not for you. Risk of typhoid is low, typhoid is treatable, vaccines do not give lifelong protection, oral vaccine is a problem to take, and injectable vaccine makes you sick for a day or so.

As needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria and measles, and a one-time dose of polio for adults. You should get a tetanus-diptheria booster if you haven’t had one for more than 10 years. You probably don’t need a measles booster (“In general, travelers can be considered immune to measles if they have documentation of physician-diagnosed measles, laboratory evidence of measles immunity, or proof of receipt of two doses of live measles vaccine on or after their first birthday.” - CDC) If you received the full polio vaccine series as a child, you don’t need a booster for travel to Beijing because there is no polio in Beijing.

You might want to check out this source of free and authoritative information: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/eastasia.htm

everybody say it won’t happen to them, & then it happen to them.

Get the effin’ shots.

A doctor knows better than you or some loudmouth on a MB. He’s the one with the sheepskin, remember?

Enjoy your trip. In good health. :slight_smile:

I just went to China 6 months ago, traveled from Beijing to Shanghai.

First off, Beijing is no more or no less clean or sanitary than any of the other medium-to-large cities in China. You will still face the same health risks.

I got Hep and Tetanus shots when I went. I was rationalizing the same things as you (modern city, only going to be in hotels, I’ll be careful, etc) but when I got there the reality was far far different. Even in the classiest hotels, the food handling risks are out of your control and you are still at risk. Also, water quality is dodgy everywhere in China, so things like showering, brushing teeth, washing face, you will be very glad to have the insurance of having had your shots.

Chinese standards are not Western standards. They don’t even notice some things that would make you or I freak out in revulsion. I saw waiters brushing flies off of the cuts of meat while handing them over to customers. I saw fruit that had never been near a pesticide. Don’t skimp on your shots, Hep is a horrid virus to catch and will make your life hell.

Enjoy your trip, get your shots!

Hep A and Hep B shots are worth getting anywhere in the world. (Though I’ve only had one, and I can’t remember which it was.) Otherwise, don’t get too worked up about it. Polio you must have had already (we all had it when I was a kid, but that was a while back). Diptheria, tetanus, unlikely that you’ll encounter them. Japanese whatever - never heard of it. Etc, etc. I live in Asia and travel around without thinking about these things. Remember, loads of people live in these places quite happily for decades. You can visit safely for a few days, surely.

** Yeah ** said, "Hepatitis A … the best thing would be to get the 2 shot vaccine series for lifelong protection. (The first shot is already >90% effective.) "

Do you (or someone else) know how long the first Hep A shot is effective for? I had part one of the two part series of HAVRIX the Hep A 2-part vaccine. But, I never went back for the second dose. That was 2 years ago. Do you think it would provide any immunity/protection at this point???

Also I had the the Tetanus/ Diptheria vaccine series in 1992. My doctor says its only effective for 10 years, so not at all after 2002.
Do you think the effectiveness just ends (zero percent protection) or does it just lessen (say, 70% instead of 100%)…

Well, thanks everyone for your ideas and stories and advice.

Sakurako

Same reply as most the others. When I first went to China (Beijing), I practically got no vaccinations. Second time as a study abroad experience, my university health system was going crazy over us. I think I got tetanus, Hep A, MMR and flu. They even gave us our own syringes (not such a bad idea, but the practical incidence of actually using them was quite low). Also they recommended iodine tablets and malaria pills, and had this survival kit catalog that was quite amusing. One friend of mine was like, hey wait a minute, can we actually shower there (worrying about the water)?

But like the others, I think the ones worth getting are Hep A and a tetanus booster. I’ve also gone to Taiwan quite a few times as a kid without much problem. One thing I might recommend (experience from a very isolated event, friend had to get injections in her eyes) is to bring your eyeglasses, if you wear contacts – and maybe stay off the contacts for a while. Do not rinse your contacts out with the water there (use chilled boiled water or bottled water). That would be bad.