REQUIRED/RECOMMENDED IMMUNIZATIONS
Hartshorn Immunization Coordinator Lisa Duggan said there are no required immunizations for students studying abroad but she recommends several.The following are also recommended by the American College Health Association (ACHA).
- Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR): This immunization is required by Colorado State law to be a CSU student, so normally these are always up-to-date.
- Tetanus and Diphtheria (TD): Tetanus and diphtheria boosters have been recommended every 10 years. A new vaccine licensed in 2005 contains tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, also known as whooping cough. This booster is recommended to students who need to update this immunization and can be given as early as two years after the last TD booster.
- Hepatitis B: This vaccine is required for all high school students, so travelers who come in for vaccines normally have up-to-date immunizations for Hepatitis B.
- Hepatitis A: Duggan recommends this vaccine to students who are traveling to developing countries.
The Hartshorn Health Center Web site lists where students can easily obtain immunization records and has additional information about these vaccines.
The following are vaccines which are recommended less highly depending on where the student is traveling. More information can be found on the Travel Medicine Clinic page.
- Typhoid: Typhoid is a bacterial illness transmitted through contaminated food and water. There is growing antibiotic resistance in parts of the world which makes vaccination very important.
- Yellow Fever: Yellow Fever is a deadly viral disease occurring in regions of Africa and South America and it is transmitted by mosquitoes. For travelers, certain countries require proof of the Yellow Fever vaccine before allowing entry into their country. This proof must be provided on an International Certificate of Vaccination and carried with the traveler.
- Japanese Encephalitis(JE): Japanese Encephalitis is a viral illness transmitted by mosquitoes and occurs in rural agricultural areas throughout Asia. Visiting a rural-agricultural, rice growing, pig farming region can put a traveler at risk, although most travelers are not at risk unless they stay for prolonged periods (four weeks or more) in these regions. Hartshorn does not provide this vaccine but the vaccine can be obtained at the Weld County Health Department.
IMMUNIZATION DEADLINES
Duggan said that as far as vaccines go, it is important to get them at least a couple weeks before traveling. However, it is even better if students can make it in to the health center two to three months before traveling so that the area the students are going to and their itineraries can be looked at more closely for more accurate immunization recommendations.
Some of the important questions Duggan asks students before recommending immunizations are the following:
- Where in the country are you going?
- Who are you staying with?
- What are you doing?
- Are you staying in urban areas or going rural?
For example, if a student is traveling to a rural area in Cambodia,Duggan would highly recommend the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine. However, if the student is staying in an urban area and may travel through the rural part for a few days, the vaccine is not as highly recommended.
Another example is the rabies vaccine which is highly recommended to vet students who are going to spade and neutered clinics around the world. Other than these types of scenarios, the rabies vaccine is rarely recommended to travelers.
There are not specified deadlines but the earlier a student takes action, the better prepared and vaccinated they will be when the time comes for them to travel.
"When people come in at the last minute, we may have to give them some vaccines they don't even need," said Duggan.
She also said that there are probably a lot of students who never even come in for vaccinations or travel advice. These students tend to be in programs that aren't CSU affiliated.
"There's a lot of students who never come in here," said Duggan, "I'll have students tell me they went somewhere and never got any vaccinations."
Some of these students get lucky and some return wishing they had gotten vaccinated. The students who do come in are usually there to get things done and take the recommendations they are provided with.
Natalie Solario is a 2009 CSU graduate planning to travel to Panama in July. She has been in and out of Hartshorn the whole summer receiving vaccinations that she needs prior to her trip.
"I think I'm being a little over-cautious," said Solario, "I am even considering getting the rabies vaccination even though it wasn't highly recommended for me."
She said that she knows the chance of getting rabies is rare where she will be living in Panama, but that she wants to stay on the safe side because you never know what could happen. It's attitudes like this that will keep students safe and healthy in foreign countries while they are travelling.
COMMON TRAVELER MISTAKES
One of the biggest mistakes can be not receiving necessary vaccinations. Duggan has seen students return from foreign countries with Hepatitis A and Malaria who did not get vaccinated. However, Duggan said that being careless is what causes a lot of sicknesses.
"My friend I was travelling with didn't get a vaccination for Hepatitis A," said Laura Temple a CSU senior who recently traveled to Spain, "She felt awful for a few weeks and took time even after that to recover."
Temple received all the recommended vaccinations before she left for Spain this past January. "Let's just say after seeing her go through that, I'm very glad I got all the vaccinations that were recommended to me," she said, "I tell everyone who is studying abroad to get all their vaccinations."
It is also important to do everything you can to avoid insect bites. Students come back from Mexico with Dengue Fever often because of carelessness and this is not vaccine preventable. Being too careless about what they are eating, many students ingest things in foreign countries which make them sick.
To learn more about how to stay safe and healthy in a foreign country, listen to this interview with Lisa Duggan.
RESOURCES
As the immunization coordinator, Duggan's main resource is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site to counsel students on vaccines they may need. She said that because conditions are constantly changing around the world, it is important to stay updated. The site has travel alerts, health and travel tips and keeps everyone up to date on the most recent health news around the globe.
The Travel Medicine site is also very important in vaccine recommendations because it allows you to look at a country on the site and see what diseases have been diagnosed in that specific country. If there are a high number of polio cases that have been diagnosed in a country for example, Duggan would highly recommend the polio vaccine for a student traveling to that country.
Students worrying about insurance on a trip can visit InsureMyTip.com.
Apart from Web resources, the Health Center offers travel counseling for all students. They offer counseling on a variety of topics including health issues, safety issues, where to find resources, how to be a careful traveler, etc.
"The health center was like my second home before I left for Spain," said Temple, "They just have so much information about traveling and they make sure that you are completely prepared before you leave."
Duggan also recommends the Lonely Planets books. Lonely Planet Publications is one of the largest travel guidebook publishers in the world. It was the first popular series of travel books aimed at backpackers and other low-cost travellers.
GENERAL INFORMATION
For students who are enrolled at Colorado State University, all of the traveling counseling at the Hartshorn Health Center is free. Students who are not enrolled in summer courses can go in before June 12 and still receive free counseling. After this date, there is a $25 fee for students or anyone throughout the year not enrolled as a student on campus.
A list of immunizations, costs and possible side effects can be found here.
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